Throughout the ages stories have been told, of heroes and villains and treasures to behold. Stories of anguish, of bravery and love, have been repeated for centuries, like gifts from above. But the greatest gift given is a friendship divine.
It’s a story rarely celebrated in the annals of our time.
When your final scene is written and your adventure comes to an end, know that there’s no nobler title than the one of ‘friend.’
Disney’s Descendants: The Magic of Friendship includes poems (like the above introduction), stories, notes, sketches, photos, newspaper articles and even applications for Auradon Prep School, to name some of the exciting items readers will find in the new book based on the Disney Channel film franchise, Descendants.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Descendants introduces audiences to the children of Disney’s famous villains, including Mal (daughter of Maleficent), Evie (daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White), Carlos (son of Cruella De Vil) and Jay (son of Jafar). Belle and the Beast now rule over Auradon and have banished the villains to the Isle of the Lost. However, their son Prince Ben offers a chance for four selected trouble-making teenage children of villains to live among them in Auradon and attend Auradon Prep. Naturally, the villainous parents of Mal and the gang seek to use this to their advantage, but Mal, Evie, Carlos, Jay and their friends learn there may be more to life than simply being wicked.
Descendants: The Magic of Friendship is divided into several sections that explore the relationships of Evie and Mal, Celia (daughter of Dr. Facilier) and Dizzy (daughter of Lady Tremaine), Mal and Jane (daughter of the Fairy Godmother), Mal and Uma (daughter of Ursula) and Mal and Dizzy. The stories therein also take the reader down memory lane with the characters while developing origin stories and reminiscing on the various plans and adventures that we learn about in the films.
Descendants fans will be excited to add this book to their collection, which gives them primary insight into the feelings and reflections of Mal, Evie, Celia, Dizzy and others in this diary-like, first-person account. The scrapbook effect and “personal” handwriting of the characters in particular makes this a must-have – the reader feels as if they are part of the motley crew. The use of different writing styles and color also highlight not only the different voices but the different personalities and recollections of the characters. The doodling, event tickets and invitations also draw readers in, sharing with fans a new, more inclusive approach to storytelling.
Descendants: The Magic of Friendship is a fun, hardcover book aimed at grade levels 3 to 7. If this book is your introduction to Descendants, there may be a little bit of catch up involved in terms of who’s who, though the obvious names, as well as Evie and Mal’s friendship origin story – which kicks off the book – does a good job of providing the requisite context for catch-up.
Descendants: The Magic of Friendship began casting its spell on readers when it hit bookshelves earlier this month and is available in bookstores now.