- Caitlin B.
- Wednesday, February 08, 2023
Mihi Park wants to be a real princess. When she and two friends find themselves in a fairytale world, she may finally get her chance. But everything has a price.
This middle grade novel by Newbery Medal winner Tae Keller is full of action, magic, suspense, and friendship. In this story, Mihi Park struggles to find her place among so-called friends who insist that princesses must be white and blonde. While Mihi has started to see more diverse princesses who choose adventure over being rescued (think Mulan, Elsa, Rapunzel, and Raya), she still feels like she (like her heroines) has something to prove. When Mihi’s brave adventure lands her in detention, she strikes up a friendship with two other social outcasts: Savannah and Reese. While none of these girls quite fit in they soon realize they have one thing in common: a desire for adventure. What they don’t realize is that this desire is about to thrust them directly into the world of fairytales and that every choice they make will have consequences. Will Mihi get her wish to be a fairytale princess? Will her friends find their hearts’ desires?
Tae Keller was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her mother, Nora Okja Keller, was born in South Korea but raised in Hawaii, growing up to become a novelist herself. Tae has written four middle grade novels:
The Science of Breakable Things (2018)
When You Trap a Tiger (2020) won the Newbery Medal in 2021.
Jennifer Chan is Not Alone (2022)
Mihi Ever After (2022)
Tae now lives in Seattle with her husband and “writes about biracial girls trying to find their voices” (taekeller.com). Below, you can watch a short video of Tae talking about her award-winning novel, When You Trap a Tiger: