It's the holiday season again and that means my family is playing more games. My mom has been hunting for new games and one of her shopping choices, unbeknowst to me, was Sleeping Queens
, a game I featured on the blog a few years ago, I believe. I hadn't played it then, but now, as of this past weekend, I have. It was fun and for anyone who enjoys fantasy and fairy tale tropes, it will be charming, too.I admit, at first, as my brother read the game play instructions out loud my eyes crossed and I was not too eager to play. Some of this is because I am simply not much of a game player. But then the five of us started playing and quickly figured out the game play which was not nearly as complicated as it sounded at first. After three quick games we were just getting better at it and having fun when another game was chosen for testing, since Mom is gearing up for holidays and we were her guinea pigs. (Another big hit in a totally different way was Flickin' Chicken
,* really, if your family and friends like to laugh, that is a game for anyone, for all ages.)The game is for 8 and up and moves pretty quickly. The only real reason for the 8 and up is the need for some basic addition math skills, not just counting, like being able to figure out that 3 + 5 = 8. It is challenging enough to be interesting to adults but not too complicated for kids or reluctant game players like me.
From the Manufacturer
A Royalty rousing Card Game. Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, The Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to wake these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragon! The player who wakes the most queens wins. Ages 8 . 2-5 players can play this game in approx. 15 minutes. Contains 79 playing cards and rules of play in English.
Product Description
Imagine a place where there's a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn't fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts? fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! HOW TO PLAY: Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it's your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons! The player who wakes the most queens wins. 2 to 5 players. Playing Time: 20 Minutes
And since I mentioned it above, really, Flickin' Chicken
is funny. It consists of throwing chickens and had everyone begging for another turn trying to figure out strategy. 
. This one interested me because it promotes cooperational play--everyone works together to defeat the sea witch--everyone wins or loses together. I haven't played it but the reviews are overall strong and I think the concept is strong.
And it makes good use of the mermaid concept, too. I have to admit that I am not much into competition games--I only like playing against myself and many of our family games have been adapted to be fun and usually scoreless. My competitive spirit used to be high, but it was murdered years ago by my highly competitive high school. 
by Sadie Fields and illustrated by Gini Wade is out of print but was a rather unusual concept for recent fairy tale pop up books. It's a collection of board games in a book. It was never officially released in the U.S. from what I can see. It is still available for ordering at 
