The Cherry-Pit Princess

Sheree Haughian is an elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Dufferin County Board of Education and the author of The Private Journal
of Day Applepenny, Prisoner.

Dagny Comfort is a little girl who can make up a princess story to suit
every occasion. One summer she and her “almost” best friend, Megan,
are faced with a more practical challenge. Aunt Allie has recently
inherited a cherry orchard but cannot afford to pay pickers to bring in
the large crop. If she can’t pay the taxes, she will lose the
property. The two girls are invited to Waxwing Orchards to help find a
solution to this dilemma. Together, they prove that an active
imagination can be a definite advantage in coping with real-life
problems. They also learn some lessons about the nature of friendship.

With its simple plot and dialogue, and heavy reliance on the
exclamation mark, this novel is suited to the late-primary-level reader.
The many references to the color pink, the emphasis on the friendship
between the girls, and the fact that two of the three boys who appear
briefly in the story are portrayed as unmannerly types who kick
grandmothers suggest that the book may have trouble hooking young male
readers. The pleasant rural setting provides a charming backdrop for an
easy-to-read story with an “almost” fairy-tale appeal. Recommended
with reservations.