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Queen Red Riding Hood's Guide To Royalty is a part of a box set titled Adventures from the Land of Stories: The Mother Goose Diaries and Queen Red Riding Hood’s Guide to Royalty and is written by Chris Colfer. The box set was published on November 24th, 2015.
Publisher's Summary[]
"Featuring Mother Goose and Queen Red Riding Hood, fan favorite characters in the Land of Stories series, this boxed set is a must-have for new and old fans alike.
From New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer comes two new books about two beloved characters, Mother Goose and Queen Red Riding Hood. Mother Goose's diary entries over the last five hundred years take readers on a journey to learn buried secrets; and the young queen gives us her take on politics, government, health, love, and of course, what it means to be royalty."
Dedications & Acknowledgements[]
The dedication and acknowledgements in the book are "written by" Queen Queen Red Riding Hood to other fictional characters.
Dedication:
To my Beloved Charlie:
Little girls are told if they kiss a frog, they may get a prince.
I kissed a prince and wound up with a frog.
Then again, I've never been good with instructions.
But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I love you.
In the acknowledgements, Red thanks her Granny, the members of her House of Progress, Clawdius, Alex Bailey, the Big Bad Wolf (for making it all possible) and herself, for writing such an inspiring book. She mentions what a good idea it was to make buying the book mandatory on her kingdom, as this would 'surely boost sales'.[1] Red also admits that Charlie proofread the book and suggested some edits.[2]
Main Plot[]
Queen Red Riding Hood explains how she became inspired to write a Guide to Royalty after reading The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (whom she occasionally refers to as Nicole Macarena). She is charmingly condescending to her readers and gives it her best to explain everything in the easiest way possible for the reader's "simple minds". She talks about how she became Queen, and gives tips about how to behave, accept compliments, name a staff, treat your subjects, host royal parties, and handle scandals. She also discusses some of the Land of Stories villains and "where they went wrong".
Plot by Chapter[]
Introduction - The Prince and Me: in which Red explains how she came to write a book 'for future royals to treasure'.
Chapter one - Beneath the Hood: Red's backstory, as she remembers it. In this chapter, she reminisces about how she was 'mistreated by her parents' (they made her follow rules and do her homework) and her Grandmother's activism in the C.R.A.W.L. revolution.
Chapter two - Image is Everything: Tips on style; appearance, performance, and perception. "There is no kingdom without the I."[3]
Chapter three - Be Cautious of Compliments: Red advises her readers to be wary of flattery.
Chapter four - Appointing Royal Subjects: Red introduces her staff.
Chapter five - Peasants Are Like Pets: Red's tips on how to take care of your subjects. "Peasants must be fed, given shelter, awarded when good and disciplined when bad, and cared for emotionally."[4]
Chapter six - Making a Scandal Work for You: Red explains how she handled her subjects' reactions to her relationship with Charlie.
Chapter seven - Avoiding Hatred and Villainy: Red explains where the Land of Stories villains went wrong, so the reader may learn from their experiences. ("Besides, it's just fun to judge people!"[5])
Chapter eight - Pebbles in Your Shoe: Red explains her dislike for "orphans" and what this does to her image.
Chapter nine - Hosting Other Royals: Tips on throwing a grand party, from invitation to decoration and dinner conversation. ("I had twelve of my favorite portraits of me hung so we would have something pleasant to look at while we ate."[6])
Chapter ten - Recommended Reading: Red's personal favorites include her own book, Shakespeare ("Shakeyfruit") and the Mother Goose Diaries.
Outroduction - A Few Final Words: Red reviews her lessons from the book point by point.
Reception[]
The "Praise for" section is also written by fictional (Land of Stories) characters. Granny says it's "by far the first book Red has written".
Trivia[]
Red refers to God as 'she' [7].
Literary references: Red claims that reading The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (whom she occasionally refers to as 'Nicole Macarena') gave her the inspiration to write the book. She also (mis)quotes Shakespeare when she writes: "Uneasy is the head that wears a hood".[8]
Inconsistencies with the Land of Stories series:
- In The Enchantress Returns, Red says she was elected Queen after the Third Little Pig declined the function.[9] In Guide to Royalty, she writes that Granny was asked first (but declined), and a goat called Billy Bopkins was considered, and that there were rumors about Red waving her arms above her head shouting "pick me, pick me!". There is no mention of the Third Little Pig being asked.
- Red's staff consists of the same Hoodians who make up the House of Progress in the Land of Stories series (appointed in A Grimm Warning), making it seem like the House of Progress already existed before book 3. This may not be an inconsistency, though, as it is possible that Red simply chose to give them an official title and a fancy building after hearing about Congress in the Otherworld from Alex.
Quotes[]
"There is more to my story than you realize, and once I share it with you, I believe you'll admire me even more than you do now. Yes, it's possible."[10]
"The better I look to the world, the better my kingdom looks to the world, and the better my kingdom looks to the world, the better I look to my own people. It's a wonderful and enjoyable cycle that furthers my superiority."[11]
"No one should marry anything they can't share a conversation or a mutual hobby with."[12]
"Being classified as a villain is just the result of a mishandled scandal."[13]
References[]
- ↑ QRRH GtR, Acknowledgements, p. 120
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 3, p. 37
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 1, p. 33
- ↑ QRRH GtR ch 5, p. 49
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 7, p. 70
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 9, p. 97
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 2, p. 26
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 2, p. 22. Original: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown", from Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part II
- ↑ The Enchantress Returns, ch 12, p. 181
- ↑ QRRH GtR, Introduction, p. 8
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 2, p. 28
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 6, p. 63
- ↑ QRRH GtR, ch 7, p. 70