• The Princess in Black, Books 1-3

  • The Princess in Black; The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party; The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde
  • By: Shannon Hale, Dean Hale
  • Narrated by: Julia Whelan
  • Length: 55 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (118 ratings)

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The Princess in Black, Books 1-3  By  cover art

The Princess in Black, Books 1-3

By: Shannon Hale,Dean Hale
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
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Publisher's summary

The Princess in Black: Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when...Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! Stopping monsters is no job for prim and perfect Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret: She’s also the Princess in Black! Can Princess Magnolia sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret?

The Perfect Princess Party: Today is Princess Magnolia’s birthday party, but just as her guests are arriving...The monster alarm! Princess Magnolia runs to the broom closet and becomes the Princess in Black! She rushes to the goat pasture, defeats the monster, and returns to the castle before her guests discover her secret. But every time Princess Magnolia is about to open her presents, the monster alarm rings again. Don’t those monsters understand that now is not a good time for an attack?

The Hungry Bunny Horde: Princess Magnolia and her unicorn, Frimplepants, are on their way to have brunch with Princess Sneezewort. But just when they arrive, Princess Magnolia’s monster alarm rings. Princess Magnolia and Frimplepants transform into the Princess in Black and her faithful pony, Blacky. But when they get to the goat pasture, all they can see is a field full of darling little bunnies nibbling on grass, wiggling their fluffy tails. Where are the monsters? Are these bunnies as innocent as they appear?

©2016 Shannon Hale and Dean Hale (P)2016 Listening Library

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What listeners say about The Princess in Black, Books 1-3

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story but Lousy Narration

Would you consider the audio edition of The Princess in Black, Books 1-3 to be better than the print version?

The print version is much better. The illustrations in the print book are adorable and add an extra element of fun to the story. My daughter is so obsessed with the books that I downloaded the audio version for her to listen to in the car when I can't read to her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Princess Magnolia/The Princess in Black is an amazing. I like that she is strong and tough but also sweet and polite. Before she fights the monsters, she asks politely for them to return to monster land.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator of this audio book really detracts from the listening experience. She speaks in a sleepy, slightly raspy monotone and doesn't capture any of the excitement or charm of the story. I would have liked a more enthusiastic reader. Maybe Ms. Whelan was trying to sound soft because this might be a bedtime story, but I wish she'd tried to sound more engaging.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The print version does make me (and my daughter) laugh. She also gasps and gets extremely excited.

Any additional comments?

This is such a great book. It's really a shame that the narration is so flawed. I would love to see the upcoming book narrated by someone else (or differently by Ms. Whelan)

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great series

The books are short chapter books for kids learning to read or a quick read for parents during reading time. My girls really love the series. Great bonding.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Love this books!

We love listening to the books while we look at the books! The narrator does a wonderful job!

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