I haven't done a fairy tale post in quite a while. Today I get to share a modernized Cinderella story!! If you haven't checked out my Fairy Tales in Different Cultures Series please do. They are some of my most popular posts. And Cinderella stories are the most frequent ones I feature! The book is Sylvia Locke's Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother by David Horn and illustrated by Judit Tondora. It is the second book in the Tairy Fails Series.
About the Book:
Sylvia Locke’s Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother Written by David Horn & Illustrated by Judit TondoraAges: 6-10 | 96 Pages | Publisher: David Horn | ISBN: 979-8-9885430-3-9
Publisher’s Book Summary: Fairytale Land’s baddest girl is about to head to a prince’s ball. A modern, twisted retelling of Cinderella.
Once upon a time in Fairytale Land, there lived Sylvia Locke—the baddest girl around. So bad that her grandparents have shipped her off to live with her uptight Aunt Marjorie and two goody-two-shoes step-cousins. When an invitation to the prince’s ball arrives, Sylvia is determined to attend at any cost, even if it means enlisting the help of an evil fairy godmother (against Fairytale Land laws, but has that ever stopped her?). Along this chaotic quest, Sylvia stumbles into some unexpectedly imperfect friends. But will she also learn to appreciate those who truly care for her?
The second book in the Tairy Fails series of modern, twisted retelling that puts a hilarious, rebellious, new spin on the classic fairy tales. Perfect for elementary school kids and early chapter book readers.
Purchase Link:
About the Author:
David Horn lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a funny dog named Trixie. He is the author of the popular Eudora Space Kid early reader humorous sci-fi chapter book series. He enjoys making kids laugh.
Learn more at https://www.eudoraspacekid.com/.
From Me:
Now I am all for a good Cinderella story. This one has the Cinderella vibe but also has many twists. Sylvia Locke is the baddest girl in Fairytale Land. She has no manners and no friends. Her parents dropped her at her grandparents' house and took off. A plan has been hatched to give her grandparents a break. She is going to stay with her step aunt and stepcousins. They are the most polite and kindest people around. Sylvia feels like she has nothing in common with the goody goodies. However, when the ball is announced she knows she has to get there. Her aunt says no, but she finds a way with help from her evil fairy godmother. However, the evil fairy godmother's magic isn't perfect. She gets a bright white tracksuit instead of a dress. A used Chevy instead of a Lamborghini. And at midnight they turn into a potato sack and bicycle. The prince however is very interested in Sylvia because she is the only one in a tracksuit and is comfortable enough with herself to show up at a formal ball in it.
I love that Sylvia learns being nice and having manners matters. I love that she is independent and thinks for herself. When the prince offers her the job of princess, she declines it because she wants to give her grandparents' farm a real chance. She also does not want to live in the city. She actually misses her grandparents' farm at her step aunt's house and at the palace. She begins to realize how good she actually has it with her grandparents. Through some magic and a wild car chase, she learns who she really is, and that life is so much better actually having friends. The prince and the evil godmother become her friends and then so do the stepcousins once she changes her ways. There are some important lessons in this book, but they are shared through a fun and humorous story. At times it is hard to believe someone can be so stuck up and rude as Sylvia.
The book is a chapter book with illustrations. It is meant for the middle grades, and I can see those kids loving it. The modern twists and the show of independence and real thinking will draw the kids in as well as the fun parts with the godmother's crazy wands and the car turning into a magic bicycle and more. What a fun version of a Cinderella tale. I hope you will check it out!
Giveaway:
Enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of Sylvia Locke’s Cinderella and the Evil Fairy Godmother and a $25 Amazon gift card! Good luck!
