The Princess Protection Program by Alex London

The Princess Protection Program by Alex London
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
Format:  Hardcover
Number of pages:   224 pages
Published:   February 13th, 2024
Source:  Blue Slip Media

Opening Line:  "Once upon a time, there was a young princess, as kind and curious as she was clever, who a witch cursed into a deep and endless sleep."

Cursed by an evil witch, Princess Rosamund lies sleeping within the castle when suddenly she is awakened by a prince leaning in for a kiss.  Startled by his brazen actions, not to mention his powerful stench and chapped lips, she quickly dashes away and hides in the water closet.  Then suddenly, Rosamund finds herself standing outside the Orphan's Home Educational Academy (HEA), with no idea how she got there.  

Soon she is approached by two girls wearing blazers with a crest on it and a plaid skirt.  They introduce themselves as Sirena and Rana and accompany her to meet Verna the headmistress of HEA.  Verna explains that Rosamund has joined a long line of princesses, with one prince, Charlie, at HEA with the goal of the academy to keep them safe and help them adjust to their new "reality," via classes in taking selfies, learning the latest viral dances and teaching them how to use social media.  Lurking outside the walls of their academy are Uponatimes, hideous monsters whose only purpose is to consume their princess, thus returning them to their story.

While Rosamund is relieved that she won't be kissing any prince soon, she's also mildly disoriented and full of questions about her new world.  Like why were they brought to this school, and what happens when they graduate?  Yet, no one seems to know the answer.  Just as Rosamund begins to settle in, she observes Sirena and Rana sneaking out, curious she follows them, and they have their first encounter with the Uponatimes when Sirena is attacked and disappears.  Upon Rana and Rosamund's return to the academy they're given the punishment of cleaning the school, which is when Rosamund begins to notice something peculiar, she can't figure out what she did that got her in trouble and as the effects of her perpetual cleaning wear off she even recalls that Serena is gone.  Faced with this new realization, Rosamund and Rana vow to find the answers they need to bring their friend back.  

The Princess Protection Program takes all the timeless fairy tales that you thought you knew and possess the question what if the princesses in these fairytales weren't happy with their story and what if they instead wanted to change it?  It's a super fun twist that shows the importance of choosing your own path.  The princesses learned that they didn't need the protection of the school, what they needed instead was the opportunity to make a choice, to figure out who they wanted to be and not be constrained by their stories.  It's a really humorous story, filled with moments like waking up to a sweaty prince who's trying to kiss you or having to kiss a frog.  Quite fun.  I enjoyed all the nods to fellow middle grade authors and especially loved the idea of the Doors of Opportunity.  It was also interesting to think about what happened to the characters that were left behind when the princesses left their story.  Like what the prince did after Rosamund disappeared from the water closet.  Yes, quite an entertaining read.