Geek Charming: Frogs, Films, and Handbags
- noorka
- Oct 6, 2015
- 3 min read
Geek Charming by Robin Palmer is a retelling of the story of the Frog Prince. This story is one of four retellings set in the same universe by Palmer.
“Dylan Shoenfield is the princess of L.A.’s posh Castle Heights High. She has the coolest boyfriend, the most popular friends, and a brand-new 'it' bag that everyone covets. But when she accidentally tosses her bag into a fountain, this princess comes face-to-face with her own personal frog: self-professed film geek Josh Rosen. In return for rescuing Dylan's bag, Josh convinces Dylan to let him film her for his documentary on high school popularity. Reluctantly, Dylan lets F-list Josh into her A-list world, and is shocked to realize that sometimes nerds can be pretty cool. As the queen bee of Castle Heights royalty helps Josh turn from a frog into a prince, she’s shocked to find herself becoming friends with a geek – and liking it. But when Dylan's so-called prince charming of a boyfriend dumps her flat, her life -- and her social status -- comes to a crashing halt. Can Dylan -- with Josh's help -- pull the pieces together to create her own happily-ever-after?”
- synopsis from the 2009 paperback edition
Accuracy
To make this easier I am going to compare this story to the Grimm Brothers’ Frog King with a checklist.
Princess - check
Frog - check
Golden ball - check
Promise for return of treasure - check
Begrudging fulfillment of promise - check
Transformation - check
Prince riding off with the princess - not check
Originality
Not may authors want to touch the Frog Prince as a story in its original form. I do give Palmer props for going that route and being pretty spot on with the story. However as far as originality in the retelling, high school is the most popular setting for a retold fairy tale. There are many versions of various stories set in high school with the popular prince or princess, the common students, the beautiful new girl, etc. It is written very much like a teen romantic comedy, which it did end up becoming. There really are not elements that make its setting more original than many other reimagined princess stories.
Creativity
The only creative element I will give to this story is that it tries to use the original plot line rather than the newer, more romanticized version. Dylan does not kiss her frog and everything is magically better. She has to work with him to create a friendship, not a romantic relationship.
Overall
Aside from hitting all the points for a solid retelling the story is a little lacking. The writing seems juvenile for the intended YA audience and the age of the characters. The dialogue of supposed high school seniors lacks some complexity and the colorful language that most teens are accustomed to using. More to the point, Josh is the only character to mention college or college applications as his documentary is supposed to help him get into film school. Fall of senior year is fraught with stress about future plans and applications. While the characters met the demands of princess and frog they did little more than that. Dylan is very shallow throughout, despite her supposed growth from becoming friends with Josh. He was a slightly more substantial character, but clung to this geek cliché. There is a definite agreement in reviews from Goodreads as well as others that the story is a rather light and simple read.
Geek Charming is a very true to story retelling that is a simpler, lighter read. I would recommend this retelling as a 3/5 star.
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