Hey! Sorry about not posting last week. Life has gotten busier for me since more things have opened, and to be honest, I didn't have enough time to fit in drafting and posting another review. To make up for that absence (in case any of you were hoping for another one), I'm posting another review this week too. I have fallen in love with both books and hope you'll find yourselves doing the same thing.
There may be minor spoilers as I try to give an accurate picture of the book.
(The discussion questions will have spoilers, since they are supposed to be used after reading the book.)
Title: My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Cinderella
Author: Jerry Mahoney
Series: This book is the first in a four book series called My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Fairytales.
Targeted Age Range: 8-12
Synopsis: It wasn't enough to ruin Maddie's report on Cinderella - her stepbrother, Holden, has somehow broken the ACTUAL fairy tale. The ugly stepsister is marrying the prince, and there's no happy ever after! The only way to fix it is by entering the story. But if Holden and Maddie can't solve the problem, they'll be stuck in the fairy tale world forever.
Language: The two main characters, Maddie and Holden, get into various arguments, one that ends up with both stepsiblings saying that they won't invite each other to their future weddings. Maddie thinks of Holden as a "punk", rat, troll, whiner, rotten weasel, worm, jerk, snot of a stepbrother, full of weeniness, and annoying. Holden also uses the words lousy, super lame, nutty, wacky/wacko, demented, crazy (in Spanish), and loony. "Snotface", "treacherous wench", "nitwits", "vilest", and "butt-face" are used as insults. "Geez," "shut up", and "oh my gosh" are used once.
Violence: At the start of the book Cinderella is thrown into the dungeon. Execution by guillotine and death are mentioned, though not in an approving way. One of Cinderella's stepsisters gets so angry that she starts destroying the room where her sister is marrying the prince, including smashing all the glass goblets. The true Grimm Brothers' version of Cinderella where the stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to fit in the glass slipper, is mentioned. Holden thinks this idea is awesome.
Romance/Sexual Stuff: Of course, a main part of securing the "happily ever after" in Cinderella means that Maddie and Holden have to get Cinderella and the prince back together. That goal is made harder by the prince's knack for not remembering faces. Since Maddie and Holden are stepsiblings, their mom and dad's relationship is touched on, with the assumption that both of their parents were married to other spouses before divorcing them and marrying each other. Holden thinks back on observations about his mother's coping with her divorce right after it happened. Kissing (between the characters of Cinderella) is mentioned. Holden (disguised as a minor character in Cinderella) receives some unwanted attention from ladies at a ball and thinks about getting out before one of them ends up kissing him.
Spiritual Elements: One of the criminals Cinderella is imprisoned with in the dungeon is described as having his name so feared that the "gods" spit thunder every time it's brought up.
Magic: It's revealed later in the series that magic allows Maddie and Holden to get sucked into the story of Cinderella. Cinderella, as well as her stepmother, is given a fairy godmother. Her stepmother uses her fairy godmother's powers to try to manipulate the prince to marry her. While trying to change the end of the story, Holden tries to magic himself into a fire-breathing dragon.
References: There are references to Portugal, New Jersey, Tajikistan, Holden's pet tarantula, DVRs, Oreos, school grades, Star Wars, Avengers, The Secret Garden, ninjas, Halloween, selfies, Hot Pockets, TV, Ben & Jerry's, the Smiths, music playlists, video games, texts, sports, craft parties, and sleepovers.
Other Issues: Cinderella's wicked stepmother makes Cinderella and her stepsisters act as her servants for a short time, making them wash her underwear among other things and threatening to throw them outside to sleep. In order to try to get Cinderella and the prince back together, Holden writes a note in her name. One of the wicked stepsisters declares that she'll help Cinderella get her happy ending to annoy her mother. In the past Holden took a picture of what Maddie looked like in the morning, which she still feels insulted by. While particularly mad at Holden, Maddie thinks of ways she could get her dad to divorce her stepmom, and calculates the number of days she has to spend with him before they leave for college.
My Age Range: Due to the more complicated storyline, I think this would be best enjoyed by kids age 9 and up.
Read Aloud: Based on the issues above, I think this book is better read alone.
My Opinion: I'm a sucker for fairytale mashups, but I honestly wasn't expecting much out of this book. A mildly interesting plot, some stepsibling insults, and a bit of rude humor thrown into the mix was all I'd give it credit for. Nothing more. And, yes, the main characters do have a rocky relationship. There is *some* of that type of humor here. And the author's synopsis lived up to its hype. But at the same time, there was so much more than a little relationship drama going on here.
My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Cinderella tackles the centuries-old inconsistencies in this fairytale in a totally new light. I didn't even pick up on some of its flaws before they mentioned them in the book. Not only is the author's take on Cinderella humorous and lighthearted, but it actually turned out to have wise insights on love. Both the love Cinderella and her prince experienced, and the love that comes with choosing to be a good family. (I'd spoil it for you, but I've done too much of that. :) If you're interested, check it out for yourself!)
I saw a lot of similarities to Sarah Mlynowski's popular fairytale series Whatever After, which is also about a girl and her little brother going into fairytales. However, unlike the Whatever After books, Maddie and Holden struggle to get along. Which gives them room to grow, and room to allow us to cheer them on. And maybe, just maybe, we'll do some growing ourselves while reading.
My Rotten Stepbrother Ruined Cinderella is a new way to look at an old favorite, an encouragement for blended families, and an all-around amazing story. I hope you'll give it a try. Even if you happen to be older than whoever's "meant" to dive into this enchanting adventure.
Discussion Questions:
-Maddie and Holden don't get along very well. What are your opinions on their relationship? What advice would you give to Maddie for getting along with Holden (or vice versa)?
-Which character did you relate to most and why? Which one did you relate to the least? Why do you think this particular character is so hard to like or understand?
-If you could go into any fairytale, which one would you go in and why? Would you change anything about it, like Holden and Maddie did? If so, what?
-What do you think is causing Holden and Maddie to get sucked into fairytales?
-Unlike the original Cinderella story, Beautianna is a good character. What's your opinion of her? Did you agree with her idea that Maddie was her fairy godmother?
-What was your favorite part about this author's version of Cinderella? What do you think moved Maddie and Holden so much at the end?
(There are also some really good discussion questions in the book, as well as a writing prompt in the back for readers who want to "ruin their favorite books" by writing a new version!)
Thank you for reading this review! I hope this review helped you or gave you a suggestion for a friend. Post a comment if you have any ideas for a book I should review, or if you'd like me to review the next book in this series. (I'd love that!) To suggest a book of your own, check out my Review Policy page before posting.
Join me next time for a look at an awesome, quirky love story...
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