Despite the age reccomendations on this book (9 to 12), McKillip's story is a wonderful fairy tale for any reader, as are all of her other works.
The Changling Sea is an excellent combination of fantasy and reality - the balance of hard working villagers and magical beings from another world make this story not only enchanting, but lovely in its realism.
Fans of McKillip will of course love this story. For children and adults who have never read her: this is a great place to start.

Patricia McKillip's The Book of Atrix Wolfe was the first fantasy book I ever read (in French). Years after that, I am still hooked on her books.
The Changeling Sea is at heart a fairy tale: two princes gets swapped at birth and none of them is happy with the situation, until a young girl starts meddling. It displays all of McKillip's strengths: strong characterization (every character from Carey and Mare at the inn to the sea-woman herself are wonderfully drawn, and behave convincingly), a plot that, while being vaguely familiar, is still fresh enough to make you read on, and finally, McKillip's hallmark, her style, as ethereal and beautiful as the sea itself.
Buy it, read it, and then go and buy all of McKillip's other books.

A magical, moving, and completely original story, peopled with quirkily charming characters. Unlike most fantasy novels, this isn't about wielding swords and spells to save the world, but about the power and wonder of both magic and human relationships. Peri is a likable, offbeat heroine, and the choice she makes regarding the three men who come into her life, the magician, the prince, and the sea dragon, is believable and heartwarming. All the characters, even the most minor ones, have their own lives and agendas, bringing to life the vividly imagined setting of a fishing village on the edge of enchantment. Dialogue is sometimes poetic, sometimes funny, but always well-phrased. The balance in this book between the little moments of daily life and the beauty of magic and feeling reminded me of movies like The Secret Garden and John Sayles' The Secret of Roan Inish.

My Sister-in-law sent this book to my daughter for her birthday, along with some similarly themed "princess" things. The first time we read it as a bedtime story, I had tears in my eyes. The beautiful illustrations and important message were perfectly interwoven. We will read this book many, many, times over the years, and as my four year-old becomes a young woman, it will be a wonderful tool to use to open discussion about love and the true meaning of purity. Thank you Jennie Bishop for sharing your Mother's heart with all of us!

This book is great. This is what we should be teaching our children. From the littlest of girls to my seven year old boy it's perfect. I used to teach Kindergarten in a private school and if I was still there I would definately add this book to my classroom. Young children need to know that God wants us to "wait" for the person He has for us...not to "be with" just anyone! Which unfortunately is what is taught everywhere. Get this book! It's wonderful!

Recently while at a weekend Peer Education Training event at Harsens Island, Michigan, I was introduced by the trainer to this wonderful book, "The Princess and the Kiss," by Jennie Bishop. I was SO VERY IMPRESSED with its message, I bought it for each of my seven grandchildren, who are all under the age of 12. Our's is a sacred responsibility to help our children learn who they are, where they came from, why they are on this earth, and where they are going when they leave. This outstanding story helps them understand WHO they are, that they are precious to their parents, and that they can understand and live by principles that will preserve their lives. As a registered nurse and adolescent health coordinator in a community health center, I see first hand every day the devastation when parents do not teach their children of their divine nature, and when children make choices that break with family values that have preserved trust throughout time. Thank you Jennie Bishop for conveying this is such a wonderful way. You are my hero! I will be buying this book again and again to give as a gift to new parents.

I found this second book to be one of the best science fiction / fantasy novels ever written. Robert Stanek develops his characters so well. I enjoyed every moment that I spent reading. I did not want to do anything else but read this book. I thought the previous book was one of the best I had ever read until I read this. This is the BEST! Keep reading!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is beautifuly written and puts you in the scene. I truly felt for these fictional characters. Their stories became like my own. It is fantasy but seemed so real. I was rooting for them all, and the ending is very satisfying.

The characters come alive! The authors heroes are heroic and the villains are just starting to be revealed for what they are. The political intrigue mixed in with already great plots makes this excellent reading and adds depth to already great story. Like I said before if you like to get so wrapped up in a book that you can't wait to get back to read some more, this is the one for you. Every time you think you've figured out what's next, things change. I love it!

I remember picking this book up off the shelf when I was in fourth grade... that was a long time ago. Back then, I chose to read books by what their covers looked like. I know, don't judge a book by its cover, but when you read so much all the time, you start to be able to tell which are going to be the really good ones by what is on them. So, I picked this book up for some free reading, and it has taken me all these years to find it again. Unfortuantely, as some have pointed out, it is out of print. I really think that this is one of the best books that I had read when I was in elementary school. The entirety of it made a young girl's dream on the way to school come true. It is really powerful and timeless, a true work of art for minds of all ages. I just wish that I could find a copy of it...

