If Ben’s dry asides about embroidery, etiquette, and being molded by Aunt Sophia made you grin—and you loved how she flips the script by sneaking off to master spells—Cimorene will be your favorite kind of trouble. In Dealing with Dragons, she refuses to be a proper princess, runs away to work for a dragon, negotiates with wizards, and skewers every fussy rule with wit. It has the same irreverent humor and delighted rule-breaking that made Ben’s broomstick experiments and castle escapades so fun.

Ben goes from indulged ward under Aunt Sophia to a self-sufficient problem-solver who can outthink court rivals and even a prince like Florian. Thorn follows Alyrra as she’s betrayed on the road to her betrothal, stripped of her identity, and left to fend for herself. Watching her quietly learn the city, find allies, and claim her voice mirrors Ben’s transformation from reluctant pupil to capable ruler—only with stakes that bite as sharply as any Drachensbett border crisis.

If the tension between Montagne and Drachensbett, Ben’s uneasy diplomacy with Prince Florian, and the prickly lessons in statecraft hooked you, The Goose Girl delivers that same elegant political undercurrent. Princess Anidori is usurped by her lady-in-waiting and must hide in plain sight, gather proof, and rally allies before she can step forward. It echoes Ben’s careful navigation of court dangers—less spellcasting, more subtle maneuvering, but the same gratifying triumph over palace intrigue.

Part of the charm of Princess Ben is Ben’s intimate, witty voice as she confides in you about secret practice sessions, disastrous lessons, and her slow-burn sparring with Florian. Ella Enchanted offers that same first-person immediacy: Ella narrates her quest to break a curse of obedience with ingenuity and grit, jousting with fairy godmothers and princes alike. If you loved being inside Ben’s head while she plotted and grew, Ella’s perspective will feel like coming home.

Ben’s magic feels gleeful and hands-on—from clandestine spellwork in hidden rooms to practical tricks that get her out of scrapes—and her spiky chemistry with Florian adds sparkle. In Howl’s Moving Castle, Sophie barges into a wizard’s chaotic moving home, barters with a fire demon, and bandies words with the maddeningly charming Howl. The spells are inventive, the tone is buoyant, and the romance grows through barbed banter—just the mix that made Ben’s broomstick hijinks and courtly clashes so delightful.