In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy focussing on alternate HEAs for the princesses. Tries a bit too hard, but encompasses some thought-provoking themes and valuable life lessons. I found it somewhat repetitive and haphazard, but it might work better for the right age group.

Plot Preview:
When “Sleeping Beauty” Princess Rosamund awakes from her hundred-year sleep to a sloppy kiss from a stranger who calls himself her prince and wants to marry her, she runs. Without consciously realising it, she bolts through a ‘Door of Opportunity’ and reaches the premises of The Home Educational Academy, or HEA.
Under the leadership of fairy godmother Verna, HEA runs a Princess Protection Program, to allow princesses to escape their destinies and choose their own happy ending. Rosamund soon adjusts to life in this strange new world, along with a few other princesses (and one prince) as her fellow students. However, not everything seems to be right at the academy. Will it truly provide all its royal inmates with an alternate HEA of their choice?

Note: Children will enjoy this story better if they are familiar with the original fairy tales that the characters are taken from, but this isn’t a prerequisite.

Bookish Yays:
🎇 The author's note at the start about what inspired this story. Quite interesting.
🎇 The feminist spin on what princesses undergo in fairy tales.
🎇 The fact that it included even princes in the topic of having a choice in their lives. Absolutely true! It is not only the princesses who need rescuing from their fate in fairy tales.
🎇 The spinoff characters from popular fairy tales, many of whom have a distinctive personality in this story. Appreciate the inclusion of even modern Disney Princesses such as Elsa, or ‘Elise’ as she is known in this book.
🎇 The amalgamation of the fairy tale fantasy world into our own, where the young people are obsessed with selfies and social media apps. A quirky but interesting combo.
🎇 Many essential life lessons and inspiring themes in the plot, which can serve as good discussion points.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌠 The story begins in a lighthearted way but then gets dark, and a teeny bit scary. Might be a problem for sensitive or younger middle-graders. The fun scenes help a little in maintaining a balance.
🌠 The book has some magic as well as some magical beings, but not enough to make it feel like a fantasy. I expected a lot more magic throughout, and not just at the climax.
🌠 Some of the comic scenes are slapstick in nature, with even some toilet humour included. Some of these *might* be funny to kids, but I found them forced into the narrative.
🌠 The book is fairly quick-paced, as an MG book should be, but the middle section feels repetitive and hence dragged. The action is almost entirely restricted to the climax.

Bookish Nays:
🎃 The new names given to some of the characters are too similar. Names like ‘Sirena’, ‘Verna’ and ‘Rana’ are easy to mix up in our minds.
🎃 A part of the content, especially related to the feminist themes, might be better suited to teens than middle graders as they are a bit too complex for younger minds.

All in all, this is a book with a great idea and decent execution. Keeping in mind that MG fiction is one of my favourite genres, I am slightly disappointed by this experience. I wish it hadn’t tried so hard to be funny as well as meaningful, because in the process, it ends up doing complete justice to neither.

It might serve its target audience decently well, but to me, it was a one-time read with no resultant long-term fondness. Again, it wasn’t a bad book by far, just not a memorable one.

3.25 stars.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Princess Protection Program”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Hello Fellow Readers,

I've read many fairy tale retellings, but this felt like a breath of fresh air. A fun new take on the princess fairy tales we all grew up with, rather than picking a story and trying to modernize it London decided to do a 'What if'. Rosamund is an interesting character whose fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, we are all very much knowledgeable about and the side characters are all princesses (and princes) whom we've all grown up reading about so seeing them all actually gets personalities.

The plot was slow at first as, like Rosmund, we are learning about a whole other world and the HEA. It did not pick up quite how I wanted it to, but for any middle-grade child who is reading it, then the pace might be perfect. I like the message that The Princess Protection Program is trying to tell, and London did a great job conveying that you can absolutely break out of the story you think is intended for you and have a different happily ever after.

Overall, a great children's book for any kid who likes to ask 'Why?'

