I have a delightful middle grade novel to review today, Cinderella Smith, the More the Merrier by Stephanie Baden. Published by Harper Collins, it will be on shelves April 24, 2012. As an added bonus I also have details about the book launch, happening in Seattle this weekend! Tune in at the end for all the info.
The Story- Cinderella Smith is in third grade and is determined to win her school spelling bee. Why? Because the winner gets to plan a class party and she doesn’t want her once good friend, Rosemary T., to win and plan a “stupid” unicorn party. Cinder sets out studying with her friends Erin and Charlie.
At the same time, her parents leave on a trip and Cinder and her sister are babysat by their Aunt Flora, a really cool person who loves to experiment with food. While making pancake surprise, Cinder learns that putting tons of ingredients together makes a very tasty pancake, and her idea of “the more the merrier” is born. This philosophy soon spills over to school where Cinder makes sure all her classmates can join in on the class party.
My Thoughts- This is the cutest book. I love that Cinder is a character who is kind and not rude. She says the most hilarious things that remind me of a typical third grader. Her adventures are fun and she has an air of innocence about her.
Middle graders will love this book. It has the school bully, the fun teacher, the awesome Aunt, and the cool friends. Being a younger middle grade novel, it is also illustrated, so kids will love to look at the sketches (by Diane Goode) of all the people and activities.
The theme of, “The more the merrier,” is a good idea to teach to children, and Stephanie Barden does it in a wonderful way that will sink into children’s minds. This book is a great read for your younger middle grader.
Saturday- April 28th 1-3pm
Mockingbird Books- 7220 Woodlawn Ave, NE, Seattle WA 98115
Crafts, Contests and Books!
www.stephaniebarden.com
This sounds very cute, but why is she called Cinder? Does it have anything to do with Cinderella?
ReplyDeleteYes, her real name is Cinderella, so they call her Cinder. But, it is not a Cinderella story. It is a really cute middle grade.
Deletethis sounds so cute and light and adorable :) happy mmgm!
ReplyDeleteHappy MMGM!
DeleteSounds like a cute book for younger middle graders. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteIt really is a cute book. My copy went straight to my daughter.
DeleteThis sounds like such a sweet book! I love that Cinder sounds like such a kind (while also being fun and relatable) character.
ReplyDeleteI know, one of the reasons i loved it. I'm tired of whiny, bad doing kids.
DeleteI'm happy that Cinder is funny but not rude! I was sorry to miss the launch (was out of town), but I met Stephanie at our SCBWI conference a few weeks ago--and she is awesome!
ReplyDeleteStephanie is sweet and awesome. She is a real delight to know.
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