Chapter Books for Disney Princess Fans: A Reading Path for Ages 5–8 (From a Disney Author)

I get this question more than any other. A parent at a school visit, a teacher at a book signing, a mom in my Instagram DMs — the wording shifts but the question is the same. My daughter is obsessed with Disney princesses. She's five (or six, or seven) and the picture books are starting to feel a little short for her. What do we read next?

I love this question. Partly because I lived it with my own two daughters. And partly because the parents asking it have already done the hardest part — they've raised a kid who loves stories about heart and courage and being kind even when life isn't fair. That's not a small thing. That's the whole foundation.

The honest answer is that the bridge from picture-book princesses to chapter book heroines is well-trodden. It's just not always obvious from the bookstore shelves, where the princess section ends abruptly and the chapter book section starts at a level that feels too big a jump for a five-year-old who still wants pictures.

So I'm going to walk you through the path I'd actually take. Stage by stage. From the Disney books I've written myself, through the bridge books that ease kids into longer stories, into the first real chapter books they'll devour, and out the other side toward the bigger fairy-tale novels waiting for them at age 8 and beyond.

Why Disney Princess Fans Are Already Halfway There

Before the list, a quick note that I think is genuinely useful. The reason princess-loving kids transition so well into chapter books is that they're already doing the hard cognitive work that chapter books require.

They follow long, multi-scene stories. They track several characters. They sit with emotional stakes — Cinderella's loneliness, Ariel's longing, Tiana's exhaustion. They've practiced the muscle of caring what happens next. That's the muscle chapter books ask for.

What they haven't built yet — and what the next stage is for — is the stamina to hold a story across pages with fewer pictures. That's a separate skill, and the books below are designed to build it gently.

Stage 1: Picture-Book Princesses (Ages 3–5)

I'd argue you can't really skip this stage, even if your kid seems "ahead." The Disney shelf is where the love of story starts. It's the runway. Don't rush past it.

Here are the picture books I'd anchor a princess-loving 3-to-5-year-old's shelf with — including, full disclosure, the four I had the privilege of writing.

1. Walt Disney's Cinderella: 75th Anniversary Edition (Ages 3–7)

I retold this one for the 75th anniversary of the 1950 film. The illustrations are by Maxine Vee, the endpapers feature the official anniversary logo, and the text is the version of Cinderella I wanted my daughters to meet her through. If you're starting a princess shelf and asking which Cinderella to put on it, this is the one I'd hand you. (I'm biased. But I'm also right.)

2. The Little Mermaid: Adventures on Land (Ages 3–6)

My retelling of Ariel exploring the human world after the events of the film. Disney published it as part of their Little Mermaid storybook collection. It's a great pick for kids whose princess of choice is Ariel — and an even better one for kids who love the curious-explorer archetype.

3. Tiana's Mardi Gras Parade & Snow White's Birthday Ball (Ages 3–6)

Two short Disney stories in one volume — one with Tiana in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, the other with Snow White and the dwarves planning a surprise. I wrote both, and the Tiana story in particular has been a favorite at events. Mardi Gras is a great cultural anchor for Black families and an even better one for any family whose kid loves a parade.

4. 5-Minute Princess Stories (Disney Press)

An anthology of twelve short princess stories from across the Disney canon — perfect for the bedtime stretch when your kid wants another one and you want one that takes five minutes, not fifteen. Honest workhorse of a book.

5. Disney Princess: Have Courage, Be Kind

Based on the 2015 live-action Cinderella film, this picture book distills Cinderella's whole worldview into four words. I love it as a gift for the start of kindergarten. It's the single sentence I want every kid to carry into a hard day.

Stage 2: Bridge Books (Ages 5–7)

This is the stage that confuses parents most. The princess picture books feel a little babyish, but a 200-page chapter book feels enormous. What you want is books that keep most of the picture-book DNA — full-color art, short chapters, big type — and just stretch the story a little.

Here's the bridge.