What would happen if the characters in a fairy tale were unhappy with the plot line? That's the re-imagining that author Alex London takes in this new book. Rosamund, from Sleeping Beauty, awakes to find a stinky prince who is demanding that they wed because his kiss (ew) woke her up. As Rosamund flees, she ends up in a school called the Princess Protection Program. This is a fun romp through fairy tales that ask the readers to overlay some of today's cultural attitudes on these traditional stories. Kids are going to like this one a lot.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this early release copy.

I read this book with my 7 year old daughter and it was so fun. The first chapter immediately had us laughing and sucked us right in. It was a fun princess story about forging their own path, and not being that damsel in distress destined to marry a prince that most princess stories tell our kids. Such a fun retelling with lots of appearances from all the classic fairy tale princesses and characters in general. It's such a great middle grade read, but also fun to read along with a younger reader.

The Princess Protection Program is sort of an anti-princess, define-your-own destiny type of book, meaning it should appeal to a larger cross section than what the title implies.

Author Alex London employs a snarky tongue-in-cheek tone that will immediately resonate with readers. London dismantles fairy tale tropes — prince saving a princess, true love’s kiss, etc. — giving princesses — and a prince — the chance at creating their own happily ever afters.

The star of The Princess Protection Plan is Rosamund, aka Sleeping Beauty. She’s an inquisitive young woman who knows the value of a good question. And when she doesn’t get answers to her questions, she keeps pushing.

At just over 200 pages, The Princess Protection Program is a fast-moving book that is perfect for readers who may be overwhelmed by longer novels. London’s pacing is strong and kids will love the humor laced throughout.

Rosamund wakes up suddenly. She's been kissed! Now the dude is babbling about how he's a prince and they're going to live Happily Ever After. But she's not interested. Instead, Rosamund runs. And she ends up in the Home Educational Academy with other princesses who have run right out of their stories.
This world is odd and Rosamund is figuring out how to live in it. There are classes on things like social media, and languages, and cleaning. There is so much cleaning. It's here that Rosamund will figure out how to make friends and figure out what she really wants her life to look like. Will it be in the Academy with Verna? Or will she venture out and face the Uponatimes that might drag her back to the fairy tale?
I enjoyed the first three quarters of this book quite a bit. The last part got even a little more wacky and I was disappointed that the princess weren't more a part of their narrative thrust in overcoming the last hurdles of their life.

Three stars
This book comes out February 13, 2024
ARC kindly provided by HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This middle grade book was adorable and I really enjoyed the premise! Well known princesses from beloved stories (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Princess and the Frog to name a few) question why their stories are the way they are, and that leads to opportunities to escape their stories and go to another world. These princesses end up at The Princess Protection Program school.

But things at The Princess Protection Program school are not what they seem! And that's when this book becomes a lot of fun.

Cheers to princesses who wish to find their own paths! I also really appreciated the queer representation (why does a prince have to kiss a princess, what is they want to kiss another prince?) and the humor. Some great themes were explored and this is a great one for readers who love fairy tales and would enjoy a fresh take on some classics.

Recommended for ages 8+. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this!

I got an ARC of this book from NetGalley and harperCollins for my honest review.

I honestly really love middle grade books. They are very easy and quick to read and very well written. This story was definitely cute and I liked the overall message. Since this is a middle grade book I rolled my eyes at some of the jokes and you can tell this is for a younger audience but I still enjoyed it.

