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Princess Ben | 
 enlarge | Author: Catherine Murdock
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $10.40
You Save: $5.60 (35%)
New (32) Used (13) from $8.99
Rating:  27 reviews
Sales Rank: 16318
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.3
ISBN: 0618959718
EAN: 9780618959716
ASIN: 0618959718
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
Benevolence is not your typical princess and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale. With her parents lost to unknown assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia, who is intent on marrying her off to the first available "specimen of imbecilic manhood." Starved and miserable, locked in the castle's highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Ben's private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat facing the castle and indeed the entire country. Can Princess Ben save her kingdom from annihilation and herself from permanent enslavement?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Great fairy tale novel and a great heroine January 5, 2009
This is the first of Catherine Murdock's books I have read and I am happy to say that I am quite pleased with her work. I am a self-proclaimed fairy tale junkie and this is truly a book that hits the spot. The writing, while perhaps a little too proper, was elegant and superb and perhaps it's the contrast of the stiff writing of Ben's adventures that is the magic.
That, and the fact that Benevolence "Ben" is a real girl. Even the anti-princesses of so many other fairy tale noels usually turn out to be very pretty, witty, and self-sufficient. Instead, our Ben is fat, childish, and spoiled.
And that is why I liked her. Despite her flaws (or perhaps because of them) Ben was a marvelous heroine who properly grew as a character and most importantly told a great story.
And that story was a lovely fairy tale, rather a mix of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty with another original story thrown into the works. There is magic, intrigue, adventure, romance--and Murdock handles it all in a very down-to-earth way. The romance did not quite do it for me (but it was close and I'm sure others will enjoy); then again, romance isn't at all the main point of this story.
I'm not sure how this will stand in comparison to other fairy tale novels, but it is certainly very well done and worth a read.
So different from her other works but still good January 4, 2009
If you're looking for another version of Dairy Queen you're not going to find in it in Princess Ben, nor will you find the typical fairy tale.
I wasn't sure that I was going to like the book at the beginning as I was expecting something more in line with Dairy Queen but I was soon enjoying it. Loved the mud throwing part and what the soldiers thought of that. lol
If you like a different type of book that give Princess Ben a try. She's definately not your average Princess.
Quick, Easy Read That Is Witty and Fun December 31, 2008
Princess Ben is a fairy tale that is innocent and fun, for that rainy day afternoon. It doesn't have the intellectualness of say Ella Enchanted, but is does make a good, short read that takes your mind off things. It certainly wasn't a bad book, but I know I'll forget it in two seconds.
Princess Ben's parents and uncle were murdered, and so she is now under the thumb of her aunt Sophia, now Queen Regent of her country of Montange. Ben is an awkward girl, a little pudgy and clumsy. Sophia apparently hates her and locks her in a tower to "make her a better princess." Here in the tower Ben stumbles upon a secret: she can do magic! Along her adventures Ben learns how to grow up and take charge of her life without offending anyone.
The thing I'll remember most from the book is its wit. Boy oh boy is Ben witty, like writers of old. She uses all these great words: I got a great vocabulary lesson! Although the plot is a little sluggish at first I found that the last two parts-and Ben's transformation-made up for its flaws. I also liked the French-German resemblance...All in all, a good book you can learn a lesson from and inventive that will keep you entertained on a boring night.
 great book December 15, 2008
Though this starts a little slow with heavy narration, I was hooked by page 51. It is an incredible story with twists and turns around every corner that will leave the reader unable to put it down.
 Good Elements November 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Princess Ben was never much of one for palace life. Her parents didn't live at the castle, and her mother kept her largely insulated from tradition and formality. Everything changed one fateful day, though, when Ben's parents and several other royals were murdered.
Ben moves into the palace to learn her proper role in life, instructed by her overbearing and overly critical Aunt Sophia, who became the reigning queen when her husband was murdered.
Sophia attempts to make a proper lady out of Ben, instructing her in small talk and reducing her food portions. She makes Ben take dancing lessons and, at the height of her frustration, locks Ben in a high tower. Here, Ben finally encounters some good luck--being in the tower leads her to discover a secret room, and Ben is given some hope for the first time since her parents died.
There were some nice points to this story, and I really liked the inclusion of so many elements from classic fairy tales. However, Ben's evolution from a sullen child to a real princess didn't really ring true to me, nor did the interaction between her and the prince. It all seemed much too abrupt, with not enough transition from one state to another.
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