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The Princess and the Peabodys


Usually I avoid books with pink covers, especially if it also has a peppy-looking, tiara-wearing cheerleader on it. However, as a fan of Betty G. Birney, I decided to look past the cover and give The Princess and the Peabodys a chance. I am so glad I did. This was a very entertaining book that had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Casey Peabody and her grandmother regularly go to garage and estate sales looking for treasure. They got more than they bargained for one Saturday morning when they bought an old rusted-shut box. The box was much heavier than it appeared and their dog Duke was frightened of it. When Casey's father finally managed to open it, out stepped Princess Eglantine, soon to be known as Egg. She has spent over 700 years trapped in the box thanks to her bungling court wizard, Alaric. Now she has to adapt to life in the 21st century while Alaric, who has traveled through time, tries to find the correct spell to send her home. Obviously Casey is not thrilled to have a new "cousin" sharing her room, her friends and her family. This book has lots of magic, a little romance and even some cheerleading. There is also a very important message about being true to yourself no matter what other people say.

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