FRESH PRINCESS

Destiny, nicknamed Fresh Princess, finds a way to make her mark at her new school after a move.

In this tale loosely inspired by Will Smith’s character on the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the only thing Destiny isn’t looking forward to at her new school is the uniform. It’s boring—except for the purple paisley lining inside the blazer; that part “has some promise.” After a pep talk and a special first-day breakfast with her family, Destiny rides the bus to school with her new friends from the block, each of whom has a role to play at school: hall monitor, lunchroom helper, announcement reader. Destiny wonders what her role will be. After recess, Destiny accidentally puts her uniform jacket on inside out and then decides to leave it that way. Some kids admire it, but one student says she’ll get in trouble for wearing it that way, so she quickly turns it back. That night, she talks to her big sister about it, and she realizes that since she was still wearing her uniform, she wasn’t doing anything wrong. The next day, she inspires others to wear their jackets inside out too, and when the teacher compromises with permission to do so once a week, she is relieved and pleased to have made her mark. Destiny’s dilemma will resonate with outgoing, fashion-conscious children even if it lacks universal appeal. The playful illustrations have as much personality as the Fresh Princess herself. Destiny is black, and the students and teachers at her school are racially diverse.

A fun, deceptively simple school story.