Written and illustrated by Cornelia FunkeTranslated from German by Anthea Bell
Originally published in 1998
Chicken House, 2007
Ages 8-12
4/5
Twelve-year old Igraine would like nothing more than to be a noble knight. However, not only is she small for her age, Igraine's wizarding family is uninterested in mighty steeds and shining armour. But when her parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs and can't stop the dastardly Greedy Osmund from laying seige to their castle in oder to steal the family's singing magic books, Igraine is determined that her size won't hold her back from protecting her home.
The strength of this quirky novel is its interesting characters, which are introduced in an illustrated "Who's Who" at the beginning of the book. Surprisingly it wasn't Igraine who grabbed my attention, but the secondary characters of the singing books, the Sorrowful Knight, and even Pimpernel Castle itself. That being said, Igraine, despite being both stubborn and impatient, is a great role model for young girls: although she is afraid of Greedy Osmund and the Iron Hedgehog, she takes action to ensure her family remains safe.
Like most fairy tales, in this book it is very obvious who is good and who is bad. Bad characters are justly punished, and good characters are justly rewarded. However, this does not take away from the charm of Funke's cheerful, whimsical story.