I thought the premise of this book was really interesting and was very happy to discover that the actual book very much lived up to its promise. This was a really clever take on how fairy tale princesses (and princes) might actually feel about the stories in which they find themselves. I couldn't help but think of the song "Naughty" from the Matilda musical at several points in this story (if you are not familiar with that song, it's basically about how characters are sometimes victims of their stories and that we shouldn't stand by and allow things to just happen to us) - I think Matilda would have been very proud of the characters in this book for pushing back against the expectations other have placed on these. I loved that it is Rosamund's curiosity and need to understand things that puts everything in motion here. By asking the fundamental question of "why" she is able to see through the nefarious intentions of the villain (I don't want to give anything away about who that villain is) and to reflect back on what it really means to be free and have independence. Alex London does a good job of offering not just a different take on all of the princesses, but also including the fact that there are different versions of all of these tales. I would love to see this as a series where the princesses get to meet those different versions of themselves. Things get a little silly with the triplets and some of the dialogue to be working a little too hard to sound "cool", but the rest of the story is so strong I'll let those minor details slide. My only complaint was that I though Rosamund was a little harsh when it came to the prince from her story - I get why she would find the kiss thing so unsettling, but she seemed to forget that maybe he was just as much a victim of the story as she had been (at least until the very end).

DNF @34%

The premise of this sounded really cute but I'm finding the execution to be a kind of boring and on the nose. That said, I'm not the target audience and I think this might be a fun book for young kids who are into princesses. Rosamund is woken from an enchanted sleep by a kiss- gross! So she runs away and ends up with a bunch of other princesses at a secret school. And one prince who didn't want to marry a princess and instead was hoping to find a prince. Again, conceptually it's cute and for the right kids this is a fun story, but it's not working for me so I'm going to stop here. I received an advance copy for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Greenwillow Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, MG Fantasy, Fairy Tale Parody, Urban Fantasy
Age: Middle-Grade (about 9-13)
Representation: Mentions that a prince might want a prince.

THE PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM is hilarious! I can't believe how much fun this book was.

I seriously don't want to ruin any of the joy of discovery for you. THIS IS A MUST READ!
If you're not in elementary school, you still want to read it—in fact, I think you'll enjoy it more than your kids. You grew up on fairy tale stories, and so you need a story where there's a school for princesses and one prince.

Seriously, give this a try and see what it's all about.

Happy reading!

I requested this book because the premise seemed interesting and I purchase for my library's middle grade fiction section. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book. While the concept translated well, I don't think the execution was there. There was a lot of random bathroom humor throughout the story and while I typically give that a pass because it works for the reading level, I just don't see it working for the kids who would pick up a book about princesses. It wasn't an awful book on it's own, but comparing it to others in the genre made it difficult to give a positive review. If you want to read a twist on a fairy tale about empowering girls and choosing your own fate, read the Sisters Ever After series by Leah Cypess instead.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Feb 9th
Blog post goes live Feb 20th
Will be featured in Youtube's January Reads Pt 2


TL;DR: An unexpectedly fun little fairy tale twist. Look forward to princesses with attitude and fair godmothers who hate their jobs.

What a surprise this was! I was expecting to enjoy this, do not get me wrong. The surprise came to me after reading the first 25%, think ‘Oh this is cute’, then the last half happening and twisting everything on it’s head.

Rosamund is Sleeping Beauty, awakened by the chapped lips of Prince Charming she (naturally) freaks and makes a run for it and ends up running through a Door to our world. There she finds herself at an academy dedicated to protecting Princesses who fight against their stories. She makes friends with familiar princesses (and a prince) and makes some very shocking discovers while she searches for the answer to ‘why?’

I was genuinely impressed with the twists in this one. Looking back, yes I can see Alex London laid the groundwork, but I was impressed nevertheless. A very quick, fun and quirky novel (the unicorns are everything) I really recommend this for middle grade readers. This will likely be one that ends up on my daughters shelf I enjoyed it so much.

4 out of 5 unicorns

I wanted to really like this book. However, the amount of technology and the hyper-feminism was uncomfortable to read. I completely agreed with the premise but the follow through felt lacking.

