I like the subtle message of respecting others no matter how different they are from what's considered normal. 'Where are you Dunky?' 'I am sorry, miss, but your donkey will have to wait,' Vero said." Even though the two are hopeless ding-dongs, their friends truly care about them and they do make a difference in the mission's outcome. "Go, B Team!" Slapstick abounds like in this dialogue sequence: "'Dunky?' Snow called as she looked around anxiously. "I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen," Gustav said. Duncan tries to high five Gustav and accidentally slaps him in the face during a pep talk. Destroy the clowns!" The main theme of the book can be found in this hero epigraph, "When facing unbeatable odds, just think of yourself as unbeatably odd." I'd say that sums up not only Duncan, but everyone in the oddball League of Princes.ĭuncan and Snow are perhaps the nerdiest couple in this book. Some epigraphs preface the chapter such as this Darian one, "They say laughter is the best medicine. The Darian book of wisdom stresses the importance of inducing terror in visitors down to a welcome mat that will haunt nightmares. Duncan gives useless advice such as a hero leaves nothing to fate which is why he or she must always have a coin to flip. The epigraphs before each chapter have the simple-minded Duncan making ridiculous statements that are either frivolous or bad advice to the "path to hero-hood." There are epigraphs that play on words and a few others from the ancient tome of Darian wisdom that gives villains mostly good advice on the path to power with some silly twist. Prince Duncan is writing his book "The Hero's Guide to Being a Hero." He's not an ordinary hero being under five feet tall, an animal whisperer, and clod. If not, call me "Humperdinck." (Did you know he wrote the opera, Hansel and Gretel in 1893?) "Huzzah!" If you liked book one, I guarantee that you'll love book 2. Perhaps you'll latch onto, "flash-fried" or "tchotchkes" or "String-Chi" or "Hwah!" Take your pick.
I"m sure you'll find your own word favorites. I like the made-up word "sparzle" because I can use it when I have writer's block.
A steady beat of wordplay highlights Healy's forte for clever dialogue, asides, and epigraph's that make for laugh out loud passages while poking fun at the hero concept. Don't worry, the Princes Charming bumble plans that would do Elmer Fudd proud as their adventure leads them to recover the Sword of Erinthia from the Bandit King causing all sorts of "sparzle" or unpredictable twists and turns in the plot. You need to set aside your "doohickeys and dingle-dangles" and snort-laugh as the League of Princes reunite in order to rescue Liam who has been kidnapped by Briar Rose. Healy takes the delicate business of writing children's comedy and makes it a hoot for children and adults alike. His first book, "A Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom," was hysterical - sometimes at the expense of the plot - but this one strikes the right balance with more depth, solid plot, and a fun cliff hanger ending. Christopher Healy is the Groucho Marx of fractured fairy tales.
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