Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Hamster princess Harriet is back in Vernon's take on "Cinderella."Twelve-year-old Harriet has zero interest in marriage, especially when most princes she knows aren't particularly pleasant, but her optimistic mother has other ideas; the queen thinks that a masked ball would liberate Harriet from her intimidating reputation. But it's a reputation Harriet is proud of, and the queen's idea of a masked ball sadly doesn't allow for Harriet's costume ideas, like Genghis Prawn, "unstoppable leader of the lobster horde." Instead, the belle of the ball is a gorgeous, mysterious newcomer wearing glass shoes. While everyone else is enchanted, Harriet, concerned about how easy it was for an uninvited intruder to waltz right in, schemes to learn the mysterious hamster's secret. She learns that Ella (or Whiskerella) is stuck attending balls until she's swept off her feet by a prince. Ella finds the princes just as odious as Harriet does—and the shoes are painful—but her wishes are less important than the "happily ever after" that the fairy godmouse insists she have, as "Everry little girrrl drrreams of marrrying a prrrince!" The wild struggle to prevent the unwanted happily-ever-after includes razor-sharp takedowns of Cinderella tropes, stampeding quails, and a running gag about a lizard with bladder troubles. After all the silliness, it ends on a surprisingly beautiful note.Readers will have a ball with this hilarious, charming story. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-12)

ALA Booklist (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

If there's one thing that life with Princess Harriet Hamsterbone isn't, that's boring, and this fifth series installment finds the plucky, cliff-diving royal rodent up to her usual high jinks. She's been strong-armed into attending a ball her parents are throwing for the visiting bat ambassador. Though Harriet would prefer to get to know the ambassador by dangling upside down from the ceiling with him, she reluctantly dons a ballgown and a mask and attends the party, where a mysterious, beautiful stranger with an odd choice of footwear shows up and steals the hearts of every prince in attendance. Harriet, who has never cared much for princes to begin with, follows the girl she's dubbed Whiskerella home and discovers she's been spelled by a fairy godmother d the spell may be more of a curse. Good thing Harriet's got some experience with those. The familiar cartoon panels and brassy banter are on display in this twisted-up Cinderella story, and Harriet, who charges through this adventure with her usual aplomb, shows no sign of slowing down.

Horn Book

Hamster Princess Harriet is forced to attend a ball--in a dress!--and gets pulled into a mystery involving a hamster in glass shoes (Whiskerella). A rodent-girl in a bright red hood asks Harriet for help with weasel-wolves lurking around her grandmother's cottage (Little Red). Vernon's fifth and sixth trippy fairy-tale takeoffs use humor, quick pacing, occasional comic bookstyle panels, and snappy dialogue to engage young and struggling readers.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Hamster princess Harriet is back in Vernon's take on "Cinderella."Twelve-year-old Harriet has zero interest in marriage, especially when most princes she knows aren't particularly pleasant, but her optimistic mother has other ideas; the queen thinks that a masked ball would liberate Harriet from her intimidating reputation. But it's a reputation Harriet is proud of, and the queen's idea of a masked ball sadly doesn't allow for Harriet's costume ideas, like Genghis Prawn, "unstoppable leader of the lobster horde." Instead, the belle of the ball is a gorgeous, mysterious newcomer wearing glass shoes. While everyone else is enchanted, Harriet, concerned about how easy it was for an uninvited intruder to waltz right in, schemes to learn the mysterious hamster's secret. She learns that Ella (or Whiskerella) is stuck attending balls until she's swept off her feet by a prince. Ella finds the princes just as odious as Harriet does—and the shoes are painful—but her wishes are less important than the "happily ever after" that the fairy godmouse insists she have, as "Everry little girrrl drrreams of marrrying a prrrince!" The wild struggle to prevent the unwanted happily-ever-after includes razor-sharp takedowns of Cinderella tropes, stampeding quails, and a running gag about a lizard with bladder troubles. After all the silliness, it ends on a surprisingly beautiful note.Readers will have a ball with this hilarious, charming story. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-12)

School Library Journal (Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2018)

POPGr 3-6 Harriet the hamster princess faces her greatest tribulation yet: a fancy masquerade ball. She'd rather be slaying Ogrecats or fighting giants than wearing elegant gowns and dancing with dull, clumsy princes, but the party gets a boost with the arrival of the lovely Whiskerella, who exits right before midnight, leaving behind several disappointed suitors. Curious Harriet and her friends Wilson and Ratpunzel investigate only to discover a fairy godmother hell-bent on obtaining Whiskerella a happy-ever-after ending at all costs. Like previous titles in the series, this cheerfully irreverent "Cinderella" spoof hilariously deconstructs fairy-tale tropes ("And who falls in love with somebody because of their shoe size?!"). The humor turns delightfully silly at times, too, with plenty of bathroom jokes. The depiction of female characters is thoughtful: though take-charge Harriet, who eschews stereotypically feminine traits, is the star of the show, gentle Ratpunzel gets her due as well. Whimsical illustrations break up the action-packed narrative and add a comic booklike flair. VERDICT Both series fans and newcomers with a taste for snark will devour this one. Multiple copies are a must. Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal