A beautifully done story of the underground railroad, told through the eyes of a child who is a slave. This book crams in such a great amount of knowledge in a way that is more accessible to children. Definitely an important book.

This was an unexpected pleasure of a book that exceeded my expectations, which were already high. Shana Keller's story of a young enslaved girl determined to escape her life of pain and seek her own path is inspiring, and Cee Cee makes for an empathetic and lovable heroine. As a reader, I kept thinking of the other real life enslaved children in similar circumstances, many of whose stories we will never know. One of the biggest draws of this book is little Cee Cee's agency, her determination to take her freedom into her own hands and search for better, even as it means striking out on her own. The plantation cook, Binty, and her relationship with Cee Cee was heartwarming, and her advice gave Cee Cee the encouragement and skills that she needed to survive under the circumstances. (I wish that Binty could have escaped, as well.) Cee Cee's relationship with her mother and her fierce protection of the name that her mother gave her is also inspiring.


Much like the original "Cinderella," this is very much a female-centric story. All of the events take place inside the domestic sphere, which is where many of the horrors against enslaved Black people, and particularly enslaved Black women and girls, were perpetrated. Both Keller and Freeman do an excellent job of showing the combination of physical and emotional/psychological abuse inflicted upon enslaved girls, from remarks about Cee Cee's intelligence to daily taunting from the slaveowners' daughters. (There's an intriguing context clue in the illustrations with Cee Cee's phenotype that may, at least partially, have an impact on the especially cruel way that she's treated by the slaveowners; perceptive adults and older readers will spot it right away.) I appreciate the depiction of a female slaveowner as the primary antagonist, something that is true to history but isn't always represented in children's literature about slavery. This female centered theme extends to Binty's advice and planning help for Cee Cee's escape, as well as in the identity of her deliverer, one whom older readers may again intuit but that is still exciting to see at the book's end.

This framing device of using the fairy tale to draw parallels with Cee Cee's life is an ambitious one. I was a little skeptical at first of how well this would translate. On the one hand, I think it can be a good way to introduce children to the topic of slavery, one that is extremely sensitive and tragic, by using a story style that they're familiar with. However, I'm also always wary of potentially downplaying the severity of slavery (either intentionally or unintentionally) by using this technique. It's important for children to know that Cee Cee and millions of children like her were enslaved; not just mistreated, not just disrespected, but in an unnatural position where someone literally owned them as property. Fortunately, I wasn't disappointed, as Keller handles the subject matter with grace in a way that's engaging as well as realistic. (I would recommend however that anyone reading this aloud to children emphasize the nature of slavery and exactly what that means.) The contextual notes at the end about how she developed her story and informed her development of Cee Cee's character were insightful. I especially appreciated the portion about names and their importance, and the significance of enslaved people reclaiming or creating new names for themselves as a key component to achieving their freedom.

Keller and Freeman are emerging as a great author/illustrator team, and I look forward to their continued future partnership. Both of them seem to truly understand each other's intentions and vision. The text and the illustrations flow together perfectly and enhance the overall story. I like the addition of culturally relevant art choices, such as Cee Cee's dreams about her ideal prince matching that of a Black African one versus a generic white one, as the slaveowners' daughters would imagine. This is an engrossing title which is a welcome addition to any child's bookshelf and I'm anticipating its release.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Charlesbridge, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I was initially drawn to this book curious how this author would intertwine the story of Cinderella and a fictional CeeCee as an enslaved child. I was hoping it wouldn’t follow a more traditional Cinderella path, and was pleasantly surprised by the plot.

First of all, I think the author and illustrator did a phenomenal job working together to tell this story. The illustrations were beautiful with the characters faces showing emotion, the surroundings showing depth, and the food looking good enough to eat. This is obviously a serious subject matter despite the fairy tale tilt and I think it was illustrated very well.

Furthermore I thought the story was interesting and especially so when taking into account the historical context pages at the end. This is a heavy subject, but this story was told in a way I think would be approachable for children while also championing the incredible people such as Harriet Tubman who did such inspiring and courageous work leading others to freedom, and the people who showed such courage to leave.

Would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ceecee is a beautifully written and deeply moving story that reimagines Cinderella through the eyes of a young enslaved girl longing for freedom. While the tale is heartbreaking, it’s also filled with strength and hope. Ceecee isn’t her real name—she lost that along with her freedom—but she never gave up her love for stories or her desire to learn and live a better life.

Her journey is inspiring as she secretly plans her escape while enduring harsh treatment and endless chores. The story powerfully captures her determination to find “Moses” and escape through the Underground Railroad.

The illustrations are gorgeous and take up full pages, adding emotional depth and beauty to the narrative. There’s also a helpful section at the end with historical context that enriches the reading experience.

Though the subject matter is heavy, the book delivers an important message about resilience, hope, and the power of stories. It’s a touching, educational read with a unique and meaningful fairytale twist.

An excellent version of Cinderella with very real history. The references to the old, well-known story are sensible, and the new additions that place the story in a new historical setting also make sense. The art seemed a bit two-dimensional at first, but as the book progressed it began to feel almost luminous. I like the uncertain ending, very true to it's time.

CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella (Kindle Edition)
by Shana Keller
This is the story of the hopes and dreams of a young girl. Whom was born into slavery. after many years of hard work, and restricting of education, hopes and dreams were all she had left. In her mind her prince, her savior was the Prince Moses from the bible that will lead her to freedom. What she finds with planning, and a little help she can find her Moses and her freedom. Even if its not what she expected. The use of the underground railroad is brought to young readers with this story.

Thank you so much to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Ceecee is such a stunning story, based upon a telling of Cinderella but through the eyes of a young enslaved girl wanting to find her freedom. It was such a captivating story and it is heartbreaking and so powerful all at her same time.

I really loved reading this story, Ceecee wasn’t her name at all but she held her name close for when she could use it again. Being forced to work for two rich children who were very rude, she doesn’t get to have freedom, she doesn’t get to learn like they did. But she loved stories and wanted to learn, wanted to live instead of what she was forced to do.

Seeing this strong girl start to build up a plan was so powerful, she knew she needed to not be there, she worked so hard doing her normal chores but then secretly worked hard for herself so she could find Moses and be taken to freedom. I loved it so much it’s such an incredible created story of the Underground Railroad and how a child in captivity could find strength to be free.

The book has the most gorgeous illustrations and I loved looking at them all, they were mostly very big illustrations that took the whole page but it was perfect for this story and really enhanced it. We also got some extra information at the end which is always perfect to give a bigger broader insight to the topic of the story.

I throughly loved this story, though it was really sad as any story is about enslaved people, but this story also gave you hope, it helped share exactly how hard it was for them and how long planning took to find a way out. A great and educational read with a wonderful fairytale inspired story.

Thank you to Charlesbridge and Netgalley for this digital arc.
The beauty of the cover drew me to “CeeCee” by Shana Keller and illustrated by Laura Freeman, and the mesmerizing and atmospheric artwork continued throughout the book. The comparison of CeeCee to older versions of the Cinderella story, and how their names were changed, presented themes I did not expect. The plot incorporates CeeCee being directed to Harriet Tubman, also called Moses or Minty, and underground railroad. I highly recommend this historical fiction title for all elementary and middle grades.
#CeeCee

I loved that the traditional story of Cinderella was retold with history from the Underground Railroad. Beautifully written and perfect story to read in the classroom.

CeeCee, a young enslaved girl, dreams of being as carefree as the young white girls she's forced to care for. She especially wishes she could learn to read. When the enslaved cook of the household gives her a little hope and wisdom, she realizes that she can set out to her own kind of freedom in her own way. Just like Cinderella hears tell of her prince, CeeCee hears tell of the mythical Moses willing to help others to freedom in the North. But can she find Moses?

A beautiful story (with beautiful illustrations, as well!) about the resilience of the enslaved, their determination for freedom, and the people willing to help along the way -- all wrapped up within a fairy tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A heartfelt story that honestly I'm surprised if it hasn't been told before. The story of Cinderella is retold as a little girl who was enslaved and forced to care for a family's children in this powerful fable. I was touched by the fairy godmother being a woman who was also enslaved but worked to help Cee Cee escape. The prince, referred to as Moses, was there to help her escape. This is an important story that brings new meaning and emotion to the Underground Railroad. I recommend this book for schools and libraries.

CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella is a beautifully illustrated story. Cecelia, shortened to CeeCee, is a young slave girl bullied by the white children she serves. She longs to be able to live the life she wants: learning, reading, and eating the same food as her owners. Her friend, Binty, the cook, tells her about Moses freeing the Egyptians. Secretively, she also encourages her to find freedom with the Underground Railroad. Emboldened by her dreams of freedom, mixed with the stories of Cinderella and Moses, CeeCee begins sewing herself a new dress to wear when she escapes slavery. As it turns out, CeeCee's rescuer is Harriet Tubman, who leads her to safety.

This book would be a great resource as part of a unit on Black History. This is a book that I plan to buy for my classroom.

Thank you very much to Charlesbridge and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.