Thanks BooksGoSocial for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet story about hard work and caring for others! I really liked the concept and the illustrations, but there were times where the story didn’t flow very well and it was difficult to follow. That being said, my daughter really enjoyed it and it had a great message.

As I’m sure many working-class families can relate, I grew up with many conversations about what we could and couldn’t afford. That’s why Are YOU a Princess? resonated so deeply with me. This book thoughtfully explores themes of class disparity, cultural representation, and leadership—offering a meaningful message that young readers can truly connect with.

Sophie, the main character, is a fantastic role model for young kids. She shows respect for the cultural foods of her classmates, even noticing the similarities between them despite being from different cultures. It’s a subtle but powerful moment that encourages open-mindedness and empathy.

Sophie also demonstrates impressive determination and creativity. When she wants a princess dress, she doesn’t whine or wait; she gets to work. Her entrepreneurial spirit shines through (I loved the clever pricing strategy on her sign: from $2 to $4 but “Buy One Get One Free”—genius marketing!). But the real heart of the story comes when Sophie earns enough for the dress, only to realize that her neighbor, Abuelita Lola, needs help. Sophie makes a mature and compassionate choice to return the dress and use the money to support someone in need. This moment redefines what it means to be a princess—not someone with a fancy dress, but someone who leads with kindness, selflessness, and love for her community.

With its inspiring message and thoughtful comprehension questions, this book is a perfect tool for teaching lessons on leadership, character, and empathy.

ARC Review: Are YOU a Princess?: An inspiring children's book about kindness and true nobility


🌟 My Rating: 11/10 🌟

Writer: Heidi Zhang
Publisher: BooksGoSocial

Publishing Date: 1. April 2025, already available to buy!!!

It is a beautiful story full of wonders.😍

Sophie wants to buy a princess dress off the shop, just like her friends. But her mother is already working really hard to make the bread money. So she tells her daughter to wait for the future. Therefore, Sophia thinks about what she can do to get the dress sooner, and comes up with opening a beverage stand on the street which is the one her mother sells jiaozis.

Things does not go as planned initially, but Sophia figures them all out! 🤩

I absolutely loved the book. How gorgeously illustrated it was, and how well-behaved Sophia was. She did what most adults wouldn't do. She worked by choice to earn her wishes. I relate to Sophia, as I have seen many friends do the same at young ages.

I hope no child would need to work, in the future. Let's all work very hard to build the future!!✨️🥹

Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for giving me an Advance Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a cute book about a little girl who dreams of being a princess. She really wants a fancy princess dress from Lacy’s, but her family can’t afford it so she opens up a boba stand to raise money to buy herself the dress. She runs the stand while standing up to bullying in her class and helping out an elderly lady in her community. This book will teach kids the importance of how you’re on the inside and not the outside is what really matters and what really counts is being kind. This was an amazing book!

Are YOU a Princess? Has themes of comparison, class disparity, and cultural representation. Sophie challenges the status of Mei and BLANK by seeing value in things that are not monetarily rich or physically appealing. She is a hero pointing out similarities between her and the other girls who look down on her and her friend, Olek. When Sophie get the idea to save up for her princess dress, we see more representation of the working class, versus the girls she admired at the beginning of this book. After finally earning the dress, Sophie is met with a dilemma, seeing her neighbors in need of support. She decided to return the dress to move her funds towards helping Abuelita Lola, showing that her character values the people in her life over materialistic things. Using the money to help Abuelita Lola shows her true leadership qualities, defining her as a different type of princess! The hero, no fancy dress required! Overall, this dress had a great message and paired with the comprehension questions, this can be used to teach a lesson on leadership, selflessness, and good character.

This was very cute, I like the idea that kids can help others and think about what others need.

The art style was great too, very colourful and pretty!

This is a sweet story of a young lady who longs to be a princess and wear fancy dresses.
We see her work hard and buy her own dress only to return it to serve someone else with something much more necessary.

The illustrations are bright and inviting. The moral is clear and easy to discuss with the guided questions at the end of the book.
There are places in the story where it doesn't flow well and abruptly changes scenes without bringing the reader through the process of getting there. I like the idea and would love to see it fleshed out into a longer story with more depth and fluidity for readers.

Sophie works hard to buy a princess dress, dreaming of joining her wealthier classmates. But when she learns her favorite elderly neighbor can no longer walk, Sophie makes a choice: return the dress and use the money to buy a wheelchair. Her act of kindness reminds us that generosity always outshines selfishness.

It is a cute story, the illustrations are beautiful, the story its about resilience and hard work.
A truly learning experience.
It is a bit too unrealistic for my liking, since everything turns out so easy at the end but it's a sweet story nonetheless
perfect for the class room.

This book was sweet and kept me entertained. I was sad about Sophie giving up her dress, after she worked for something she wanted. But I definitely understand the message of her not needing a materialistic things to be actually be a princess. I did enjoy her appreciating what her family does for her with the dumplings situation.

Thank you NetGalley & Heidi Zhang for the opportunity to read this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book, other than the idea of pierogis with saurekraut. Ick. Love pierogis with potatoes and cheese, but I hate saurekraut.

