Imogene is just a little younger than thirteen and it shows in her actions. She's not unintelligent, just young and sheltered. Her eventual traveling companion, Luella, is a delight. She's the butt of a mean joke at first, but she turns out to be more. This is not my favorite of Vande Velde's books, but FROGGED is a fun little fractured fairytale. It's also quite funny.

The Princess Imogene is trying to prepare for her 13th birthday by reading The Art of Being a Princess, but is finding it a struggle. She's not particularly beautiful or kind or any of the things that princesses are supposed to be. This might be why, when she is approached by a frog, she agrees to kiss him to break the spell. The only problem? She has kissed Harry, a local boy who has irritated a witch, and now SHE will be a frog unless she can convince someone else to kiss her and then be turned into a frog. She asks the witch to break the spell, but she refuses. Next, she ends up in the clutches of the well-meaning but dense Luella and her beau, Bertie, who convinces Louella to run away with his troupe of actors, where they can find fame and fortune by showcasing the "talking Chinese frog". This plan doesn't go the way either Imogene or Luella would like-- Imogene just wants to get home to her parents, and Luella is not allowed to act. Eventually, the two make it back to the castle, where a family friend of Imogene helps her figure out a way to break the curse.
Strengths: Having just done a unit on myths, folk tales and fairy tales with a seventh grade language arts class, this would be a fun book for students to read. Imogene's plight as a frog is amusing and makes for a light read, and the cover is fresh and appealing.
Weaknesses: Something seemed to be missing. Imogene had to linger far too long with the actors, and I kept waiting for something... bigger to happen. The ending was similarly dissatisfying. Vande Velde usually has such clever fairy tale turns that I was just expecting something more.