Hill area author's first novel should enchant young readers

by LEN LEAR

It may not be Lord of the Rings, but Chestnut Hill area author Charles Kaesshaefer's first novel, The Lost Princess, published just last week, should also enchant youthful readers for many years to come.

Set in medieval times and researched for several years, the 181-page Lost Princess is a classic fairy tale about a royal couple, desperate for a child, who are finally blessed with a beautiful daughter, Princess Alexandra, after paying a visit to their local witch, Helga. Alexandra later takes part in many adventures with her best friend, Lord Henry, but war brings changes to the kingdom which the princess cannot tolerate, so she runs away. This, of course, brings even more uncertainty, and both Alexandra and Henry wind up in danger of losing their lives.

The twists and turns of the plot are unpredictable, and the characters are fully fleshed out. According to Oren Sherman, artist and illustrator of The Random House Book of Greek Myths, "I loved The Lost Princess! It's a great combination of mythology and historical fiction, but with a contemporary spin on character. I was drawn in and kept guessing all the way through."

Frank Lipsius, of MetroKids Magazine, also gave the book a rave review. "Kaesshaefer gives his fun-packed and action-packed fairy tale a dose of reality," he said, "that youngsters will learn from while they enjoy reading it for the adventure."

Kaesshaefer, 50, was born and raised in Jenkintown, but after earning a degree in elementary education from Penn State University at the main campus, he moved to northwest Philadelphia. Now a fourth grade teacher at the William Penn Charter School, Charles has lived in Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill (from 1996 to 2001) and currently resides in upper Roxborough with his wife, Debbie, twin daughters Laura and Megan, 18, and son Scott, 14.

"The real fun thing about the book," said Charles, "has been sharing the publishing process with my students. I teach writing, and I've been able to show them what happens in real life when you try to get a book published. They could see how many red marks the publisher made all over the manuscript and how much rewriting had to be done."

The book was inspired by Kaesshaefer's daughters ("They wanted to know why the princess in a fairy tale always gets saved") and by Font Hill, a spectacular home in Doylestown. When their children were small, the Kaesshaefers would often visit the huge estate for family picnics and special events. The castle-like building and stunning grounds provided an imaginative setting for the stories that Kaesshaefer dreamed up for his children. The story of The Lost Princess was an outgrowth of those imaginative tales.

Charles started his writing project with the idea of creating a 3,000-word picture book, "but I found a publisher who liked the idea and insisted it be a much longer book. I spent two-and-a-half years rewriting it with new characters and plots."

The original publisher, E.M. Press, is now defunct, but the book was taken over by ShelbyKay Publishing Company of Philadelphia. The first 2,000 copies of the novel were released last week. Kaesshaefer already has two other book projects in mind, The Dog Sent From Heaven and The Boy Who Was Blown Away.

A scholarly-looking gentleman with a quick sense of humor, Charles coached baseball for the Chestnut Hill Sports Club for two years in the late '90s. His daughters played softball for the Chestnut Hill Sports Club, and his son still plays basketball and baseball on Sports Club teams. Charles also directs a summer camp at Penn Charter.

Kaesshaefer's book is filled with beautiful illustrations by Karen Riedlmeier, a Plymouth Meeting resident, sculptor and art teacher at the Penn Charter School. She has also illustrated another book entitled Venerable Relic: The Story of the Liberty Bell.

Kaesshaefer has already had some local schools contact him about possibly purchasing copies of The Lost Princess for their students aged 8 to 12, and of course he hopes the book will become a part of the curriculum in many other schools. He is also trying to get the book into Borders and other area book stores. It is affordably priced at $10. For more information, e-mail cdkae@aol.com or visit www.thelostprincess.com.