Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible

Written by Ursula Vernon

Narrated by Eva Kaminsky

Sleeping Beauty gets a feisty, furry twist in this hilarious new comic series from the creator of Dragonbreath Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you'll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather . . . dull. One day, though, Harriet's parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she's twelve and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is most wonderful news: It means she's invincible until she's twelve! After all, no good curse goes to waste. And so begins a grand life of adventure with her trusty riding quail, Mumfrey...until her twelfth birthday arrives and the curse manifests in a most unexpected way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501926730

Ursula Vernon

URSULA VERNON is a freelance illustrator, artist, and, in her words, a "creator of weird thingies." Nurk is her first book for young readers. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reviews for Hamster Princess

[Nate Dudenhoeffer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The kids loved it. The narrator was good. I don’t care for some of the words used (we never call people stupid in our house) but otherwise a great story.

[jennybeast · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well, I love a strong female hamster, knuckling her way through princess challenges. I adore that she trades on her storybook "curse" and recognizes it for invincibility. I love that this is not a book that ends in marriage, and I desperately, desperately want a riding quail.

deeeeeelightful.

[fred_mouse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Subverting of fairy tale tropes, strong female character, cheerful story that doesn't gloss over negatives of lives - I loved it. This is a great story for the mid-to-late primary reader (or the adventurous early primary read) as well as being plenty of fun for older readers. I picked this up as something light hearted to cheer me up, and it did exactly that. Amongst other details, I loved that the author allowed the 12 year old to behave as if they were 12. Yes, Harriet goes off on a quest, and she needs a prince for that, but she isn't interested in romance or any of the end-game options of traditional quest narratives, she just wants to learn about her world and her self. Recommended for anyone who loves fairy tales, but despairs of the worlds that they are usually set in, this is a feminist and friendly update that reflects the good in our society.

[bookbrig-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

AMAZING. I love all of Ursula Vernon's stuff, but this retelling of Sleeping Beauty is so great! It's snarky and heartfelt and has A MAINSPLAINING HAMSTER PRINCE who is rejected as a love interest. Actually, there's no "love interest" because the main character is 12 and she doesn't want a betrothed. I can't wait to read the next one!

[herenya_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very amusing take on ‘Sleeping Beauty’. Upon learning of her curse, Harriet accurately concludes that she must be invincible until it strikes -- and when the time arrives, she’s determined to avoid falling into an enchanted sleep.This is heavily-illustrated. The pictures are great, but were often awkwardly displayed in the Libby e-book.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an adorable twist on the princess genre! I love that it doesn't just subvert the damsel in distress trope, but goes out of its way to trample many other fairy-tale tropes along the way.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolute delight! Harriet's life started out very similar to Sleeping Beauty's: cursed at birth by a wicked witch to die on a certain birthday. But for Harriet, it's die at 12 after pricking her finger on a hamster wheel. Because she's a hamster.Luckily for Harriet, her parents decide to let her know about the curse on her 10th birthday, and her reaction is not what they expect!A great, silly, action-filled take on fairy tales (and how they're not what girls expect any more!).Highly recommended.

[paula2childrenslib · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Never a conventional princess, Harriet becomes an adventurer after learning she is cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her twelfth birthday, but after two years of slaying ogres, cliff-diving, and more with her riding quail, Mumfrey, things go awry at home and she must seek a prince to set things right.