Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: 1990

Recommended Age Group: Ages 10 and up

Summary: Dealing with Dragons was a really entertaining book. It starts out with Princess Cimorene who is anything but a normal Princess. She doesn’t like her classes that are teaching her how to be the perfect little lady. She tries to take other classes that deal with magic and fencing but as soon as her parents find out they make her quite because it just isn’t done. Her parents are worried about how she will end up and about the fact that no Prince will want her as a Princess if she keeps this tomboy behavior up for much longer. So they take her off to get married. Princess Cimorene is not at all interested in the guy they try to set her up with so she runs off and eventually becomes the Princess for a Dragon named Kazul. While she is serving him she is able to brush up on her Latin and her cooking skills. She also organizes his treasure and library. She is very happy working for him and tries to tell this to the many Princes who come to rescue her but they don’t seem to believe her. Eventually she sends them off to rescue the other Princesses who do not wish to stay and would be much better off with a Prince than a Dragon. While she is working for Kazul she discovers a plot to over throw the King and to rig the contest that would find the new King. She, with the help of Princess Alianora, a stone Prince and a witch manage to stop the plot and help the rightful King come to power, which ends up being Kazul. In the end the Stone Prince is able to take away Princess Alianora and they live happily ever after while Cimorene and Kazul begin the long process of moving and reorganizing the Kings new place.

Personal Notes: I really liked this book I borrowed it from a friend and read it in a day. I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it, which may be a good or a bad thing since I had a lot of other things I was supposed to be doing. It was recommended for girls who aren’t into the Baby-Sitters club books and all that kind of stuff and I would really agree. It is very woman empowering but it isn’t too strong that a boy wouldn’t like to read it. I don’t think it is too in depth that anyone new to sci-fi would have a problem with it. I would recommend it to anyone as a good fast read and as far as I could tell it didn’t have any problems except maybe making fun of the Princes who came to rescue her, some people could be touchy about that sort of thing