Fantasy/ Fiction

The Princess Knight

Author: Cornelia Funke

Illustrator: Kerstin Meyer

Reading Level: 1^st-4th

Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in the medieval times? Did you ever wonder what it was like to be a knight? Have you ever wondered what it would be like for a girl to be a knight? If you want to read a story about a brave little girl who wants to become a knight then The Princess Knight is the book for you!

This story begins with the telling of the story of a King who has 3 sons. The King wants to raise his 3 sons the same way that his father raised him. He teaches them to fight, ride horses, and joust. The King also has a daughter, Violetta. When Violetta is born her mother dies and the King has a dilemma. He does not know how to raise a little girl, so he raises Violetta the same way that he raised his sons. Violetta is so small she has trouble holding a sword, getting on a horse, and jousting. Her brothers make fun of her, but she is determined not to give up! One day the King comes to Violetta and tells her to put on her prettiest dress because today he is going to find her a husband. Her father says that he is going to have a jousting match in order to find her a husband. Violetta feels angry that she cannot pick her own husband and upset because she knows that she is the best jouster in the kingdom. Violetta and her nursemaid make a plan so that Violetta can joust with the men who are fighting for her hand in marriage. On the day of the competition Violetta dresses in an all-black suit of armor and her nursemaid dresses as Violetta. When the competition starts Violetta is clearly the best, even beating her own brothers. Finally at the end Violetta is the only knight left. Her father is shocked to find his own daughter under the suit of armor. He tells Violetta that she can pick whomever she would like to marry, and she does, choosing the rose gardener’s son as her husband.

I would keep this book in my library because it is a fun and very different book. It is the story of a strong little girl, who wants to be treated the same way as the boys. This book is great to teach kids that you can do whatever you want to do with your life. It teaches them that no one can tell them what to do and that they are the makers of their own fates. I really enjoyed the pictures as well. They were brightly colored and they covered the whole page. There were also a lot of repetitive images that told the story when the words could not. This is a great story for kids who need a boost in confidence (especially girls).

            

           This book follows # 7 (Beginning reading), #8 (Understanding a text), #9 (making connections), and #12 (Fiction) of the Massachusetts ELA standards. Students will be able to understand the written language and spelling in the book, they will be able to take facts and ideas from the book, they will be able to take the connection from medieval times to now, and they will be able to identify the elements of fiction from this story.