6. The Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (Ages 5–7)

If I could only recommend one bridge book for a princess-loving kid, this is it. Princess Magnolia wears pink and hosts tea parties and is also, secretly, the Princess in Black — a monster-fighting alter ego in a black mask. LeUyen Pham's illustrations are on every spread. Chapters are five pages long. There are eleven books in the series, which means once your kid is hooked, you have a reading runway of about a year. Start with the first one.

7. Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz (Ages 5–7)

Newbery winner Schlitz wrote a stand-alone bridge chapter book that I think is one of the smartest princess stories of the last decade. Princess Cora is over-scheduled, over-instructed, and exhausted by her royal life — until a crocodile shows up to take her place. Brian Floca's illustrations make the book a visual feast. Read it together; it's funnier than you'd guess.

8. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole (Ages 4–7)

A picture book bordering on bridge book — Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married, she wants to ride her motorbike and live in her castle with her pets. Babette Cole's deadpan illustrations are perfect for kids who love the fractured-fairy-tale energy. A nice palate cleanser between traditional Disney and the next stage.

9. Disney Princess Beginnings series (Ages 5–7)

Disney's own early-reader chapter books retelling the princesses' childhoods — Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Tiana, Rapunzel as kids. The text is simple, the chapters are short, and the books bridge directly from Disney love into the chapter book format. Kids feel grown up reading them; parents like that they're explicitly designed for the transition.

10. Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo (Ages 5–7)

Not a princess in sight — but hear me out. Mercy is a "porcine wonder," a pig who lives in a house with the Watsons and gets into trouble that requires the entire neighborhood to solve. Kate DiCamillo's writing is flawless, Chris Van Dusen's illustrations are joyful, and the Mercy Watson books model the chapter-book rhythm in a way kids never resist. Six books in the series. They've earned every award.

Stage 3: First Real Chapter Books (Ages 5–8)

Now we're in chapter book territory. The illustrations get sparser, the chapters get longer, the stories get more emotionally complex. This is where kids start picking the next book themselves — which means you want a few series in the rotation so they can keep going.

11. The Millie Magnus series by Brittany Mazique (Ages 5–8)

Here's where I have the strongest opinion of the whole post, so I'll just say it. I created Millie because, after writing for Disney's princesses, I wanted to give my own daughters — and yours — a chapter book heroine who has Cinderella's heart but uses her voice. Where Cinderella endures, Millie acts. Where Cinderella waits, Millie speaks up. She's a Black third-grader with a pet chicken named Extra Spicy, a closet full of hot pink rain boots, and Ebony Glenn's illustrations on roughly every other spread.

The series begins with Millie Magnus Won't Be Bullied (Publishers Weekly: "a charming series kickoff"), continues with Millie Magnus for Mayor, and lands September 2026 with Millie Magnus Is NOT Jealous. If your child loved Cinderella's kindness and is ready for a chapter book, this is the most direct path I can offer you. From the same author, on purpose.

12. Ivy + Bean series by Annie Barrows (Ages 6–8)

Two best friends who are nothing alike — quiet, careful Ivy and wild, schemey Bean — and the trouble they get into together. Sophie Blackall's illustrations are charming. Twelve books in the series. It's not a princess series, but kids who loved the friendship dynamics of Disney films (Ariel and Flounder, Tiana and Charlotte) take to Ivy and Bean immediately.

13. Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park (Ages 6–8)

The original first-chapter-book heroine. Junie B. is loud, opinionated, frequently wrong, and absolutely beloved. Twenty-eight books. Some parents find Junie's grammar (intentionally non-standard) annoying; my honest take is that kids absolutely don't, and the books got a generation of girls reading. Worth every page.

14. The Princess in Black continues (Ages 5–8)

If your child took to the Princess in Black in Stage 2, this is when they start tearing through the rest of the series. Eleven books. By the later titles (The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare, The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem) the stories have meaningfully more text per page than the early ones, which makes the series itself a built-in reading-stamina ramp.

15. The Adventures of Sophie Mouse by Poppy Green (Ages 5–8)

Twenty-plus books following Sophie, a young mouse, through the seasons of her forest village. The art is gentle, the stories are gentle, the friendships are gentle. For a princess fan who loves the soft, magical, woodland-creature side of Cinderella's world, this is a match.

Stage 4: For Bigger Readers (Ages 8+)

By eight, most kids are ready for the longer, more ambitious fairy-tale chapter books. These are the books that turn princess fans into lifelong fantasy readers. None of them have many illustrations. All of them have heroines who could hold their own with any Disney princess — and in some cases, very deliberately argue with the Disney version.

16. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Ages 8–12)

The Newbery Honor winner. Ella has been "blessed" with the curse of obedience — she has to do whatever anyone tells her — and her journey to break the curse is funny, romantic, smart, and one of the best fairy-tale chapter books ever written. Published in 1997 and somehow still feels current. The Anne Hathaway film is fine; the book is the version that matters.

17. The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker (Ages 8–12)

The little sister of Sleeping Beauty has to save the kingdom — and along the way meets Cinderella, Snow White, and most of the rest of the canon. Baker writes light, propulsive prose; kids who burned through Princess in Black will burn through this. Eight books in the series, which is excellent news for parents.

18. The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker (Ages 8–12)

The book that loosely inspired Disney's The Princess and the Frog. Princess Emma kisses a frog, becomes a frog herself, and the adventure goes from there. If your daughter loved Tiana, hand her this. Nine books in the series.

19. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (Ages 9–12)

For older readers — Mia Thermopolis is a normal high schooler who finds out she's actually the princess of a small European country called Genovia. Cabot's voice is hilarious. Aim for around age 9 or 10, depending on your reader. The series goes on for many books and most of them hold up.

How to Pick the Right Stage

Honestly, the answer is: ask your kid. But here's the cheat sheet I use in my own house.

If your child still wants you to read every word out loud: Stage 1 picture books and Stage 2 bridge books. Read together. Don't push.

If your child is starting to read along with you: Stage 2 bridge books. Take turns reading pages. The Princess in Black is built for this.

If your child can read short books on their own but is still nervous: Stage 3 first chapter books. Read the first chapter together to set the world. Let them solo from there.

If your child finishes a book in a day and asks for another: Stage 3 series, then Stage 4. You're past the bridge. Welcome to the fun part.

One more rule, and it's the one I trust most: keep reading aloud through every stage. Kids who are read to a full grade level above where they read solo end up reading better at every age. The Princess Diaries can be a read-aloud for a seven-year-old who couldn't read it themselves. That's how vocabulary and comprehension get built.

What I'd Actually Buy First

If a parent stopped me at the grocery store and gave me thirty seconds to recommend three books for a princess-obsessed five-year-old, here's what I'd say:

1. Walt Disney's Cinderella: 75th Anniversary Edition as the picture-book anchor.
2. The Princess in Black (book one) as the bridge.
3. Millie Magnus Won't Be Bullied as the first true chapter book — same author as the Cinderella, same values, but in chapter book form.

Three books. Total cost about thirty dollars. Reading runway of probably six months if you read together a few nights a week. That's the path.

Want Brittany to visit your child's school? Author presentations are available nationwide for grades K–5, including a program on the picture-book-to-chapter-book transition for princess-loving readers. Book a visit →

Frequently Asked Questions

More Reading Guides from Brittany

If this guide helped, here are more curated reading recommendations from a Disney author and mom of two:

• What Cinderella Teaches Kids: 7 Lessons from a Disney Author — the values inside the story, in Brittany's first-person voice.
• Books Like Cinderella for Kids: 25 Magical Stories — multicultural retellings, modern fairy tales, and chapter books with Cinderella's heart.
• Best Disney Princess Books for Kids in 2026 — Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Tiana, and more.
• Best Diverse Children's Books — including 7 multicultural Cinderella retellings.
• Best Anti-Bullying Books for Kids — stories that teach courage and standing up for yourself.