No Place for Magic (The Tales of the Frog Princess Series #4)

by E. D. Baker

Overview

Emma and Eadric are finally ready to get married, but Eadric’s parents are not so sure about having a witch in the family! With a dose of bravery and a few clever tricks, both magical and not, Emma takes center stage in this utterly charming addition to the bestselling Tales of the Frog Princess series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599904016
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	12/01/2008
Series:	Tales of the Frog Princess Series , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	355,203
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

E. D. Baker is the author of The Tales of the Frog Princess series, including The Frog Princess, which was in part the inspiration for a new Disney movie which will be released this fall (The Princess and the Frog). Baker is also the author of Wings: A Fairy Tale. She lives with her family and many pets in Maryland.

Visit edbakerbooks.com

Editorial Reviews

What is not to love about Emma! She keeps all of Greater Greensward safe and green. She can talk to all kinds of living creatures including dragons and butterflies. She has a grandmother who lives with a ghost and encourages her special abilities, a mother who does not understand her magic but loves her any way, and a father who keeps her safe. Well, he tries to keep her safe, but he needs a little help in the way of her future groom, Eadric. Of course, the joke is on both of the men in her life. She does not really need either of them until she has to journey to Eadric's home in Upper Montevista. Now she has to use her logic and not her magic to help Eadric save his brother and convince his parents that a witch can be the right choice for Eadric's bride. This original and fun fairy tale goes on quite an adventure that leads in many directions before it comes full circle. Although the twists and turns do lead to an ending, I felt it climaxed too many times. One problem solves itself as another appears over and over. I appreciate all the action, but too may subplots drag the story on and on. The characters on the other hand add a wonderful touch to the story. How fun to have a Grandpa who is a ghost. The fairies give cause to laugh, and even the trolls seem believable. Look for more books from the "Frog Princess Series."

Children's Literature - Julia Beiker

When Emma and Eadric travel to Upper Montevista to get Eadric's parents' blessing on their marriage, there are a couple of problems. The first is that Emma is a witch, and Eadric's parents do not like magic. The other is that trolls have kidnapped Eadric's younger brother, and he must be rescued without using magic. She ends up using magic as well as a few clever unmagical tricks. Emma and Eadric have typical pre-wedding worries about each other as they fight trolls, cockatrices, vampires, and other magical creatures. They learn to work together and appreciate each other's strengths as they rescue Bradston. The happily-ever-after ending includes a wedding interrupted by trolls attacking the castle, and Eadric's parents accepting the worth of magic after all because it is the only thing that saves them from the trolls. This comedic tale meets all the requirements of the fairy-tale formula, but it is difficult for the reader to appreciate the story and know the characters without having read the other books in the Tales of the Frog Princess series. Characters and situations are presented with little explanation, limiting the appeal to those who have read the previous books in the series. Purchase if the others have circulated well.

VOYA - Deborah Dubois

Gr 4-6-This latest installment in the series continues with the travails of Emma as she tries to marry Prince Eadric. The young couple must go to meet his parents in Upper Montevista in order to obtain their consent. This is not a slam-dunk as Emma is a witch and Eadric's mother is not too keen on the use of magic. In fact, she won't even allow Emma to use it to help rescue her younger son, Bardston, who has been kidnapped by trolls. Unfortunately, that is about the extent of the plot; the rest is just window dressing, and not very interesting dressing at that. The story plods along as Emma and Eadric make their journey, but nothing much really happens. Things pick up once the search for Bardston begins. Emma is able to see that the man she loves is more than she thought he was, and his parents see that there is more to Emma than they believed. There certainly is no lack of humor, and kids will get a kick out of the hip "Shrek" vibe that Baker creates in this updated fairy tale. The attitudes are contemporary, but attitude alone doesn't make a compelling story. This one is for libraries in which the earlier books are popular.-Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Four volumes into the Frog Princess series the principals finally get hitched, though not before encounters with deadly werewolves and cockatrices, a genteel banshee, a baby dragon, vampires and a host of other magical creatures-capped by an army of invulnerable trolls led by a four-headed queen with a yen for matrimony herself. Complicated by Princess Emeralda's attempts to please her magic-hating mother and stepmother-to-be by sticking to mundane methods rather than using spells, the plot winds its leisurely way through adventures and misadventures toward a goopily romantic "I do," followed immediately by a wild battle as the aforementioned trolls attack. As before, hunky Prince Eadric's dedicated focus on food and fighting is leavened by just enough good sense to keep him from becoming a complete caricature, and capable Emeralda repeatedly snatches the fat from the fire thanks to quick wit and strong magic-not to mention a pair of cute/obnoxious talking-animal sidekicks. Another amiable, though, at this point, decidedly formulaic, episode. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews

Kids will get a kick out of the hip Shrek vibe that Baker creates in this updated fairy tale.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher