This was a quick, cute graphic novel where the Cinderella story isn’t as tragic and resolves with the help of modern thinking from a modern teen.

This was a cute twist on the classic Cinderella. The only issue I had was how instant the changes were. Kaita shows up, makes a couple comments and the entire story changes.

For a youger book, it's cute. Definitely a modern twist and far less fairytale.

The graphic style was very well done and I enjoyed the illustrations in this book.

Boring. Annoying.
It might have been a new take on the "same" Cinderella tale but, to me, it fails.

Welcome Back!

I love this time of year! It always puts me in a reading mood and I love the decor that comes with fall and winter. So recently I have been grabbing stacks of books or my Kindle and going to my favorite reading spot and reading for hours. One of the graphic novels I read last weekend was an E-ARC of Cinderella Speaks Up!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Kaita is picking up some new reads when a book falls off the shelf and lands open on the floor. When Kaita investigates she finds that the book is Cinderella and she is suddenly sucked inside. Being inside the world of Cinderella, Kaita quickly navigates the story going to help Cinderella (or Ella) become a stronger person. Once Kaita’s work of helping Cinderella is done, Kaita is able to leave the story and return to her normal life.

Overall, this was a fun graphic novel but the story seemed super short and it went by very quickly. I always enjoy a fairy tale retelling so I was looking forward to one in graphic novel form but I wish there was more story and time with this one. I would definitely read another fairy tale retelling graphic novel in the future!

Goodreads Rating: 2 Stars

**Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Cinderella with a modern character. Young children know that Cinderella’s family is terrible. This book has a modern character explicitly stating the issues that Cinderella faces. It’s a modern confident character meant to help Ella stand up for herself. The reader can see how someone can help another stand up for herself. This one works well in a fairy tale unit or one focusing on understanding different perspectives and helping another.

I’m not sure what I was expecting going into this book. I do t read a lot of children’s books, but the cover was too cute to resist. This one definitely delivered with a sweet storyline and life lessons that are perfect for children.

This feels a little incomplete and ingenuine. I get that Cinderalla story is unacceptable and I get that with our modern views, sometimes we just want to dive into a fairytale, shake someone's shoulders and fix it. Of course. But this is way too "Oh, Cinderella just needs to stand up for herself" when in actuality, the situation is that "These three adults are straight up abusing her while one is fully neglecting her" Cinderella is a victim, not a pushover. In this iteration, the blame is shifted onto Cinderella, essentially. I know that's not the intention. I know that's not what this light hearted 30 something pages book is meant to do. But even with good intentions, this still sends a bad message. Two stars because I still like the art and the idea of getting into fairy tales and trying to fix them.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
While Kaita is in the library, she picks up a copy of Cinderella. Through some unknown magic, she is brought into the story and meets Cinderella. While in the story she makes changes based on her modern views.
While it is an interesting idea to have a modern person in a fairytale, the way Kaita goes through everything sets me wrong. Yes, the author is "setting right" the wrongs that are in the original tale, but Kaita just bullies her way into everything she does and pushes everyone around to make them conform to what she believes is right. This is just as problematic as some of the actions in the fairytale.
Because of the questions in the back, this is a good story for middle-grade readers.

This felt like a bit of a jumble. I understand the purpose and I think it has some real potential. However, I feel that in the attempt to give everything a nice, neat bow it just feels rushed.

For Libraries: For children's graphic collections, but I think there are better ones out there.

Thank you Capstone and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this delightful book. This is a short version of Cinderella with a modern twist. Great moral of the story — stand up for yourself and others when treated unfairly. Discussion questions at the end of the book prompt children to think beyond the story. A great quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone, Stone Arch Books for accepting my request to read and review The Baby and Me.

Author: Mari Bolte
Published: 01/01/23
Genre: Children's Fiction

My first untraditional or traditional graphic novel. This was a beautiful experience. I found myself lost in the story surrounded by the illustrations.

Kaita is sent back to Cinderella's day. I loved the dialogue, the relationship between Kaita and everyone else, and same day delivery.

The story is upbeat and refreshing.

I would gift this all day long, and to babysitters.

