Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a great abridged version of the beloved Pride and Prejudice. It included the important plot points. I would like to see a bit more character development that Austen does, but realize this is a shorter version of the love story.

I think this book is really fresh and cute and a nice early intro to a classic many may forget about without such things as this book. The pictures throughout are really nicely done. They’re current and also timeless (trust me here guys) and they don’t distract from the words of the story, but really do ACCOMPANY and ADD TO the story, which I live with younger readers like these. I think this is a great transition to bigger chapter books that isn’t too “dumbed down” or too “babyish” compared to the next level readers they might just not be ready for yet. I’m a fan for sure!

What a lovely and simplistic interpretation of the famous classic. I loved it. The language has been kept lucid and kids can understand each and every one of scene perfectly. I also appreciate the fact that although it's a simplified version of the story, the originality is totally unchanged. All the characters are clearly sketched out and their roles wasn't been altered by any means.

If you are looking to introduce classic to the kids, then look no further this is by far one of the best and amazing book through which kids can learn one of the finest Jane Austen's literary works.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Cherry is a publishing company that issues many classics for elementary school aged children.  The  books  are well written and include the most important elements and a flavor of the original.  The stories are also illustrated which I think helps young readers to engage.


This time, it is Pride and Prejudice.  The story is well told, the characters and humor are there and the pages turn. I thnk that the book helps early readers appreciate Jane Austen.  Hopefully, in time, readers of this book will move on to the story in its entirety as written by the author.  


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely version of a classic book, ideal for primary age readers to introduce them to this genre and to Jane Austen! Barder maintains the charm of the original book - including some of the famous lines from the book - whilst making the story accessible to the younger reader. The illustrations (although maybe not historically accurate with dress-style etc.) are charming and break up the text well, providing a visual aid and cue to enhance a young readers understanding of the story.

This children's adaptation of Jane Austen's famous work, Pride and Prejudice, is a lovely introduction to one of Jane Austen's most memorable and iconic stories. This retelling of the famous story contains the familiar elements of the love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. There are even paraphrases of famous T-shirt worthy quotes from the original text. Remember 'a single man of good fortune must be in want of a wife?' - it's paraphrased on page one. As delightful as any rendition of one of Jane Austen's stories can be, the book needs the touch of a story editor and an illustration editor familiar with the time period of the story. For example, Jane would not have danced four dances with Mr. Bingley, especially at the first Assembly. More than two dances would have ruined her reputation as she was not engaged to him! The cute illustrations of the Bennet sisters did not show dresses from the appropriate time period. The fashions of the Regency period were distinctive and it would have only required a little research to raise the waistlines on the dresses in the line drawings and add a few accessories to mark the period. The marketing department might want to get involved because more detailed illustrations could generate sales of paper dolls associated with the series!

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I volunteered to read this book, in exchange for an honest review through netgalley. This is a well known classic book. It is well written and the characters are described well. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.  My favorite characters is Jane and Elizabeth Bennett.  You guys should get this book.

While I have read original and manga comics, this is one of the stories, I enjoy in whatever format. Artwork could have been better but as I said, I could use any excuse to read this again and again.

Many thanks to Sweet Cherry Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a charming adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that’s perfect for introducing young readers to classic literature. Though it is abridged, it features all the key characters and events and even some of Austen’s original wit and irony. And there are adorable illustrations throughout.

The text has been simplified in many places to help the intended audience understand the story, but there are a few lines that remain almost exactly the same. Highlights include: “Because a single man of good fortune must want a wife!” “I was thinking about a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman.” “My feelings cannot be denied. You must allow me to tell you how deeply I admire and love you.” and “My feelings and wishes are unchanged. However one word from you will silence me forever.” It was such a joy to see these lines included, and I can just imagine the excitement of a girl who read this in childhood coming upon those moments in the original text. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Barder didn’t skim over or simply cut out Lydia running away with Mr. Wickham. Sometimes abridged classics like this shy away from dealing with the more unpleasant aspects of the original books, and I’m glad that’s not the case here. Including it helps young readers get a full grasp of the story, and it allows for discussions between parents and children about why Wickham is a bad person and the differences between today’s society and the 19th century.

