Tales From the Chocolate Heart #3: The Princess Who Flew With Dragons by Stephanie Burgis

My name is Princess Sofia, and I wish my sister would leave me alone. I love reading my books on philosophy, but she expects me do more to help her rule the kingdom. I sometimes wish I wasn't a princess, especially when my sister sends me 400 miles away to meet with rulers from other kingdoms. Flying by dragon makes my stomach very queasy, and the king of Villene has forced me to stay far away from the palace. The good thing is I've disguised myself as a philosophy student and met some new friends. People from my kingdom never make friends with goblins and kobalds, but I love hanging out with them. Their tales of ice giants are unbelievable, especially when they say a giant can easily defeat a dragon. However, the stories became reality when the sleeping troll awoke with a warning.

This book was a nominee for a 2020 Cybils Award in middle grade speculative fiction. The main focus of the story was Sofia's struggle to live up to the expectations of a princess. She felt like she was constantly making mistakes that would harm the citizens of Drachenheim, and her older sister would trick her into political situations for which she was not prepared. Meeting the goblins and kobald allowed Sofia to live as a "normal" human, but it also created new issues. The kobald was clearly keeping a secret, and she didn't warm up to Sofia as much as the goblins. Omitting truths to deceive others was the same as telling a lie. This philosophical thinking continued throughout the book, especially when Sofia's dragon-friend entered the plot. He liked to quote philosophy while telling Sofia why she was wrong. Assumptions about what others were thinking led to problems, so a lesson on the value of communication could be learned. The characters could have learned about each other's feelings just by talking. The battle with ice giants was the tangible conflict, but the clashes between characters were the backbone of the story. Overall, this story felt much different than other books, and I enjoyed it very much. I recommend you give it a shot.