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The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Audiobook9 hours

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

Written by Christopher Healy

Narrated by Bronson Pinchot

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It’s a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 1, 2012
ISBN9780062222275
Author

Christopher Healy

Christopher Healy is the author of The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, as well as its two sequels, The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle and The Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw. Before becoming a writer, he worked as an actor, an ad copywriter, a toy store display designer, a fact-checker, a dishwasher, a journalist, a costume shop clothing stitcher, a children’s entertainment reviewer, and a haunted house zombie. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and a dog named Duncan. You can visit him online at christopherhealy.com.

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Reviews for The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

Rating: 4.264705882352941 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

68 ratings39 reviews

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  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I'm only adding the book so that I can remember that I tried it and threw it away. No need to borrow it again. It's pretty bad.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    With this first book in what is currently a three book series, Healy has taken the characters from four of the classic fairy tales and created a unique tale of princely - and princessly - adventure, with a wonderful comic flare to it. Yes, our "Princesses" are still in the picture, even if the focus is on the guys. Under Healy's pen the princesses are not the "damsels in distress" to be rescued and swept off their feet like in the original stories. Nope. Far from it, and one of the reasons I found this story to be a delightfully fresh, charming and entertaining tale for me: the interesting character makeovers Healy has given the princesses: the nasty despot Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty; the adventure seeking Ella (Cinderella); the still caring but "I need my own space" Snow White and Rapanzel the healer. Even the princes are wonderful: Rapunzel's fighter with anger management issues Prince Gustof; Ella's dainty flute playing, spoon collecting Prince Frederick; Snow White's some what dim but lovable Prince Duncan and dashing Prince Liam who is doing whatever he can to stay clear of marriage-hungry Briar Rose. If that isn't enough to entice you to read this one, there is also an eloquently spoken gentle giant, a temper-tantrum throwing 10-year-old robber king and an evil witch who has a thing against bards who never seem to get the story right - don't we all? - to give our adventurers more than enough to keep them occupied. In a nutshell, Healy has done for fairy-tales what Marie Phillips did for Camelot with her The Table of Less Valued Knights: provided readers with a comically different take/point-of-view on those childhood staples. Good stuff. I have already downloaded and started listening to the next book in the series, The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Prince Charming is afraid of old ladies. Didn't know that, did you?
    -- Prologue: Things You Don't Know About Prince Charming

    I absolutely enjoyed every minute of reading this book. It tells the story of 4 princes and how they came together and went on an adventure. The princes are from the following stories: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White & Rapunzel. These princes are all known as Prince Charming and they hate that. People don't even realize they are not the same guy. They all have different strengths and weaknesses. And they are not all seasoned fighters to say the least.

    This book is told by a narrator who also talks to the reader and makes jokes. I loved the play on the fairy-tales that we are all so familiar with. Not only are the princes different from what the reader expects, but the princesses are too. I loved the way the author played with the qualities we all know and tweaked them into something new.

    Here are some quotes that may give you a better idea of what to expect:

    Two people from different kingdoms -- who are engaged to be married -- seeing and talking to each other. Crazy, I know.

    Liam furrowed his brow. "Is that 'Ha,' as in, 'How silly of you to ask: everyone knows I'm the best swordsman in the land'?" he asked hopefully. "No, that was 'Ha,' as in, 'I've never even held a sword," Duncan answered. "But I will provide all the flute music we need.

    Look, Frederic is a big goober, and he makes me feel like I'm going to sprain my eyeballs from rolling them so much, but he's a good guy.

    On still another road, a green-haired man wobbled by on peppermint-stick stilts; a fiery-plumed bird of paradise perched on his shoulder. But he's not in this story, so don't pay any attention to him.

    Oops, sorry about that. I probably should have said, "Spoiler alert."


