In today’s age, it is difficult to find good books that fit the criteria of entertainment and lesson learning with good fleshed-out characters and a story all in one. Well, there is one book that checks all the boxes without fail, and that’s author Evan Bell Farrior’s debut children’s book Beyond the Hills. It is a gentle children’s fairy tale with a good story, well-written, lovable characters who end up making a home in children’s hearts, and lessons intertwined and conveyed through characters in a subtle way that makes it easier for the young readers not just to grasp them but also apply them in their everyday lives. Evan Farrior made sure to incorporate the themes of forgiving, loyalty, love and happiness, respect, letting go, and changing for the better. The story starts by introducing us to the lovely character of Princess Diana, her father, the King, and the kingdom that has abundant love for the royal family. We see the relationship between Princess Diana and her father is one of love, respect, and obedience. Diana is shown as a perfectly obedient daughter, strong in the quiet ways where it matters.

The conflict arises when Diana meets Prince Charles, and they both quickly fall in love with each other, going against the one rule that the King has put in place, to marry someone from within the kingdom. This presents a difficult choice for Princess Diana: to go along with what her father has said or to choose her own happiness. Beyond the Hills resolves this conflict in a way that encourages children to seek out what their heart desires and parents to see things in a different way than how they have been seeing. The emotional tension in the Beyond the Hills book does not come from magic or villains. It comes from disagreement. King George insists his daughter marry within their own valley. Princess Diana chooses love instead.

This conflict is deeply human. Parents want control. Children seek independence. That dynamic makes the story relatable even though it unfolds in a royal setting. By focusing on this type of conflict, Author Evan Farrior creates one of those simple, meaningful stories that mirrors real family struggles in a gentle way. Though more meaningful than anything else was the way that King George let go of his own grievances and went to attend his daughter’s wedding as a way to ask for forgiveness. This instills the weight of admitting your own wrongdoing in your child’s mind and shows them the humanness of the adults around them. This theme makes Beyond the Hills especially valuable among family-friendly stories. It opens space for conversations about humility and second chances. Evan Bell Farrior’s Beyond the Hills is now available in different formats on various digital platforms. So, grab your paperback, e-book, or audiobook today and add it to your child’s growing library of favorite books.