Friday Quotes (and a review) for The Prince and the Dressmaker

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from the book.
The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56.

Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest, or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now---

Title: The Prince and the Dressmaker a graphic novel by Jen Wang

Book Beginnings:

Prince Sebastian is turning 16 and there will be a royal ball in his favor.

Friday 56:

The Prince likes to wear women's clothing. He asks the dress maker to make him something spectacle to wear to the Marmalade Contest. while there he decides to enter the contest. On this page the dressmaker is looking at all the wonderful gowns entered in the contest. When the prince appears he is disguised as Lady Crystallia (not shown here.)

Summary: Prince Sebastian is miserable. Why? Because he has a secret---he likes to dress in women's clothing. When he is clad in beautiful gowns, he feels like a different person. But he must keep this a secret from everyone, especially his father, the King. When he meets a dressmaker who doesn't judge him for his choices, they embark on creating and wearing her creations out in public as Lady Cystallia. As you can imagine, this doesn't last long before the Prince is found out. But before he is, the gowns Lady Crystallia wears in public become the fashion craze of the day. The dressmaker is frustrated that she can't be recognized for her creations without giving the prince's secret identity away.

Review: This is darling, darling tale about being true to yourself and about friendship and loyalty. The illustrations are so colorful and fun. Everything about this book is charming. It is being marketed to young adults, but I think it would be appropriate for middle grade students as well as adults, anyone who cheers for people who want to live their authentic lives. If you have a child who is a budding artist, I recommend this book as an inspiration. Jen Wang talks about her craft at the end of the book---the tools she uses, how she creates her storyboard, and time-saving techniques she uses. Everything about this book is wonderful. I highly recommend it.

Comment: I know a lot of adults don't read graphic novels, but I encourage you to give them a try. The story is told is such a colorful way, often the diagrams themselves tell the story without using any words. If you feel daunted by reading graphic novels but want to give one a try, this would be a wonderful book to choose for a starting point. It is a charming story with wonderful illustrations.

Wang, Jen. The Prince and the Dressmaker. First Second, 2018.