    Recommended to:
    I don't know what else to say. If you like fairy tales with a twist, definitely read this book. And I highly recommend it to kids in grades 3 to 8. (Another winner from the Sunshine State Nomination list that I'm sure will be popular in our school library.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Great book talk book. Funny and well written, but I think it just went on a bit too long for my taste. But I did appreciate the wonderful illustrations and the diverse mix of characters.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I believe the term is "rollicking." It went on too long, and the dialog was all modern preteen ("Aww...sounds like someone's having a pity party and didn't invite the rest of us!") but I think it will appeal to the lovers of Shrek and other stories of that ilk.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book was good fun to listen to. I found the relational developement for the 4 princes was very sweet, and I enjoyed the strong female characters.

    ✔️ Would re-read (listen)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It was funny, sarcastic and an absolute joy to listen to. I loved the way it played on all the Prince Charmings from the fairy tales and made them into people. This had me laughing as the fairy tales I grew up reading had a totally new and fun light shed on them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A twist & turn remake of classic fairy-tales told from a different point of view! This is one of my all time favorite versions so far! Wonderfully written but still appropriate for children 8-12 as well as Young adults & up! If your looking for a funny, non stop fairytale you've found the right series! Wonderful characters and a riveting plot! You've never read a fairytale like this before! Great Read, can't wait to read Book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a very fun book. I first picked it up because of the awesome illustrated cover, but after I read the intro there was no putting it down. First off, well, the premise itself was just awesome. I love the idea of it! Anything done with fairytales is A-OK by me, seriously. But anywho, this is one of those books that I kind of feel to old for...it was way fabulous, and I loved it to death, but it was written for kids much younger than me.But that's not the point. The illustrations were awesome, the story was captivating, and the overall experience was something special. I loved all the princes-- Gustav, Liam, Duncan and Frederic. Weirdly, I think that anti-social Gustav was my favorite, being the youngest of two sets of octuplets (seriously laughter occurred when that was announced). His dorky heroism and complete uncaring nature won me over, y'all.In spite of that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the other princes, and of course the princesses too! Almost every chapter was in a different point of view, which you'd think would be confusing, but it really wasn't at all. It was fan-freaking-tastic. Each point of view was uniquely fleshed out, and each and every character had their own quirks. It was all very whimsical and imaginative.All in all, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom was a really interesting break from all the bad books I've been reading lately. I really loved it, and I'm hoping to get to the sequel soon!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The collective Prince(s) Charming are all different princes. Prince Frederick (Cinderella's prince) grew up coddled and not allowed to do anything, so he is afraid of adventure. Prince Gustav (Rapunzel) is a burly guy and the youngest of 16 princes. Prince Liam (Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty) seems well-adjusted and most “hero”-like of all four princes, but Briar Rose is a horrible person, so Liam breaks it off with her. Prince Duncan (Snow White) is pretty laid-back and easy-going and is the only prince who has actually married his princess. This was a lot of fun! If you want to continue on with the “ever after” part of the various stories and see all the princes work together, this is a great book. Bronson Pinchot was the narrator of the book and was (probably no surprise) amazing! Not only does he do amazing accents, but all the different voices – you would never know it's one person! I am definitely continuing the series and as long as Pinchot continues to read it, I'll likely be looking for the audios.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I don't think I can recommend this book highly enough, either as a read-aloud for younger readers, or as an independent read for middle grade readers. The story centers around the misguided, misunderstood "Prince Charmings" of well-known fairy tales. Healy's writing is witty, fast-paced, and draws the reader along on a journey as the Princes try to make themselves into heroes and not the laughingstocks that they have become. A must, must, MUST read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom asks the question, what happened after the fairy tale? Was it really "Happily Ever After" for Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and all of those Princes Charming?The answer, of course, is "not really." Prince Frederick finds that he's not daring enough for Cinderella, who longs for a life of adventure after her years of drudgery -- Frederick's idea of an adventure involves a picnic basket and cushions. Prince Gustav is humiliated by the fact that Rapunzel saved him when he had been thrown out of the tower and blinded, something his brothers will never let him forget. Prince Liam discovers that Sleeping Beauty is actually quite a brat when she's awake, and that his parents still expect him to marry her because her kingdom is a wealthy one. And while Prince Duncan and Snow White are already happily married, he's sometimes a little too quirky even for her. Over the course of the story, these four princes band together and face down a giant, a dragon, some trolls, a bandit king, and a wicked witch -- learning along the way how to value each other's unique abilities in order to work together.This is another fun fantasy read, with a lot of slapstick humor and unexpected adventures for the princes -- and, in some cases, their princesses. As an adult reader, I thought the writing had some rough patches, and the whole shebang could have used a little more editing, but I think that young readers who enjoy lighthearted fantasy and aren't put off by thick tomes (this one weighs in at over 400 pages) will absolutely eat it up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    (GR rating is rounded up from an actual rating of 3.5 stars, sometimes I wish GR had half stars, or was on a 10 point scale...)

