Available:*
Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Cabell County Public Library | 741.5 WAN | Young Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Putnam Main Public Library | 741.5 WAN | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A fairy tale for any age, Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.
Paris, at the dawn of the modern age:
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride--or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia--the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion!
Sebastian's secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances--one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone's secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family.
This title has Common Core connections.
Author Notes
Jen Wang is a cartoonist, author and illustrator living in Los Angeles. She is the author of The Prince and the Dressmaker, Koko Be Good, and co-author of the New York Times Bestselling graphic novel In Real Life with Cory Doctorow. Her work has also appeared in Los Angeles Magazine, The Believer, Hazlitt, Slate, and McSweeney's. She has also written for the Adventure Time and Lumberjanes comic series. She is the co-founder and organizer of the annual festival Comics Arts Los Angeles.
Reviews (6)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up-Set in France, this work of historical fiction centers on Frances, a lowly dressmaker in a shop. A wayward teenager commissions Frances to fashion a dress that will make her "look like the devil's wench." She complies, and her creation catches the eye of a mysterious wealthy benefactor, for whom she is hired to work exclusively. Her patron is Prince Sebastian, who is mortified by his predilection for occasionally wearing dresses. Frances encourages Sebastian to be himself, and together the two create Lady Crystallia, the most fabulous fashion icon Paris has ever seen. In this well-crafted coming-of-age story, both Frances and Sebastian struggle to understand themselves and to embrace their identities. There's a hint of romance between Frances and Sebastian, but the emphasis is on their friendship. Wang doesn't dive deeply into Sebastian's sexual or gender identity, instead focusing on the message of self-acceptance. As Sebastian puts it, "This is who I am. I'm a prince who likes to wear dresses." The full-color artwork is gorgeous, featuring a variety of over-the-top dresses that fashionistas will envy. Facial expressions and the overall movement of the art enhance the enticing narrative; fans beginning to age out of Raina Telgemeier and Victoria Jamieson will find a new favorite in Wang. VERDICT With inviting illustrations and a relatable story line, this tender tale of friendship and identity is sure to delight even readers who aren't fans of the graphic novel format.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A talented seamstress and a prince with a secret will win readers' hearts in Wang's utterly charming graphic novel, which is set in a playfully tweaked version of 19th-century Paris and highlights identity, acceptance, and fashion. After creating a scandalous dress for an attendee of Prince Sebastian's 16th birthday party, Frances-an overlooked seamstress with big dreams-accepts a position as personal seamstress for a mystery client. She soon discovers that her employer is none other than Prince Sebastian, who wants her to create dazzling gowns for Lady Crystallia, Sebastian's alter ego, who quickly becomes a fashion icon. Despite Frances's connection with Sebastian, she worries that being part of the prince's secret is limiting her dreams of finding success as a designer. The relationship between Frances and Sebastian-both as a conflicted prince and the glamorous Crystallia-glows; Frances understands that Sebastian and Crystallia are two halves of a brilliant whole. "It's weird, I don't feel like Prince Sebastian could lead a nation into battle, but Lady Crystallia could," admits the prince, inspiring Frances to create an armor-themed dress for their next midnight escapade. Frances's daring designs shine in Wang's elegantly drafted and gorgeously colored illustrations, and the irreverently anachronistic approach to the setting provides a lovely and humorous counterbalance to the seriousness of the prince's situation ("Prepare to get your lady groove on," insists the burly, bearded king, who is eager for Sebastian to be betrothed). It's all but certain to deliver grins, gasps, and some happy tears. Ages 12-up. Agent: Judith Hansen, Hansen Literary. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Prince Sebastian hires young seamstress Frances as his personal clothier; some days he feels comfortable identifying as male, but others he prefers his dress-wearing alter ego, socialite Lady Crystallia. The teens struggle to keep Sebastian's secret, resist stifling expectations, and sort out their feelings for each other. The graphic novel's illustrations balance the finery of clothing and setting with relatable, endearing protagonists. Dynamic panel shapes and sizes accentuate the emotions of each scene. