The Silver Bowl; The Cup and the Crown

 

I have been wanting to read more fantasy for the upper elementary set, and Diane Stanley's The Silver Bowl and The Cup and the Crown satisfy my requirements for and original plot and complex character quite nicely. The books concern Molly, a girl sold into service to the royal family. As she works as a scullery maid, she learns of a curse on the royal family and her own psychic powers. Determined to save the young prince Alaric, she and her friends plan his rescue and attempt to lift the curse. The book has accurate and interesting details about the goings on behind the scene of a great castle that will appeal to young historians, and positive messages about loyalty and friendship. Molly is a plucky and resourceful girl, and the interplay between elements of fantasy and historical fiction are pleasant, almost making the book into magical realism.
Like most sequels, The Cup and the Crown is less engaging, though Stanley creates wilder adventures and more outlandish characters. Now Molly has been elevated in status, and the king sends her on a quest to find a Loving Cup so that he can propose and be assured of his betrothed's love. She and her friends trace her grandfather, a silversmith, back to his land of origin, where Molly learns of her family's history. While the original characters ring true, Stanley add in so many ridiculous storylines that the charm of the first book is almost lost. The ending is hurried, so there is likely a third book in the works. While I plan to read it, I will do so hoping that Stanley regains her simply narrative style and not longer neglects the realism of character that kept the first book grounded.