    This was cute. Sometimes a bit silly and overdone, but the humor was good, and I liked the unique take on the princes and their princesses.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was a fun read and fast paced story line.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The world may know the princes associated with Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White all as "Prince Charming," but each has his own name-- and his own problems. When the group unites against a witch to find a missing princess (and some missing bards), they make a name for themselves beyond "Charming."The over-the-top prince characters, though not particularly developed, are amusing and endearing, and Healy's campy style keeps the reader laughing. Though the length of the book, at 438 pages, may turn off some reluctant readers, the fast-paced story and many interspersed pictures make the book seem much shorter. The black and white cartoonish illustrations are reminiscent of the CGI animation style popular with modern fairy tale movies-- and since the fractured-fairy tale tone also fits those films, it won't be long before the world sees Dreamworks' take on The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.Recommended especially for students in 4-7 grades.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cute and funny!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I just couldn't finish . . . .

    First, I didn't like how nearly all of the princes were made into namby-pamby goofs, and the princesses were strong, capable, and able to save themselves. My sister (who finished it) tells me it got better in the end, but nonetheless, it was the theme throughout the first 34s and I did not like it. It felt very feministic to me.

    Also, the crudityviolencewitch-stuff made me cringe a few times, and this is NOT something I would give to my middle-grade aged brothers! I am becoming increasingly disappointing with the kind of content you can put into a middle grade novel. :

