The Emerald Princess Plays a Trick (Jewel Kingdom) Paperback – Sticker Book, May 5, 2020

This series is a huge favorite of my daughter and now my granddaughter. I just wish it were still in print.

Originally published throughout the nineties, the “Jewel Kingdom” series is written by husband and wife team Jahnna Beecham and Malcolm Hillgartner (under the pseudonym Jahnna Malcolm), and focuses on four young princesses (all cousins) that rule over various parts of their kingdom. Each one is identified by a different gemstone, and each one has a distinct personality: Roxanne the Ruby Princess in the Red Mountains, Sabrina the Sapphire Princess on Blue Lake, Demetra the Diamond Princess in the White Winterland, and Emily the Emerald Princess in the Greenwood.Emily’s palace is a massive treehouse held up by four cedars, her royal advisor is a unicorn called Arden, and her favourite pastime is playing tricks on her subjects. Ignoring Roxanne’s advice that many of her pranks are upsetting the citizens of the Greenwood, Emily is stunned to find that she’s being held responsible for an injury that befalls Staghorn the gardener. To clear her own name, she goes in search of the true culprit.As with the other books in the series, there is an emphasis on the virtues of kindness and honesty, though Emily’s book is a little different in that the problems she faces stem from her own behaviour. Unlike her cousins, Emily is a mischief maker, and she learns the hard way that this sometimes erodes trust among her friends and family.It’s been fun revisiting these books, especially with new illustrations by Sumiti Collina and the plastic jewellery (released during the original print-run) replaced with stickers on the inside cover. They’re short but sweet little stories that will appeal to any reader that likes Disney Princesses or Enid Blyton.

My 6 year old grand daughter loves these books, and the stickers are a bonus.