Princess Anya prefers to spend her time in the castle library while her older sister, the crown princess, entertains suitors. When an evil wizard turns her sister's latest prince into a frog, Anya volunteers to find a way to change him back into a human. She sets out on a quest to find the ingredients for a magic lip balm that will allow her to kiss the green fellow and turn him back into a human even if she is not in love with him. On the way she is joined by friends and allies, and begins to understand that her real quest is much bigger than a well placed smackaroo. This started out like any middle grade fantasy, but it just got funner and funnier with each chapter. The amazing thing is that as it got sillier, it also, in a way, got more serious. Leave it to Garth Nix to make even a frothy middle grade fantasy have a little philosophical punch to it. Nix's character development is wonderful, as the reader watches Anya slowly accept her own role as a true leader. This was a good one that fans of Jessica Day George or Gale Carson Levine would enjoy. (385 p. 2017)
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