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Once upon a time, there was a prince who felt fabulous only in exquisite gowns. Prince Sebastian's parents, like fleets of fairy-tale progenitors before, are myopically focused on getting their kid hitched. Rendezvous with potential brides rattle Sebastian, and not just because he's only 16 and averse to icky matrimony. It's because he dresses in couture gowns and is petrified of facing what a reveal would mean to his parents and potential wife. Weary of donning his mother's duds, he hires Frances, a seamstress with an avant-garde flair. Their friendship quickly evolves as she harnesses her talent and he becomes empowered to make public appearances as his alter ego, Lady Crystallia. When Lady Crystallia becomes a fashion plate du jourand secrecy verges on revelationSebastian and Frances are at a crossroads: can they remain true to themselves, each other, and the world? Wang's linework has as much movement and play as Crystallia's frocks, and her palette seamlessly wanders from petit-four brights to the moody darks of an ombre swatch. This is preindustrial Paris, so the cast is white, with the only otherness being class differentiation. Sebastian's story shouldn't be taken as a testament to how easy it is for one to reveal one's true self to one's parents, particularly if one is LGBTQIAP: Sebastian meets acceptance far too easily, particularly for such a public figure in such a conservative age. Sebastian's summation of Frances' aesthetic underscores the ultimate blueprint: fantasy and drama.A biblio bias-cut whose shimmer is welcome despite its optimistic shortsightedness. (Historical graphic fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Frances, a seamstress living in Paris at the turn of the century, causes quite a stir when she designs a daring, avant-garde ballgown for a count's daughter, who blithely asks to be dressed like the devil's wench. Though the countess is displeased, her daughter is enchanted, and so is the crown prince, Sebastian, who immediately hires Frances with an unusual request: he wants her to make him a wardrobe of bold, glamorous gowns. Secrecy, of course, is paramount, but Frances loves having the freedom to design the dresses of her dreams, which are making quite a name for the prince's au courant alter ego, Lady Crystallia. Wang's buoyant, richly colored artwork beautifully envisions Frances' designs against an already captivating background. It's not that the de rigueur fashions are ugly or boring rather, everything is beautiful but Frances' ensembles stand out stunningly. As Lady Crystallia gains notoriety, and Frances gets closer to meeting her idol, a designer of ballet costumes, elements of Frances' designs trickle subtly into the wider fashion world. But fame brings attention, and Seb's worries about being exposed surpass his loyalty to his friend. Though the conclusion is perhaps too rosy given the suggested time period, that's an easy quibble to forgive, thanks to the gorgeously dense artwork, lively sense of movement, effervescent fashions, sweet romance, and heartwarming denouement.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2018 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
In this graphic novel, Prince Sebastian of France has a secret life: He likes to wear dresses, the more dramatic the better,as a way to escape "other people deciding what's acceptable." Elsewhere in Paris, a young seamstress named Frances dreams of becoming a famous designer. She's fulfilled the request of one customer to (hilariously) "make her look like the devil's wench" at a ball. While the gown horrified the ladies of the court, it caught the eye of Sebastian, who, keeping his own identity hidden, hires Frances to make dresses for him. The two realize they are kindred spirits, and soon enough, Frances figures out she's working for the prince, not a princess. "You're not weirded out?" he asks her. "What difference does it make?" she responds. "This is my dream job." But as Sebastian and Frances introduce their fantastical new looks to the public (he appears as the ever-fashionable, increasingly popular Lady Crystallia), secrets get harder to keep. And then there's the issue of Sebastian needing to find a bride. There is so much love in Wang's illustrations, which are perfectly suited to the fairy tale nature of the book - colorful, whimsical, adorable. Her characters' expressions tell stories of joy and heartbreak, of finally getting what you want - only to have it taken away, or threatened. Prince Sebastian and Frances are on a journey together, and while their course isn't entirely surprising (after all, it is a love story, not just about loving others, but about loving yourself), it's completely satisfying. In modern fairy tales, there really are happy endings.
