From Booklist
Levine fractures fairy tales in the nicest possible way as she's previously demonstrated in the
The Princess Test and
The Fairy's Mistake [both in BKL Ap 15 99]. Her latest book in the Princess Tales series wittily conflates "Cinderella" and "The Glass Hill," adding a gender switch for spice. Ellis longs for his older brothers Ralph and Burt to include him, to approve of him, to appreciate and love him. But they simply ignore him and his fool inventions and call him Cinderellis instead, after his flying powder produced a messy result in the chimney. Princess Marigold, whose father is always going off on quests and leaving her alone, wishes she had a real friend besides her cat, Apricot. When the king, grounded from too many quests gone awry, puts Marigold on a glass hill that suitors have to climb, she figures she better have an escape mechanism. Besides, while interviewing potential princes disguised as a dairymaid, she finds few with good kingdom-ruling ideas. Cinderellis, of course, is full of ideas, and after a few missteps and three magic horses, Ellis and Marigold live happily ever after in a way that includes Ellis' inventions and Marigold's sweet temper. Endearing to the max.
GraceAnne A. DeCandido
Product Description
Ralph said, "Rain tomorrow."
Burt said, "Barley needs it. You're covered with cinders, Ellis."
Ralph thought that was funny. "That's funny." He laughed. "That's what we should call him-- Cinderellis."
Burt guffawed.In this unusual spin on an old favorite, Cinderlla is a boy! He's Cinderellis, and he has two unfriendly brothers and no fairy godmother to help him out. Luckily, he does have magical powders, and he intends to use them to win the hand of his Princess Charming-- that is, Marigold. The only problem is-- Marigold thinks Cinderellis is a monster!
Gail Carson Levine is the author of Ella Enchanted, a spirited retelling of the "real" Cinderella fairy tale and a 1998 Newberry Honor Book. In this fourth of her Princess Tales, Levine brings new life and new fun into a little-known tale and proves that determination, imagination, and kindness can carry the day.