    While there were funny parts, and I found myself chuckling a few times, and the story had an interesting premise, this just didn't cut it for me. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, and barely was able to make it halfway through before I quit. Not my thing, I guess.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review originally published on my blog: AWordsWorth.blogspot.comWe're all familiar with the "standard" fairy tales - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel: they're stories we can recite without pause. But what do we know about the Princes, really? They don't even have names! Just "Prince Charming," and you know it can't be the same Prince Charming in all of the stories (otherwise it wouldn't be True Love's Kiss!). In this first book of a new middle grades series, Christopher Healy introduces us to the Princes Charming (who all have real names, by the way). Don't let the "middle grades" label dissuade you: this is a book that all ages can appreciate! How to explain this story ... Essentially, what Healy has done is take the oh-so-familiar fairy tales and turned them on their head. What we end up with is a band of mismatched Princes running around trying to make a name for themselves - literally. They're tired of being called "Prince Charming" and having everyone only remember the chick. This band of Princes are ready for adventure, ready to be heroes. And they're searching for Cinderella, who is apparently being held captive by the witch who entrapped Rapunzel. What the guys don't know is that Cinderella has some major spunk of her own, and is a force to be reckoned with. (And if you think you know 'Sleeping Beauty,' well, you're in for a surprise on that one! That girl be crazy.) I loved this mashed up story, laughing out loud at parts, and falling in love with the idea of all these fairy tale characters jumbled into one wild mess. Prince Liam (Sleeping Beauty) stole my heart. For real. He's amazing (and the only "true" hero among the lot). Prince Duncan (Snow White) cracked me up, and there's just something endearing about Gustav (Rapunzel) and his brash style. Frederic (Cinderella) is the Prince I connected least with, but he has his good points, and is a key thread in the storyline. And don't get me started on the Bandit King. Seriously, this is an excellent - and hilarious - first book, and I have very high hopes for the rest of the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'm in love with this book! I read this book so fast I'm going to have to read it again but once you start it's so addictive you just can't stop. It's like eating potato chips or M&M's you can't read just one page or chapter.Links to the other blogs participating are below my review. Thanks for stopping by!Ever wondered about what happened after Happily Ever After? I have. I have always wondered. Well wait no more! This book tells it all and doesn't hold back. Four Prince Charmings and the true story of how they became Prince Charmings. And their real names. And if you don't find this book imaginative and funny, my name isn't Buried in Books. (It isn't really.) But there are asides from the narrator, looks into what the individual princes are thinking at certain times and it's all told with a sense of exaggeration and the absurd that just works because it's the fairy tale told from the other side, the after.Frederic is foppish and I'd say rather a mama's boy if it weren't for the fact that his father made him that way. Scared of the outside world. His princess wants a taste of adventure and she is tired of the endless picnics and walks in the gardens. She leaves on a quest to find someone that's missing and that starts the action of this entire tale. Frederic is not going to let his princess go so easily and so with the help of his valet, Reginald, he gets on a horse and goes after her, in a white suit, with epaulets with tassels and not a clue how to ride a horse, which direction to go or what to do when he gets there.Gustav, on the other hand, is itching for a fight. He'll fight anything that comes along because he got the raw end of the deal in his hero story. Now he's a laughing stock and needs to prove himself. He's got sixteen brothers who are heroes and he is not (I believe actually the mother is the hero here, just sayin).So he goes charging in even when there isn't a hero situation. This sets him up as more of a laughing stock so to say he's a grump and fighting mad, is putting it mildly.Liam, he just wants to meet the girl he's going to marry before they marry, get to know her. But what he meets is a nightmare. Spoiled, mean, bossy and a bit of a showoff with her jewels and gold. He wants to run in the other direction and he actually is a hero, performing acts of heroism on a daily basis. But that doesn't seem to matter to anyone when he decides he doesn't want to marry the spoiled brat that he's been promised to since he was a toddler and who he rescued.And then there's Duncan. Weird and wonderful Duncan who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Who just seems to have good luck. He falls into good fortune all the time. He's misunderstood but he embraces his weirdness and thankfully others do too.When these four Prince Charmings or is it Princes Charming? Anyway, when they get together, it's a comedy of errors. Like two pairs of mismatched roommates. Like the football quarterback, the debate team captain, the rebellious bully and the AV guy (do they still have AV clubs?) formed a club. Frederic raised his hand to ask questions.Gustav was always rushing into battle even if there was no battle. Duncan would shout out, naming animals as they went. And Liam would try to find a way to be the hero while keeping the others out of the plans.Favorite lines from the ARC-Frederic raised his hand."Frederic, do you , uh, have a question?" Liam asked.Frederic sniffled and nodded. "I don't know how to use a sword.""Oh that's right," Duncan said. "Neither do I.""Go team," Gustav said in a mock cheer. p.188So who would love this book? Anyone! It's got adventure, romance, monsters, mystery, sibling rivalry, the weird kid, the swoon worthy prince, the muscle, and the good dresser. Four heroes! Continuations on classic fairy tales. Even if you don't like fairy tale retellings, this isn't a retelling, this is after the fact.It really is priceless! Very well written, with a sense of humor, friendship, danger and purpose.There is even a lesson in it. Honestly how can you not read it?And, don't forget, as I always say, to read the Prologue!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Unique, funny, and fresh are all appropriate words to describe Christopher Healy's The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. I seriously could not get enough of this fast-paced Middle Grade title!Lots of little girls wish they could be princesses and plenty of girls and women wish for their Prince Charming to come riding to their rescue, shiny and dashing and heroic, but princesses and the perfect Prince Charming is no where to be found within these pages. Instead, the princesses are either spoiled or more heroic than the princes that are supposed to sweep them off their feet. Prince Charming is a generic name used to describe every prince in every tale... princes that are sometimes dashing and sometime heroic, but often flawed and more often terribly silly. In an endearing way of course.I can't fully describe how much I adore this novel. The characters are vivid and each have a distinct voice. I'd much rather be a princess like the sort in The Hero's Guide... one who is happy to have a prince by her side, but is more than capable of taking matters into her own hands. The princes are a motley crew and never fail to entertain. I loved that each had a specific strength or skill so that when the four came together, usually in rather comedic circumstances, they achieved their goal. I have to say, Prince Duncan was my favorite of the princes, the Prince Charming of Snow White's tale. Duncan refers to every animal he comes across by name... names he makes up on the spot. His oddities and personality never failed to make me laugh.I highly recommend The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom. Yes, it's a MG title, but I can imagine readers of all age enjoying the characters and their quirks. And I hear the characters will be reunited in a second installment and they'll be joined by a few more interesting individuals... I, for one, can't wait!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This fairytale retelling mash-up of the stories of several Princes Charming won't change middle grade literature, but it's fun, will most likely be enjoyed by some the (rather younger) target demographic, and had us chuckling.

