Spooky fun for Disney fans and I loved the illustrations. This book feels like one you want to read one bit at a time and it would be fun to work through during spooky season. Non-Disney people might not be as intrigued, though.

This is a unique take on the reader being “dropped in” to an existing/ well known story. However, this book is a combination of a few different stories strung together, so it jumps back and forth between different stories at once and that can be confusing for some readers.

These stories are well-written and spine-chilling. The illustrations are well-done and add to the text. Most stories either take place before the known tale or are an alternate point of view. Fans of scary stories, horror, thrillers, and Ridley Pearson will enjoy reading this book.

This book was delightfully spooky, and I enjoy books that leave the reader with an ending that might not be classically "happy". I'll be recommending this to my middle grader readers that want something to get them in the mood for spooky season, but not something that's outright scary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ridley Pearson is the king of writing twists on classic Disney stories. This is a fast paced exciting YA adventure book that is draws the reader in immediately. A must read for Disney fans of any age.

This book is more than just takes but making the Disney stories and characters we know and love come to life! I loved feeling like I was another character along for the ride. It’s just spooky enough that it’s fun for adults but not so scary for the kiddos.

I enjoyed this tale of tales. I liked that it featured Disney stories that are not always talked about, like The Headless Horseman and The Rescuers. I did feel that the beginning did not exactly match up with the rest of the story and I was lost for a short bit. But once the story started to come together, everything made sense. I believe that tried and true Disney fans will greatly enjoy this book.

This was so, so good. Billie and Tim are a couple of my fave new protagonists, and this is an easy read that you can pick up and put down easily with the different stories weaving through. I did initially think it would be a lot more tuned to being short stories, but this really turns into being a beautifully strung together novel. There's a ton of knowledge of both Disney and the original stories some of these were based on here, and Pearson does a fantastic job of working in everything. This is one I'd highly recommend, no matter the age, and it feels so weirdly warm and comforting while being a great adventure at the same time.

Enjoy these adventures and scary stories for the season. You don’t have to be a fan of Disney films, but it helps. Meet a flying carpet and find a cave of wonders. Meet the huntsman who tried to save Snow White or the Headless Horseman. You don’t want to stay? There may not be a choice.

New takes - on old tales, and more. The reader is brought into the present at the Disney Archives, but something magical is happening. Billie reads these stories with you, until she and a friend are pulled into their own tale. It’s a romp through Disney films with some creepy twists.

Ages 8 – 12 Grades 3 – 7

Available October 4, 2022 or preorder here…
https://books.disney.com/book/disney-cautionary-tales/

While fun, I as a grown person struggled to follow the consistently convoluted plot. It definitely had some moments of tension and conflict, and lovely little easter eggs that deepened the Disney lore. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Press for an early read in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed many of the Disney twisted tales, such as The Disney Villains series, so was interested to read this novel. Sadly, it fell short of my expectations as it went too many different directions. It started as a cautionary tale based off of Aladdin, but then ended up being about two kids who end up in various Disney films. It would have flowed better if the story had started with the two children and then had them end up in all of the tales. The first two tales just seemed out of place and I almost stopped reading due to lack of flow and choppy writing. It came together more once Tim found the mirror.

The idea of the book was good and the adventures of the children will be enjoyed by middle grade students. The artwork was a nice touch and added to the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #DisneyCautionaryTales by #RidleyPearson - 2.5 stars rounded to 3

I have been a fan of Ridley Pearson since The Kingdom Keepers series first began. This book was such a good Disney read to be put in the mood for fall/ Halloween. This would be great to use with upper elementary/middle school readers. I enjoyed it!

** “The older you get, my boy, the more you come to understand that nothing is for certain. Nothing is a given. The only way forward is to take a chance. A chance well-studied, of course. But a chance nonetheless.” **

Ridley Pearson’s “Disney Cautionary Tales” is a fun new take on very familiar Disney stories.

The book combines back stories to familiar tales like Aladdin, Chernabog and the Huntsman from Snow White with present day characters also stepping into the pages of other stories.

Middle-schoolers Billie and Tim are working at the Walt Disney Archives when they find themselves thrown into portions of several adventures — Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, Ursula and The Rescuers. They must use their powers of imagination to help each character, therefore helping themselves, all while living inside these scary stories.

Pearson does a great job of taking beloved stories and intertwining them with modern characters to make new storylines. Some are a bit macabre or gruesome, but all are filled with adventure and thrills.

He also fills “Cautionary Tales” with several great themes, like don’t let greed distract you from what’s right; the cost of greed; where your treasure is, your heart will also be; nothing is for certain, so be willing to take a chance; and the incredible power of imagination (“Imagination is the biggest superpower. Nothing else comes close”).

Five stars out of five.

Disney Press provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. The drawings on the pages were great and I liked how the stories intertwined with the story the book was telling. I do like that the villains were explored; so it was a different take on the normal Disney books. I like how there were sayings dispersed throughout the book.

What happens when you start reading a strange book.... and suddenly find yourself transported right into the story? What starts off as stories involving some of our favorite Disney villains soon spirals as two friends have to navigate the stories before they become trapped. Featuring new takes on classic villains as well as stunning artwork, this is the perfect read for Halloween! Featuring characters such as the sand lion from Aladdin, Chernobog, Ursula, The Headless Horseman, Gaston, and so many more twists and turns this is a fun read.

*Thanks Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

When fires cause Tim and Billie school to close, they are forced to go to work with their parents at the Disney company. What could go wrong? Magic is not real and the stories that Disney produces they couldn’t come to life, could they? When a magic mirror is uncovered in the archives Tim and Billie get swept up in a world where villains come to life and magic is alive and well. Can Billie and Tim figure out a way home in time before all the stories get a new ending one where they end up the new victim.
This is a very interesting story. I will be very honest I think that I enjoyed the first two stories where Tim and Billie were not in them more than I enjoyed once they found the magic mirror. I really enjoyed the Chernabog’s story. Such a different way to look at an underrated villain. I also liked the background story of Aladdin’s parents. The stories once Tim and Billie entered them were okay. But I liked the twist that the first two stories gave the reader on villains we know but maybe we don’t know the whole story. Overall, this was decent book. There was some disconnect between the first three stories and those that came later. Kids will enjoy the magic and re meeting some of their favorite villains, some of them being shown in a whole new light.

Thank you to Disney and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Fairy tales we know, but different. Scar tales interspersed with a present day couple of kids who don't follow directions and end up traveling into the scary fairy tales.

Interesting take on the fairy tales.

I struggled a bit with this one. The short stories themselves were captivating and really hooked me in, but the in between stories felt out of place for me and disconnected. It may work better for other readers, but I think that tweets and teens would have been happy with a collection of short stories without those pieces.

When wild fires cause schools to close, Billie and Tim get to hang at Disney Studios where their parents work. Billie is reading a book of scary stories involving some of Disney's villains. Tim is helping inventory in the archives. He's warned not to touch anything because it might be CURSED. When Tim gets a little too curious, he gets a much closer look at those stories in Billie's book.
This was a fun read for any Disney fan. Great for kids who enjoy scary stories, without being TOO scary.

Thanks to Netgalley and Disney Publishing for an early copy to review.