'Princess' stories with decent writing?

[Thistledew]

My niece (age 8) loves all things Princess, but is subsisting at the moment on a diet of Disney Princess books, and the standard of writing and story telling is pretty poor.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Princess stories with decent stories and writing?

Many thanks.

Lauren Child,The Princess and the Pea. I bought it for my niece for similar reasons - but it's rather young for an 8yo, my niece was around four at the time.
Would she like Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess?
Lucy Worsley's history books for girls are all based on real-life princesses; I'd say more for a 12yo though.
Good for you for trying to wean her off Disney pap!

Phillips Gregory Princess Rules. It’s is three books about a princess who refuses to do princessy things

Most definitely the Princess Disgrace series (although the Princess isn’t a typical princess).
The Princess Who Flew With Dragons, The Ordinary Princess and The Bravest Princess (all separate authors) are all good.
She’s nearly old enough for Notebooks of a Middle School Princess.

The Ordinary Princess by M M Kaye - my 8 year old DD and I read it together and enjoyed it thoroughly.

What about reading some of the George McDonald Princess and the Goblin/Princess and Curdie to her.
They're beautifully written.

How about the Rescue Princesses by Paula Harrison, if they're not too young for her?

'Many Moons' by James Thurber. The text is online. I also second 'An Ordinary Princess'

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix is good.

Frances Hodgson Burnett's "A Little Princess" might be one you could read to her?

The barefoot book of princesses? Short stories that are fable-based and not sickly-sweet.

The Princess Evie books have a bit more to them. She goes on adventures with her pony, her trusty cat companion, and her back pack full of useful things.

E Nesbit's Book of Practical Princesses is still the best IMO - clever, funny and good to read and have read to you. Playaway acted several out and the film "Penelope" is roughly based on one. If she's a good reader my DD adored Patricia C.Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles (still does) around the same age and we gave several copies of the boxed set as party gifts.

Princess Mirror-Belle by Julia Donaldson

This is an excellent collection of princess stories - I had a copy as a child and read it many times. Copies are available second hand on Amazon. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0140302492/ref=tmm_pap_used_olp_sr?condition=used&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8&qid&sr

It’s no longer in print but if you can get hold of it second-hand The Wrestling Princess (and other stories) by Judy Corbalis is an absolutely brilliant set of subverted princess stories. DD has my copy from when I was a child.

From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess series by Meg Cabot

My seven year old recently enjoyed The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo. Climo has a few other "Cinderella" books that I plan to get, as well. They are all in picture book format.

Another vote here for the George McDonald books, I had to re-read them recently for something I was working on, and they're lovely. And for general fairy tales, including quite a few princesses, what about the Andrew Lang "colour" Fairy Books (Blue Fairy etc)? Out of print now but you should still be able to get copies on Abe books.

There are pretty strong female characters in all the Timeless Fairy Tales though some might be a bit too old for her? And the same maybe applies to the Princess Bride, which was a book before it was a film.