Overall the book is a delight. I can’t wait to buy it for bookish friends’ kids and to see the rest of the set!

This is an absolutely fantastic version of pride and prejudice, the illustrations are exquisite and the text has been simplified to make it easy for anyone to understand the story!

I am on a Pride & Prejudice kick so this came at the perfect time! I absolutely loved this middle grade version. Barder included all of the important parts of the original novel, all details were easy to understand, and I loved the illustrations throughout. I cannot wait to press this into the hands of my daughters.

The author does a good job at reducing the classics to its main plot points. The illustrations are sweet and appropriate for the target audience. However, by reducing length and complexity this book loses much of what makes Pride and Prejudice great. The character development seems abrupt and the social commentary is lost entirely. Of course, both of these probably wouln't be understand by children anyway. That begs the question though whether the story reduced to its plot is interesting to children at all. Personally, I have my doubts.

Lovely little book with such sweet illustrations.. Having read the original this took me though the memories and the moments of this iconic story.  Leaving the deeper parts for recollection making an enjoyable reminiscent type adventure with my child as we read this.

As the story goes, Mr. And Mrs. Bennett have 5 daughters and the goal of the wife is to get these daughters married to Rich Men! As it unfolds, various misunderstandings and mishaps happen making it interesting to see whether Mrs. Berret's wish is fulfilled.
I had tried reading Pride and Prejudice a couple of years back but couldn't move further a few pages. The reason might be that I don't really read a lot of classics and I ain't yet comfortable with them.
But this book has simplified the story so well. I loved it and completed in a single sitting. The way in which a Classic has been converted into a children's story is amazing. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. I regret not reading the classic and will definitely pick up the original book soon!

This was a cute middle grade book.  The language was accessible and the drawings were the kind I know would appeal to some of my students.

This was a great retelling of the Pride & Prejudice. Short and sweet. It was very easy to follow & I highly recommend for children. The kids I babysit loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for an advance reader copy of this book, 

This is a cute retelling of a Pride and Prejudice for middle grade children, and a great summary for us adults 😃 if you want to introduce your kids to Jane Austen books, I would definitely recommend it 

I loved the illustrations in this book as well .

Barder's Pride & Prejudice adaptation retains the charm of the original, but with clear language that is easy to follow. This would be a great introduction to the story for children too young to follow the complex language of the original, and would leave them eager to read it when they are older, rather than putting them off the complete work.

I am not an Austen purist by any stretch, and think abridged versions of classics are a brilliant way to engage young audiences and introduce them to the classics. However, Darcy's first proposal is my favourite scene in English Literature, so the bar was set high for that chapter! Luckily, this edition does a brilliant job of retaining the humour and awkwardness of the original, echoing Darcy and Elizabeth's lines well. 

This edition is accompanied by adorable illustrations which I would love to have in my non-abridged Sweet Cherry Publishing collection.

Rating: 3.5

This was a really short and concise rendition of the original novel and I must say that, while I'm not used to reading books with pictures in them (well I actually haven't read one in years), the illustrations were certainly a really cute addition that supplemented my reading. I feel like this is perfect for primary/middle-grade kids who are probably testing the waters with classic novels and want to start off with something small and easy rather than the full novel which may be hard for them to understand. 

One drawback I found with this edition was that fact that it was too short (at least for me) and it didn't fully capture the masterpiece, that is Pride and Prejudice, in it's rich and brimmed complexity. Whilst the major scenes were proficiently encapsulated, I feel like some small key details were not given justice. However, this is completely understandable considering the targeted audience it is designed for.

This may not be something I would personally go for as I would much rather prefer the original, but it is definitely a book that I would recommend to/buy for one of my younger nieces or nephews so that they could enjoy it and slowly build an aptitude for reading.

This was a quick rendition of the original story. I was interested in reading this because I have not actually read the original. It was short, sweet, and to the point. I loved the illustrations!