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 … 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. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.
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This is the most delightful book I may have ever read. Definitely the most delightful I’ve read in 2018. I was suffused with joy while reading!!
This is an utterly adorable and delightful graphic novel and I highly recommend it. I “awww’d” a bunch. If you’re in my vicinity, let me know if you want to borrow it. 😀
This was so charming and heartwarming and the art is spectacular! I couldn’t love it more.
This lovely graphic novel is all about gender fluidity. I absolutely loved the way it deftly addressed the gender presentation of a prince who wants to wear fabulous dresses sometimes and wear prince clothes at other times. I also enjoyed the sweet background romance, the final chapters brought a big grin to my face. Impressed with the drawings as well. I found them incredibly enjoyable and liked looking for details in them. Recommended for ages 11 and up, I’d say.
I discovered this book at The Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis and it called to me right away. Sometimes I feel like “message” books are trying too hard. Not that I’m not a sucker for a good message, but still…sometimes I just want to disappear into a great story. And this is! It’s a joy and delight both to read and to look at. That it’s got a sweet message is just icing on the cake. This book is a wonderland for parents and children of all ages. I think I’ll be recommending it for a long time.
I picked up the graphic novel THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang this morning, because my daughter had been reading it and left it on the counter where I had sat to drink my coffee. I couldn’t put it down.
Prince Sebastian is the only heir to the crown, so he works hard to hide his love for wearing beautiful dresses behind closed doors. What would his father think? What would their kingdom do? When he gets his own personal tailor–the incredibly talented Frances–he hides his face so he can get new, original gowns but without anyone else knowing his secret.
She accidentally sees who her new boss is, and she accepts his tastes. Thus, a friendship of trust and encouragement builds as the two help one another become who they want to be. That is, until things get bumpy when the prince feels more and more cornered by his parents to marry someone he does not know or love, who he cannot share who he really is with.
It is in the messes that our true hearts are revealed, and this sweet, gentle graphic novel takes us on that ride so well. Family, friendship, change, gender, obligation, bias, beauty, acceptance: all are covered with eye-catching artwork and emotion (I really did NOT think I’d cry like I did).
And when it’s over, the reader ends up pondering over and opening a dialogue about things that are important to consider these days: what *is* the big deal about boys wearing dresses, when girls have switched from those to wearing pants for a while now, when some cultures have never batted an eye at kilts, gown-like robes, or skirts for all genders all along? And if we can accept these differences in tastes, how about others?
I’m glad my daughter and I both got to read such a wonderful book, and hope that many more out there do, too. Both for the Sebastians of the world, and those who love them.
The Prince and the Dressmaker is another graphic novel with an important message. Through the course of the story, Prince Sebastian learns that serving his people doesn’t mean he has to deny who he is inside. I’m so glad graphic novel writers have begun to focus more on self-acceptance, as there is no way to force acceptance from the world.
I love this! The art is so good! And the story is amazing! I am always blown away with graphic novels with how much emotion and feeling can be put into it, with so much less dialogue than a novel. My heart was sent through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this entire book, and the ending had me feeling all the feels. I just wanted to reach in and hug both Sebastian and Frances!
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read. I loved how it mixes the fairy tales in this book. I would definitely recommend this book.
This was an incredibly cute, heart warming story about friendship, acceptance, and finding yourself. I absolutely loved the message of the story. I also really loved Frances and Sebastian, though at times, I felt like the friendship was pretty one sided.
That ending arc and character development though! Could not have been more perfect. Highly recommend.
Such a cute graphic novel! I loved the premise of the prince’s best friend and designer being the one who helps them find their true selves. The art was amazing – so cute. The dialogue was great. The ending was so happy and joyful. Would definitely recommend.
A graphic novel with beautiful illustrations and a wonderful story. Frances is a dressmaker, hired to work for a secret client. Prince Sebastian is being vetted by families to find a bride but Sebastian has a secret. This story has messages of believing in yourself and going for your dreams, a message we all need to hear!
This book was amazing! It talks about the struggles of accepting yourself and having others accept you. I thought that it was absolutely beautiful and worth reading.
The book is about a prince struggling with his identity and then he sees this dress at a ball where he is supposed to pick a girl to be his bride and everything spirals out of control from that point forward.
Beautiful. Amazing. utterly captivating. I definitely would recommend giving ‘The Prince and the Dressmaker’ by Jen Wang a chance as it gives you the courage to be yourself whoever that may be.
How perfectly perfect! This is happy and joyful and everything I needed to read right now. The illustration was stunning and I’m obsessed with the fashions!
Fabulous graphic novel. Non-binary characters. Highly recommend.
While I don’t remember quite how I came across it, The Prince and the Dressmaker is a book I’ve had on my shelf for a while now – so long, in fact, that I completely forgot it was a graphic novel until I saw Rainbows & Sunshine review it last week and suddenly I realized I had something to fill that particular #Transathon reading challenge category.
This was a sweet – adorable, in fact – fairy tale of identity, acceptance, and friendship. It was deeper and more thoughtful than I expected, never heavy-handed, but more a story that preaches by example. What really struck me is that, even from those who disapprove of his behavior, there are no labels attached to Prince Sebastian’s expression. That freedom, that fluidity, was refreshing.
When Sebastian arranges for Frances to become his personal dressmaker, a friendship blossoms between them, one that deepens over time into the first blush of romance. As Lady Crystallia, he gets to discreetly express himself, quickly becoming a glamour icon, while Frances gets to see her designs shared with the world, slowly creating a name for herself as a designer. It’s the perfect arrangement, the perfect friendship – until the promise of Frances’ big break causes Sebastian to worry about his secret being exposed.
That self-doubt leads the story into a dark place, one that tests both Sebastian and Frances, but it also sets up a perfect fairy tale ending that is all about love and acceptance, making this a feel-good story that is well worth a read. Of course, being a graphic novel, it’s visually spectacular, and well worth a look as well. The style fits the mood perfectly, and while the dresses are absolutely stunning – and I loved the way they flow across panels – it’s the smile they put on Lady Crystallia’s face that resonated strongest with me.
This book was totally adorable!! I loved the style and colouring and the dresses were simply gorgeous. It gives off a fairytale vibe. I flew through this graphic novel and enjoyed every second of it.
Love the main characters, the storyline and basically everything. This is a very fast read but it left me feeling so warm and happy! Everyone, you NEED this book in your life!! What are you waiting for???
“Some days I look at myself in the mirror and think, ‘That’s me, Prince Sebastian! I wear boy clothes and look like my father.’ Other days it doesn’t feel right at all. Those days I feel like I’m actually…a princess.”
This was a very refreshing and fast read about a prince named Sebastian that likes dressing like a girl but doesn’t want his parents and the world to know because he’s afraid they’ll reject him.
And he meets a dressmaker that is very talented and they become friends, she accepts him as he is and makes beautiful dresses for him…
Definitely a very entertaining read.
Devoured this in one sitting. It made me smile, sigh, and cry. Expressive artwork brings the characters to life, and the fashion is a visual confection which adds a layer of fun to an important and beautiful message. The kind of story we need in these times.
My son adores this book. He’s a reluctant reader but that and read this graphic novel from start to finish and then recommended it to his friends. If you have a child that doesn’t fit into the box, this book is for them.