The daredevil princess and the golden unicorn by Belinda Murrell

‘Bold and brave, clever and curious, daring and determined’ are what Princess Mathilda, better known as Tillie, hopes to be. She lives a very happy life with her mother Queen Cordelia, her inventive father, King Edwin and her younger brother Prince Oskar. Also constant in her life are her beloved dachshunds, Mitzi and Fritzi, Miss Prim the royal nanny and Mr Grimm, the royal steward, who is forever catching Tillie doing the unexpected.

There has been a mysterious theft of royal roses which were for the upcoming Summer Harvest Festival and the castle is on high alert. Tillie is determined to solve the mystery and bravely leaves the castle at night to search for the thief. What she discovers is truly magical and once it is all sorted out the Summer Festival does go ahead better than ever, and Honey Blossom becomes a member of the royal household.

The Daredevil Princess and the Golden Unicorn is the first story of a series by well-known author Belinda Murrell. This engaging tale is a wonderful introduction to chapter books for younger readers or would be an excellent story to be read aloud by an adult. There are delightful illustrations by Rebecca Crane strategically placed throughout, as well as the use of onomatopoeia to emphasise parts of the story. The second book The Daredevil Princess and the Goblin King is to be released simultaneously with the first and the third book, The Daredevil Princess and the Fire Dragon is on its way.

Themes: Princesses, Unicorns, Family, Festivals, Roses , Mystery.

Kathryn Beilby