Oh, this is really fun. Bloodthirsty little Claudette is disgusted to hear the story of the evil giant who threatened their town, and how he was banished to a nearby mountain instead of being slaughtered by the townsfolk. "That's irresponsible!" she cries, of the general lack of murder. So she gathers up her best friend Marie, who is studying to be a princess and is clearly the brains of the bunch, and her cowardly little brother Gaston, who is a truly excellent chef (on their trail through the Forest of Death and up Giant Mountain he's whipping together "Crispy pork paillard with roasted cauliflower and spicy mango sauce, and a hazelnut side salad. Sorry I couldn't do anything fancy"). The kids are all likeable and very funny, and no actual murder takes place, as the evil giant is significantly less than. There's still danger in the world, though, as Claudette's dad used to fight monsters until he lost his sword, his sword arm, and both legs going up against a dragon - his daughter has clearly inherited the dumb-arse gene - and the book ends with the intimation that there's more and worse out there.

But it's goodnatured and charming and a lot of fun. The library has the sequels and I want them!