I've had this book since grade 3 or 4 (don't remember)and I love it!! I can't believe it's been almost 15 years since I read it. I'm proud to say that it's in mint condition. ...It's a great book, lots of magic spells, wizardry and castles. I'm so happy that it's going to be printed again. It's a must for every young girl, I highly recommend it.

Jenny's a normal girl having a normal day on a normal school bus. Then she closes her eyes and wakes up in a...carriage. In a strange land. Where she is adopted by the king and named a princess.

But she isn't just any princess. She's the seventh princess of a line of five other adopted princesses who were turned into harpies by an evil witch. If she doesn't want the same thing to happen to her, she's gotta do something about it.

This was my favorite book in the fourth grade. A definite keeper, which I still remember almost a decade later. A girl can really relate to Jenny's predicament, can really believe that maybe she herself could be in Jenny's place. As for the adventure...unbelievable. The only strange part was the simpleness of the counterspell--it was a little weak for me. Still, it's all part of the fantasy.

Magic, switch from the normal world into the magical world, hapries, spells, witches, royalty, and good old fashioned school buses.

A great, great book.

I can't tell you how many times I've read this book. When I first started reading it, I was disapointed because it seemed like a total toddler's book. But the more I read, the more absorbed I became. So many things happen so quickly that you want to keep reading just to find out what's coming next. Jules Feiffer doesn't write like other writers; he plays around with his work, and you can tell he was having a good time writing this book. And although the book is very fun and light reading, I think there are also some hidden meanings and life lessons to be learned from it. I plan to read this book many times more. I also think this book would appeal to the "Phantom Tollbooth" audience, and vice versa.

A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears is a story about a prince named Roger who is makes everybody laugh no matter what he does. He is sent on a magical quest in which he goes through The Forever Forest, The Dastardly Divide, The Sea of Screams, and The Mountain of Malice. In the end, he ends up with a beautiful maiden. This book is not meant to be serious. It is meant to be comical and it succeeds. Jules Feiffer has written a comedy masterpiece. I recommend it to anyone ages 10 or up who is looking for a humorous book.

My son and I read this book together and couldn't help laughing at poor Roger and his "quest"! We loved this book and the illustrations!

One of the many books that pushed me into enjoying the science fiction genre. The concept for this book is incredibly original and really appealed to me when I was younger and still appeals to me many years later.

This story alternates between the point of view of the two main characters - Connie, a typical American teen and Rudy, the crown prince of a small (fictional) European country. They share a secret bond that no one else is aware of - they suffer headaches and fainting spells, but when one passes out they enter the other's mind and share what they see and hear. The 'visitor' cannot communicate with them, but the 'awake' teen is aware of the other's presence in their mind. Both guard their secret relationship fiercly until one night Rudy is kidnapped while Connie is 'with' him and she has to convince her family, and his, so that she can help to rescue him.

Connie and Rudy are both extremely well developed characters. The plot is well developed and keeps the reader involved to the very end.

Something about the idea of occasionally co-existing with someone from so far away and sharing a relationship that is so close and so private is really appealing, despite the problems it caused the main characters. Every kid wants a friend who truly understands them and this is a great manifestation of that desire.

Connie ("I hate Constance") Hendrix and Rudolph (Rudy) - the crown prince of the ficticious Thulgaria - were born at the same moment, with brain waves that are nearly identical, though this is theoretically impossible. These similarities, besides making them the best of friends, even across vast distances, also give them the special gift of sharing their minds by telepathy. It was during one of these involuntary sharings that Connie is witness to Rudy's kidnapping and is the only one who can help him.

Although the plot is fantasy / sci-fi in nature, just about anyone will enjoy this wonderful story. In fact, I think this is probably the first fantasy book that I read. Hmm, and ten years later I'm still reading it! Definitely a must read!

I read this book as the mother of an advanced reading 8 yr. old and was very pleased to see a book with action and adventure WITHOUT the sex, swearing and other things so many today think is necessary to tell a story. I'd like to write the author personally to thank her!

As a story, this is cute and enjoyable. As a potty-training helper, not very effective.

The princess won't use any of the special royal potties until she is tempted by a pair of pantalettes. Maybe that's a good reminder to us parents to be patient, but it doesn't encourage potty usage for my child.

The book discusses using the potty in very generic terms, nothing specific. No potty words (like pee or poop) are used. I view it as another book in the bookcase, which is OK.

My daughter likes for me to read this book to her, and enjoys calling her diaper "the royal diaper". Sometimes she likes to discuss pantalettes, but she has not expressed any interest in using the "royal potty".

I prefer "The Potty Book For Girls" as a potty-learning tool.

