M. M. Kaye, Page and Prose

Hello, dear readers!

September (and frankly October) has been a busy time for myself and Hailey, in our personal lives, but we still have some updates for you!

First off: our September buddy read was Mary Hoffman’s YA novel City of Masks, which is the first book in the Stravaganza series. This was my first Hoffman book, and I definitely want to check out further books in this series. You can see our thoughts about the book here.

It is almost the end of the year, but Hailey and I are making excellent progress on our two (!) reading challenges for 2021. You can follow along with our progress or the Indigo Reading Challenge here, and you can find our 52 Book Club Reading Challenge here.

We put up our first ever reader opinion poll, which you can find here. Feel free to vote on your favourite hero of Jane Austen’s novels! Why Austen, you say? Why not Austen, is my answer!

September is also back-to-school month, and coincidentally, I’ve received a few requests for book recommendations on good children’s literature. As such, I thought it would be fun to structure this month’s recommendations around children’s books that readers of all ages would enjoy:

The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander: The first book in a five-part series, although it can stand alone as well. Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper sets out to rescue his pig, and gets dragged dragged into a magical quest that could change the future of Prydain. (High fantasy)

The Ordinary Princess, by M. M. Kaye: A new favourite for me! A fairytale in the style of Gail Carson Levine’s The Fairy’s Mistake, or Ella Enchanted. Princess Amy is an awesome, kickass heroine, who is determined to make her own way in the world, and this book is tremendous fun. (Fairytale)

This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall, by Gordon Korman: Can you believe that Korman was twelve when he wrote this book? After they get in trouble at school and are separated, best friends Bruno and Boots plot and scheme to be reunited. In the process, they turn their school upside down with skunks, ants, and diplomatic incidents. I would recommend the whole MacDonald Hall series — they are all very, very funny. (Contemporary/school days)

Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery: Well, I certainly hope you already know about this book! But I’ve added it to the list, in case anyone worries that this is a difficult or boring book by virtue of being a classic. Orphaned Anne Shirley is sent to live with the elderly Cuthberts on Prince Edward Island, where she immediately sets out to win hearts and conquer challenges. There are eight books in this series, as well as three short story collections, so there is plenty of material for a voracious reader! (Classic/historical)

Cover page of The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Cover page for The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

Cover page of Anne of Green Gables by L M Montgomery

By the way, I’m assuming that you’ve already heard of (for instance) the Harry Potter series; my goal above is to draw attention to some books that people maybe haven’t already read.

As always, our Instagram page is still going strong, and you can check out our latest posts here. Feel free to follow us there! Also, message us, send us your recommendations — we would love to hear from you.

Happy fall reading!

When Princess Amythest (aka Amy) is born, she receives gift upon gift from her fairy godmothers: charm, wit, grace, courage…and to her parent’s horror, her most eccentric fairy godmother grants her the gift of being ordinary! Unlike her impossibly beautiful and perfect sisters, Amy likes climbing trees, exploring forests, and getting into all manner of adventures. But when her despairing parents go one step too far in their plans to marry her off, Amy decides she needs to take matters into her own hands.

I mainly read this book because:

(a) It was a recommendation from Amrita, of Amrita By the Book (you can check out her Booktube channel here and her Bookstagram here); and

(b) I’ve been gobbling up every M. M. Kaye book I can find, after I fell deeply in love with The Far Pavilions earlier this year.

I’ll get straight to the point: The Ordinary Princess is a highly adorable story, and it’s a great reading choice for younger girls. Amy is such a determined little heroine, and she really takes control of her own life. She gets a job! She stands up for the kitchen maids! She refuses to let her parents destroy the countryside via dragon in an effort to marry her off! I loved her character so much.

I don’t mind reading books for younger readers, but I also really think that the book really holds up well for adult readers as well as children. It’s not too preachy or condescending, and it doesn’t have any major “yikes” moments, considering that it was written in the mid-1900s and published in the 1980s. Plus, the author drew all the illustrations in my edition of the novel, and her artwork is just lovely to behold.

There is a playfulness about the language and writing style of this book, which I hadn’t really seen in M. M. Kaye’s historical and mystery books. Dare I say it, it was reminiscent of Georgette Heyer’s lively and humorous writing style. All of which is to say: I highly recommend it!

– Safiyya

PS: Disney, please go make an adaptation of this movie! Or Studio Ghibli, which would be a very different and absolutely fantastic option!

“Hmm!” said the Fairy Crustacea. “Wit, Charm, Courage, Health, Wisdom, Grace…Good gracious, poor child! Well, thank goodness my magic is stronger than anyone else’s.”

– M. M. Kaye