Oh, this book was so cute! I’m a huge fan of fairy tales and especially retellings and reimaginings of them and I thought this was a really fun, new take on princesses, fairy tales and what happily ever after really means. I loved the fresh look at all the princesses (and one prince) and how they learned that they can shape their own stories. This is definitely written for middle grade readers, but I think anyone who wants a sweet, lighthearted fairy tale read would enjoy this. It reminded me of Ever After High a bit in the best way. I will say, it was very fast paced and I kind of wish it was a little longer and the world a bit more fleshed out because it was so interesting, but it certainly kept my interest!

Thank you to NetGalley, Greenwillow Books and Harper Collins for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful, modern spin on the fairy tale trope! I am reminded of that lovely Neil Gaiman quote that I wish every library posted on its wall and/or near its fairy tale section: "You don't need princes to save you. I don't have a lot of patience for stories in which women are rescued by men."

London's philosophy and theme could best be summed up with the following quote from another character / princess: "Your door of opportunity appeared because your story was written without taking your wants and needs into consideration." Yes! This librarian is always here for stories where princesses are not helpless damsels but ones who, especially when united together in a common cause, are able to save anyone and do anything.

Rosamund was a bit annoying, to be honest, at first, but I gave her grace and realized soon-after the opening that she was not to blame for her incessant questions. Any character, princess, prince, or otherwise, kept under lock and key and in a life where everything was decided for them, would have just as many (if not more) questions about the real world.

I enjoyed the ensemble cast and found it to be diverse and relatable. I would love to see this story play out into other novels where other princesses or princes are the MCs, each trying to help others or their own worlds in their own, unique ways while coming to terms with their new reality. I'm excited to see where this saga will lead and especially with what new villains will take the stage because I found the villain from this story to be fantastic.

This will be perfect for fans of Descendants and The School for Good vs. Evil (and an excellent choice for reluctant readers as the chapters are significantly shorter than those series).

Thank you, Netgalley!

Sleeping Beauty, better known as Rosamund, runs away after being woken by the prince's kiss, only to find herself at a boarding school specially created for fairy tale characters who have left their stories. What at first seems to be a paradise, with Rosamund surrounded by other characters who also question why the destiny set out by their stories, becomes more and more sinister as Rosamund starts asking questions. Between figuring out what is really going on at the home, and avoiding the monsters who prowl around looking to send characters back to their stories, Rosamund and her new friends begin questioning free will and how we create our own stories.

This story had a lot of humor, particularly for readers who will be entertained by Rosamund and her classmates learning about modern things such as social media. Strong messages about consent and being in charge of our own fates weave through the story, though some parts feel abrupt or less developed. Overall, a quick and fun read for readers who enjoy fairy tale revisions.

London't PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM is a promising start to a middle grade series full of fun twists and exciting adventures. In this installment, Rosamund (also known as Sleeping Beauty) is 'rescued' by a prince and finds herself fleeing her own happily ever after, arriving instead at a school for runaway princesses that promises to equip them with the skills necessary to thrive in the real world. But...it seems like there might be more going on than meets the eye. This is a quick-paced book with plenty of twists and turns & a charming cast of characters. Goofy and sparkly and fun but with an important message for young readers about taking control of their own destiny, PRINCESS PROTECTION PROGRAM will be a fun addition to any bookshelf!

I think this was a fun little story! The concept of fairy tales characters escaping their ending was very fun and I love a story along those lines. I don't know if I would ever read it again, but I did enjoy the time I spent reading it. If a customer was looking for a fun fairy tale read for their kid, I'd recommend this to them. I do think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I was younger, but it's a middle grade book so I don't care too much about that. Good read for a kiddo looking to read a twist on fairy tales!

This is a fun story of princesses fleeing their original stories and trying to survive in the "real" world, only to be trapped by a couple of sisters who either are, or pretend to be, fairy godmothers. The runaway princesses find themselves trapped in a school purporting to educate them in the ways of the real world, but strange events keep happening. Several of the princesses, concerned about a newcomer who was never seen again, run away from the school to try and figure out what is going on in their supposedly "safe" school. If you like fantasies, you'll like this new twist on the old stories.