This is a severely modern retelling of Cinderella. In this retelling a modern girl falls through the story back into Cinderella‘s land and becomes her friend. She brings with her the magic of modern technology. She helps Cinderella clean the house and calls her sister is bully and tells her dad he’s a typical storybook dad and he needs to stop it. It completely changes the way the story not only comes out in the end but the way the character sees it and turns it more into a story about fixing a bad family dynamic. In that way I think it works quite well. It’s rather cute but if you’re looking for a true Cinderella story stay away. If you’re looking for what a modern girl thinks about Cinderella give this one a try.

A fun sendup of Cinderella for lower and middle elementary readers. Fans of Whatever after will enjoy this entering-a-fairytale twist and the feeling that maybe there’s a better way than in the story.

A very cute kid's book that focuses on changing a bad environment instead of escaping it. A great lesson for all children.

*thank you to Netgalley, Capstone, Stone Arch Books and Mari Bolte for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

This was a refreshing modern take on the classic story, Cinderella. I really enjoyed this updated version of the story we all know. I was surprisingly pleased with how this turned out.

Cinderella, (who's name is actually Ella), gets help from a girl named Kaita, who helps the family realise their bullying and neglectful parenting, isn't okay. She helps the Stepsisters realise why they are so mean to Ella and why the Stepmother is so hateful towards her Stepdaughter.

There are other areas of the story that get touched up and told in a way that would fit in with today's way of life. But yes, there is still a Ball they all get dressed up for. Unfortunately there are no mice in this tale, though I did spot one in the drawings.

Speaking of drawings. The artwork in this is exactly the style I enjoy my Graphic Novels in and the speech bubble/the text is in a nice clean easy to read style. That's something I find can be a hit or a miss. Sometimes the font in Graphic Novels can feel a bit off but this one I really like. It's basic but works and looks really good.

The cover is what caught my eye. The pink is a shade I quite like. At the end of the story are some questions to make you think more about how you connected with this story and what you would do and things like that.

Overall, I would love to see a series come from this. Where other classic stories get a modern take on them. I highly recommend this.

This graphic novel put a modern spin on a Cinderella story, encouraging Cinderella to stand up for herself. Her friend also let others know their behavior was unacceptable. It sent a good message.

A cute quick fairytale retelling for young readers. Bolte retells Cinderella with a modern day girl crashing Cinderella's day and teaching her to speak up for herself.

Kaita is magically swept into a book containing the story of Cinderella. She immediately befriends her, learns some of her backstory, and sticks up for her. She manages to confront Cinderella's family and get to the root of why they treat her poorly. Now that Cinderella can go to the ball, she finds a dress in the attic that belonged to her mother. It's a bit out of style, but the minute they walk into a used clothing store, the owner offers to trade the dress for something more Cinderella's style. Kaita is a little apprehensive about being interested in a prince just because he is a prince, but it turns out that he and Cinderella have a lot in common and spend the night dancing. Feeling good about the way the revamped fairy tale has gone, Kaita returns home.
Strengths: This is an early graphic novel with a good amount of text for third graders, who are just old enough to start appreciating twists on fairy tales, which they hopefully have met at some point. (A lot of my middle school students haven't read these.) The pictures are bright and fun, with quirkily drawn characters. There are discussion questions at the back of the book. Other books in this I Fell Into a Fairy Tale series include Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast.
Weaknesses: I'm not the target demographic for these, and they are a bit young for my students.
What I really think: While I didn't enjoy Cinderella's father seeing the error of his family's ways in treating Cinderella and suggesting he make an appointment for family therapy, this will definitely resonate with other readers.

I love this modern retelling of Cinderella for the youngest generation! The ideas of kindness and forgiveness are emphasized without sacrificing the magic of a classic story. I'm going to buy this when it's released, as it is an excellent gift for every young reader I know.

A modern version of the Cinderella story where Cinderella makes a friend who stands up for her. She talks to the stepmother and her daughters about how awful they are being. And talks her out of wanting to marry a man she's never met at the ball. It's a great little tale about fairy tales in the view of modern women and girls.