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KaelebsMomma
, May 26, 2011
(view all comments by KaelebsMomma)
I had the pleasure of reading Michelle Nicole Martin’s delightful story called Princess and Missy’s Magical Adventures: The Crystal Heart, to my children. In this adorable book, Princess faces a scary situation when she is separated from her family and ultimately lost. On her journey to find her family, Princess meets and helps people in need. Her good deeds are noticed by Missy, a charming multi-colored butterfly who befriends her and asks for her help. Princess is happy to help Missy and her friends fulfill tasks that help others who may be hurting or to enrich their lives. However, they must be careful because Jaith the Joy Stealer is lurking nearby and wishes to intervene to wreak havoc.
I felt like Michelle Nicole Martin did a wonderful job with her publication. While the story takes place involving several scary settings, the mood always stays light and optimistic. I think this is a brilliant tactic to use when writing for children. Even though this book is clearly a fantasy, I think that children can relate to the examples sometimes better then when they are given real life scenarios.
Both of my children enjoyed this book and they are ages 8 and 10. However, I do think that the storyline is geared more for younger children. Children enjoy reading about magical and enchanting lands.
As a parent, I appreciate the vivid words and description used throughout this book. I also appreciate the simplicity used to convey such strong moral attributes such as kindness, friendship and having a pure heart. The only criticism that I have is that Princess doesn’t find her family by the end of the story. I completely appreciate leaving some suspense to build up the next book in the series, but when we read the last page, the story just didn’t feel finished. It left us wanting more information and quite possibly, that was the goal.
All in all, I can’t think of enough nice things to say about The Crystal Heart. It was an endearing, whimsical fairytale that positively shows that all things can have a happy ending. I’ll be looking forward to the second book in this series, The Ruby Door.
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