Glitterbelle: The Sparkliest Princess Ever!

Launching a line of books aimed at the Fancy Nancy or Very Fairy Princess crowd, Duckett and Muncaster introduce Glitterbelle, a “glittery and sparkle-tastic princess,” who questions whether she’s a true princess. Her lineage isn’t in doubt—her great-great-great-great grandmother was the heroine of the Princess and the Pea—but Glitterbelle doesn’t like peas, enjoys climbing trees, and hopes to become the town vet. (Never mind that a page after she confesses this secret career goal to her friends, Angel and Dazzlina, Glitterbelle is shuddering about how slimy frogs are.) Glitterbelle’s insecurities are put to rest, though in unsatisfying ways—Queen Lizzie simply slides a pea under Glitterbelle’s mattress to prove that her daughter is a “proper princess,” which works like a charm. Muncaster’s detailed dioramas—which mix damask wallpapers and shelves of glittery crowns with equally bejeweled cordless phones and iPod docks—will entice readers who share Glitterbelle’s love of “everything sparkly, shimmery, and purple.” But despite some well-done moments of humor (Glitterbelle’s family has kept the “shriveled, old pea” as a “family treasure”), Glitterbelle comes across more as a prop than a fully formed character. Ages 6–up. (Jan.)