    I didn't like the main twist, the one female dominated genre - NOW from a MALE perspective!! - a twist which doesn't really add much to anything ever, really, since it's the default, anyway.
    Still, the characters really did grow on me, and towards the end I didn't mix them up anymore.

    The language annoyed me at times because I don't think that some of the more slang-y elements will stand the test of time, but as I said before, this book doesn't seem to be designed to do so.

    I'm a bit baffled as to who is the target demographic here, however. I think that it is supposed to be geared at boys under 10, but I can't see the boys under ten that I know Finished this. Girls, sure, but they don't really need the male perspective. For those boys (and they do exist!) who do enjoy fairy tales, I would have liked Frederic to retain some of his daintiness throughout the novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It was pretty funny and a good read but a little long. It seemed to take a while for the story to really get started and then it ended rather abruptly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this E book because my sons' friend told me it was funny and I wanted to discuss it with him and my son. They were right, it was a funny story and yet there were places in the story that reflected true human emotion. I did enjoy the spoof on fairy tales and the good versus evil. This story did give a view of what might of happened after the "happily ever after," in some famous fairy tales. I do hope more students discover this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Amusing farce of prince and princess stories. First of a series. The four Prince Charmings are somewhat incompetent or goofy at the beginning of the book, but because of the bards their stories were told as if they had been heroes. When they get together to search for Cinderella, who had been captured by an evil witch, they learn to work together and become real heroes.I didn't finish the book because I got the general idea and had several others to get to, but I can see why middle grade elementary students would enjoy this series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delightful. Fun for children and adults alike!Writing style is fanciful and hilarious. Narration/dramatization added so much as well!

    If you’ve read, Princess Bride, or Tress of the Emerald Sea you’ll probably also like this book! (-:
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I thought this book was hilarious!! A great satire on classic fairytales, as told in alternating chapters by the princes and the princesses. As long as you don't take this book too seriously, I think you'll enjoy it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very clever take on the prince charming s that we've come to know today. My son and I were excited to read this. For a almost five year old this story occasionally lost his attention near the end. But for any kid interested in heroes, dragons, trolls, etc this book will be such a fun time to read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Despite the hero-type things done by the Princes Charming, I loved the princesses who are perfectly capable of taking charge - very funny fractured fairy tale!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of the funniest books I've read in a long time. What's the story with the Prince Charming in all the fairy tales we've heard? They can't all be the same guy. This is their story, four Charmings who team up to save, well, their kingdoms. But really, super funny. Definitely read it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The four Princes Charming don’t get the “happily ever afters” you might think and instead, wind up on a hilarious adventure that reimagines the “after” of all their fairytales. The story is a lot of fun with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, adding diverse personalities to familiar characters, and I’m so glad I read it, thanks to the recommendation of my sister-in-law.