Just Ella

Gr. 7-12. The story of Cinderella continues, with 15-year-old Ella discovering that life after the ball isn't necessarily lived happily ever after. Her prince is decidedly not charming, and castle life is cushy, but superficial and repressive. Then Ella meets tutor Jed Reston, a lively companion and social activist. Their relationship inspires her to rethink her wishes and priorities and to embark on a challenging quest to find true happiness in life and love. In lively prose, with well-developed characters, creative plot twists, wit, and drama, Haddix transforms the Cinderella tale into an insightful coming-of-age story. Ingenuity and determination, not magic wands, explain Ella's gown, coach, and famous glass slippers, and lend credence to her adventures and evolving character. Easy to relate to, Ella is a strong female protagonist who learns the rewards of bettering life for others, and that happiness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. A provocative and entertaining novel, this is a cut above many of the recent versions of fairy tales for older readers.

Copyright 1999 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

In the wake of Gall Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted (1997) and such recent movies as Ever After, Haddix (Among the Hidden, 1998, etc.) has her own ideas about whether Cinderella really lived happily ever after. After Ella's triumph with the prince and the glass slipper, she moves into the castle to undergo tedious training in etiquette under the unctuous Madame Bisset. She's astonished to learn that the castle servants believe she was sent to the fateful ball by a fairy godmother. Actually she wore her mother's wedding gown and tricked the village glassblower into making her uncomfortable slippers. Ella also learns that the only thing charming about her prince is his name; when she decides not to marry him she's thrown in the dungeon. With the help of Mary, a poor servant girl she has befriended, Ella tunnels her way out. She makes her way to a camp for war refugees run by Jed Reston, her only other friend from the castle. If she lives happily ever after in Haddix's version, it's because she takes charge of her own life. This cleverly done book would make a good read-aloud for younger children, an addition to units on myth and fairy tales at the middle-school level, and will also entertain high school students--and lead them to Haddix's other, more contemporary works.

Copyright 1999 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.