Books by Shannon Hale are autobuys in my family. My youngest child was exactly the right age for The Princess in Black when that series began, so we picked it as the theme for their birthday party. It was in December, so we couldn’t hold it outside. Instead, we used my husband’s martial arts dojo, which had a conveniently padded floor.
Guests were encouraged to dress for the event and we got a nearly even mix of fabulous gowns, Disney costumes, and ninja suits. We served tea and cake, and let the kids run around. When the only boy at the party ended up at the bottom of pig pile, risking the integrity of his plastic armor and I think getting a little frightened, we moved on to more organized activities.
My husband pulled out the punching bag and let kids hit it with sticks. Then he taught them three evasive maneuvers and lined them up to take turns dodging swings from a padded stick.
It was a perfect princess (martial arts) tea party.
