Scholastic Picks Up ‘Princess Princess’ for Book Clubs

Oni Press sent out a press release this morning to let us know that Katie O’Neill’s Princess Princess Ever After has been licensed by Scholastic for their Reading Club program. A new edition is being printed just for Scholastic, who will make it available to their book clubs and for other school book fairs and reading programs.

Oni also reports that they have gone to press for a second printing of their own, as the first printing quickly sold out. The book debuted at New York Comic Con, and I can testify that it was flying off the shelves—they had sold out by the last day of the con.

Princess Princess Ever After is a new version of an old story, a fairy tale of a princess in a tower who is rescued by another princess. Here’s a clip from the Kirkus review:

Trapped in a tower, “big-boned” Princess Sadie, a white girl with long blonde hair, is tired of fending off unsolicited rescue attempts by princes. But when dapper, dark-skinned Princess Amira and her unicorn arrive, Sadie overcomes the inner fears and self-doubts that had imprisoned her psyche as thoroughly as the tower had her body. The two embark on adventures that include coming to the aid of an embarrassed prince, sweet-talking a sadly misunderstood ogre, and confronting Sadie’s wicked older sister. The princesses’ affection for each other deepens with every challenge—and every round of snappy banter—and when wedding bells ring, they’re for a couple who truly know and have freely chosen one another. O’Neill delivers an alternative fairy tale that challenges conventions with every twist of the plot but doesn’t veer into heavy-handed preachiness that pulls readers out of the story. The bright illustrations, clear layout, and easy-to-read type make this an inviting read.

O’Neill first published the story as a webcomic, and it’s still available on her site.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels