GRACIE

In her second sequel to Prince of the Pond (1992), Napoli remixes themes and characters from the first sequel, Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace (1995). When bratty Princess Sally again steals that magic ring, then inadvertently brings the evil Hag back to life, Jimmy leaps off to a reunion with his human father, the Prince (again). This time the narrative spotlight falls on clumsy Gracie, who hops after Jimmy (again), and, following his example from earlier episodes, faces various hazards with unfrog-like audacity. Having proven that “fawgs,” the Prince’s hybrid amphibian offspring, don’t have a patent on courage, Gracie retires to the pond, hooks up with Jimmy—who after a second stint as a human finally figures out that a frog on two legs is still a frog—and sees the Hag, transformed permanently into a toad, carried off in Sally’s ungentle hands. Readers with the first two volumes fresh in their minds may grow impatient with Napoli’s extensive recaps, not to mention Gracie’s stubborn refusal, until the climax, to believe that Jimmy was ever transformed; Napoli (again) expertly exploits the possibilities for humor, suspense, and romance in this folktale spin-off, but she’s just treading water. (Fiction. 10-12)