As I began reading this book about a little girl whose royal parents buy her every color and pattern potty imaginable to get her to potty train, I was a bit worried my child would begin demanding her own 'pink potty'. However, as you read you discover none of these bribes work with the little girl-she simply doesn't want to (sound familiar? It did for me). Anyway, only the thought of soiling the princess' pretty, new undies gives her the desire to run to the potty in the end. And it is then that she discovers she doesn't need any of those fancy potties, the closest potty will do(which is the plain, old potty)! Now, my daughter couldn't care less about pretty panties when we began to suggest potty training. ... This was her favorite book and it is so cute she actually continued choosing it in her nightly read selections for some time after potty training. ... Anyway, would reccomend this Princess and the Potty to keep the task at hand foremost in their little minds and then one other for more specific step-by-step instructional which can tend to be not as attractive for them to want to read. Good luck! If you stick to it and let them feel the few messes and help clean up, you'll succeed!

I read this book many times over at a camp where I worked with children with disabilities. A goal of one child was for them to become independently potty trained and she was my "kid" for the summer. She was struggling a lot with the independence of it and we had just gotten her a new specialized toilet which coincided with the one she now had at home. She would not even sit on it at first. The Princess and the Potty became routine for her to listen to. I think this book models independence, yet also stresses the idea that the child knows when they are ready.

All three books in the Dragon Chronicles series are wonderful, but this one is definitely my favorite.
Written in first person through Kara, Susan Fletcher bring everything around her to life. Through all of your senses, you constantly have a vivid mental image of Kara's ordeals and emotions.
Throughout all of Kara's decisions, like whether she should leave home to help the king, or continue to call down dragons, the author always has us thinking "What would I decide if I was in her shoes?"
Another plus in almost all books of Susan Fletcher, there is a small, underlying love story. All of Kara's friendships she made along the way, show that even through adversity and hardship, companionship always makes things better.

Not only do I strongly recommend this book, but I can be sure in saying that if you like this book, you will want to read it over and over again!

This imaginative book, tells of Kara, a young girl who was taken ill with vermilion fever. She is left for dead in a cave, where she is nursed to health by a dragon. Now with the power to speak to dragons, and call their kyn (birds), she is summoned by a king. This story gives the history of the green-eyed line, before Kaeldra (the main character in "Dragon's Milk). It can be read alone, as it's own story. My suggestion is to read "Dragon's Milk" first. It adds the flavor, Suan Fletcher was aiming for

Flight of the Dragon Kyn is another masterpiece by Susan Fletcher. It is a prequel (opposite of a sequel) to Dragon's Milk. Kara is summoned to the King when he hears of her ability to call birds. She then learns the King wants her to call dragons. She calls the dragon that brought her back to life when she was very young. The dragon, Flagra, is slayed, much to Kara's horror. The story then un-folds in a rich account of Kara's time spent with the dragon kyn, and her struggles to help save them from man. This story will have you captivated from the beginning to the very end, and is a must-read for anyone looking for a good book.

I am in third grade. My teacher read my class this book and the one before it to. Every time when my teacher would stop reading the whole class would beg her to read more. the author does a great job of stoping the chapter right at the really exciting parts.I LOVED it!!!!!!!!! Normally I don't like books about castles but this one I really liked!

This is a great sequel!!! I loved it! There is no return of Alastor but there is a very evil gang lurking about. Not only dose William go to Sir Simon's castle, but Jason comes too!!!
There is also 1 new character: But you'll have to read the book to find out who he/she is! ;)

I read this book when I was in 5th grade and I would suggest this book and the first one called The Castle in the Attic.

Valley of Fear was a great book! Dang!Mary Stanton can sure bring to life her characters. Unicorns of Balinor is my favorite book no doubt! This book brings to life a vivid image in your head! Hint to all readers-MUST READ ALL BOOKS IN THIS SERIES IN ORDER! I love this book!

Sunchaser the unicorn , Lori , Ari and a unicorn toby are trying to find the Royal scepter and they ask the old mare of the mountain , who tells them they will find in the valley of fear were the black unicorns are. Ari needs it to be the princess of balinor , she just wants to be the ordinary girl she is but she must for Sunchaser the great unicorn and she must for Balinor. So Sunchaser and Toby the unicorns with Lori Sunchasers master and Ari the maid to her go to the valley of fear dressed as soldiers and Ari finds the Royal Secpter but both girls Lori and Ari with Sunchaser fall into the pit and are back at Glacier River Farm.

The Unicorns of Balinor is a very good example of protagonist/antagonist books. Foreshadowing is also displayed very well. I remember when I read it for the first time two years ago, I was kept on the edge of my seat because the story line is very addicting and suspenseful. It's hard not to imagine your self in a woodland watching the old mare of the mountian appear or carefully making your way across the fiery feild (in order to recliam the royal septer from the evil shifter).

True, the book ends very abruptly, but that is why it is in a series. This is not; however, a series you can read out of order. Trust me, I have tried to do that. It doesn't work.