Princess Minna : The Wicked Wood (Princess Minna, #3)

Princess Minna wakes up to find that the King and Queen are gone, along with her dragon, Lorenzo. She searches for them and learns that they were seen heading toward the Wicked Woods. Minna is scared and does not want to go in, but when others offer to go, they too become lost. Finally, Minna has no choice but to go in after them. But what will she find?
What I Liked: I like that it got straight into the mystery and the reader is left wondering what exactly lies in the woods. There are plenty of stories, but as we find out, none seem to be true.
What Left Me Wanting More: Minna let others go into the woods first, but eventually she does venture in too. It is important to face our fears and Minna soon learns that everything she thought she knew is wrong.
Final Verdict: I did enjoy the story and I liked that it encourages kids to face their fears. It would be a good book for younger kids learning to read too.

Princessa Minna The Wicked Wood is an illustrated chapter book by author Kirsty Applebaum. The story revolves around Princess Minna, who wakes up to discover her parents, along with her dragon friend Lorenzo, are missing. They were last seen flying near the Wicked Wood. Minna is scared of the Wicked Wood, but some of the townspeople volunteer to rescue them. Unfortunately, they don't return, and Minna needs to rescue all of them. Princess Minna conquers her fear of the Wicked Wood and saves the day.

What I Liked: While working in a school library, I've noticed that students tend to gravitate towards chapter books with colorful illustrations. This book has brightly colored illustrations that readers will love. The font is also slightly bigger than a typical book, which makes it more appealing to readers. I also think it's important to note that chapters are a great length and won't overwhelm a budding reader.

Princess Minna is a lovable character and so courageous as she conquers her fear of the Wicked Wood. Minna learns that sometimes things feel scary, but things aren't always as they seem, and you shouldn't make assumptions.

Princess Minna The Wicked Wood is a sweet story with an important lesson that readers will enjoy.

THE WICKED WOOD is a charming new installment in the PRINCESS MINNA series. Minna wakes up to find her mother, father, and dragon Lorenzo missing. They seem to have disappeared into the Wicked Wood. Minna is too afraid to go into the woods to save them. Luckily, some of her other friends volunteer, but when they go missing too, Minna has no choice but to go in and save everyone. However, what she finds is a group of people that don't need saving - the Wicked Witch is not so wicked, and the scary trees are actually quite friendly. They end the day by returning home.

What I loved: Princess Minna is always brave and courageous, and this book shows her tackling her fear of the unknown woods to help her friends and family. The wickedness of the wood and the creatures who live therein was incorrect, and this misconception is corrected with lessons about not making assumptions and getting to know more about things you are scared of.

The writing is great for budding independent readers. The book feels like an extended picture book with full page color illustrations and limited text on each spread. The words are large, easy to read, and sentences are kept simple. The images really add to the story and bring the characters to life throughout, and the choice of color is fantastic, keeping each page bright and fun to visually explore.

What left me wanting more: The poor Wicked Witch (who is actually quite kind) keeps getting her house eaten. There is no help for her house or way given to make things right, especially by the royalty who are eating it (maybe some darker themes there). While they are all happy and with full bellies, they ate a whole 2-car garage and took pieces out of this witch's house without any help to make it right - not a great lesson there.

Final verdict: THE WICKED WOOD is an overall charming chapter book with themes of bravery and friendship that will work well for budding independent readers during spooky season.