Just couldn't help thinking exactly how expensive was that dress? She returned it and was able to use that money to buy her neighbor a wheelchair.

Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book.

What a cute book!! Amazingly illustrated and really well written. It was a fun, sweet read! Recommended.

Please note: I was provided this copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 stars)
This was such a sweet little picture book about a young girl who wants to be a princess. While there was no Christian faith content in this book (because I’m a Christian, I definitely noticed a lot of themes that I thought could teach some great Biblical lessons, so maybe those would make an interesting conversation for parents and daughters), it was still a very positive message about the things that matter in life, and what really makes someone a princess.

Our main girl, Sophie, was such a wonderful character. I loved the fact that she stood up for her friends when they were dealing with prejudice from other kids, and she overcame obstacles to reach her goals. And that ending… oh, it was so sweet! Honestly, I couldn’t imagine a better way to wrap this story up.

The art style was adorable, and I loved watching as the story played out. The diversity in characters and the different personalities were really cute to see. Honestly, I would recommend this book to any young girl who ever dreamed of being a princess.

The content in this book was minimal– some bullying and prejudice, but overall, it was handled very well. I loved the way the story unfolded, and how the characters learned so much.

I would definitely recommend this book to young readers, princesses, or lovers of boba tea!

EMOJI REVIEW!
🧸 picture book
🏠 cultural diversity representation
👑 a story for all princesses
🧋 boba tea!!!
❤ great compassion and friendship

Cute book with a meaningful message that stuck out to my seven year old. I was interested to read this book with my daughter because she certainly loves all things royal. I've been wanting to share more altruistic messages with her and this book was a great way to do it! The book follows a little girl and her experiences with seeing other kids get what they want, seeing their poor attitude and the main little girl's experiences with the community and her determined actions.

What I liked: My daughter got the message and purpose of the book! I asked her afterward what she thought and I was pleased to hear she understood that helping others meant more than material things. Although, my daughter said she wished the little girl got the material thing she wanted too...so we still have room for growth. Overall, it was a great conversation starter and definitely pointed out a great message about generosity and what truly matters.

Things to note: There were instances in the book of other kids not saying nice things to each other. Then, the little girl main character defended a fellow student and brought a lesson to the story. I paused my reading to re-affirm to my child that what the other children said was not nice and we don't make fun of people to make the point clear.

Rating: 4 stars
Themes: generosity, thinking of others, materialism
Content warning: None, however it may start a conversation about teasing and how we treat others
Recommend: Yes!

If you're looking for a lesson-teaching book for your princess-lover, this is a great pick!

I had the sweetest time reading this with my niece! This charming story offers a heartwarming lesson on what it truly means to be a princess—highlighting kindness, thoughtfulness, and character over appearances. I especially appreciated the beautiful touch of diversity, while still emphasizing shared values that transcend backgrounds. Sophie’s gentle determination and unselfish spirit really stood out. Such a delightful and meaningful read! Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to enjoy this gem.

A really beautiful cover and inside artwork. My son really enjoyed this story and I thought the message was nice. It’s nice to read a book that displays different cultures and the kindness we can show each other.

A surprisingly down-to-earth story, despite the fairy-tale title.
It’s about a girl being raised by a hardworking single mother who runs a food truck - no castles or gowns here, just the real-life lessons of resilience, kindness, and understanding what it means to help others.

I appreciated the message and the heart behind the story. However, the writing felt a bit amateurish, and certain scenes (like the one at school lunch) seemed forced or overly pointed, as if trying to underline social or cultural contrasts in a way that didn’t fully work.

It feels like a debut effort, especially with the wide multilingual release, and I truly wish the author success and inspiration in future projects - there’s heart here, but the story structure could benefit from more polish and depth.

I read this book to my niece and the absolutely loved the story as well as the illustrations. I was nice to see different ethnicities as well as cuisines being portrayed in the book and the great thing was the protagonist pointing out the similarities in the dishes. This was not only a story for children but can also be a lesson for a lot of adults. The overall moral of the story was also great and can instil good morals and values to the readers. As a teacher, the thing I loved most about this was the comprehension questions at the end of the book. This can really help the readers think about and proses what they read as well as help with overall comprehension skills. The author and the illustrator honestly did an amazing job!

This book genuinely made me tear up. I loved the lesson of it’s what’s inside that matters and you don’t need a fancy dress to become a princess. You just need a kind heart!

This book is Part 1 of the "Are YOU Series" by Heidi Zhang.

I cannot get over how cute the illustrations in this book are!

In this story, our protagonist Sophie (named after one of Zhang's daughters) wishes so badly to be a princess and often compares herself (her clothes, her lunch) with that of other girls in her class, but sometimes those girls can be mean. In contrast, Sophie shows how strong and smart she can be by standing up for one of her classmates and explaining how food from different cultures can be the same and deliciously different all at the same time. She also chooses to use money she saved to buy herself a lovely princess dress to help a beloved neighbor--showing readers what it means to be a true princess.

The book ends with discussion questions for parents to check their children's understanding of the story.

Book is recommended for "For princesses and princes ages 4-10 👑💖🫵🏻"

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, Heidi Zhang (Author), and Gin Tran (illustrator) for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.