  | Princess battle royale Author: Crede, Phaea | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
Fairytale princesses compete in an epic wrestling tournament to dethrone the Swan Princess, with each princess trying and failing to defeat her--until Little Red, a seemingly overlooked towel girl, enters the ring.
| Illustrator: | Hill, Jen |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (05/15/25)
Booklist (08/01/25)
The Hornbook (00/09/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 06/23/2025 Creatively punning dialogue and action-packed comics-style panels winningly combine in this highly entertaining princess smackdown. Courtesy of "the WPW: World Princess Wrestling," a global cast of princesses compete to beat the reigning champion, avian Swan Princess. One by one, the royal wrestlers enter the ring to take on the "prima slammerina." Rapunzel the Reaper "comes in hot with her signature Hair Whiplash," but to no avail, and Sleeping "Leaping" Beauty is "downed with a sleeper hold. Oh, the irony." After Kaguya, the Moon Monarch of Mayhem!, temporarily fells the bird with a "moonsault," the antagonist trashes the stadium, leaving previously dismissed towel girl Little Red Riding Hood to draw on her own storied background. Crede’s gleeful text doesn’t miss a trash-talking trick, and Hill’s exuberant gouache, watercolor, and digital renderings capture the matches’ glamour and over-the-top drama. It’s truly a fairy tale fight not to miss. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) - Copyright 2025
Booklist - 08/01/2025 In a world of wrestling princesses, The Swan Princess is the reigning champion. As a roster of familiar fairy-tale heroines vow to take her belt, Little Red is eager to have her own chance in the ring. Though the princesses insist she's just too little to down such a formidable foe, she knows she's ready. And when princess after princess fails, will Little Red finally get her shot to prove all the training she's been doing with her granny has really paid off? Crede and Hill have created a rich and inventive world, anchored by familiar characters young readers will recognize from their favorite bedtime stories and movies, rendered in completely unique ways. When Little Red finally gets her moment to shine it's expected, but no less satisfying. Whether Princess Battle Royale is their first introduction to the world of wrestling or a new twist on something familiar, young readers are sure to be drawn in by each energetic scene. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
