Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Reviewed by Lori
Just Ella
Title: Just Ella

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 167305

Description: In this continuation of the Cinderella story, Fifteen-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape.

Rubric Rating: Level 1: Leave it.

Why I Read It:  The premise of the story sounded quite interesting.  What happens once Cinderella moves into the castle.

Lori's Notes: A slow read, starting after Ella has moved into the castle.  Happily ever after is not everything she dreamed it would be.  The prince isn't so charming, life isn't so good, she's bored and repressed, and falling in love with her tutor.  The action in this novel is a long time coming and not worth the read.  I was happy when the book ended.

Recommended Reader: If you have a girl who is a budding feminist and enjoys fairytales this would be a good selection.  Grade 6 and Up.

Themes: Fairy Tale Retold, Rights and Role of Women, Family, Appearances, Freedom, Judgement, Falling in Love, Romance.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Movie: Ever After: A Cinderella Story (1998)
Movie: Ella Enchanted (2004)
Wikipedia: Cinderella
Fairy Tale: Cinderella
Music: Cinderella Stay Awhile performed by Michael Jackson

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities:
  • Do all fairy tales end in Happily Ever After?
  • How does Ella's life change once she moves into the castle?  Does she have more or less freedom?
  • Why are there so many rules regarding decorum and the way Ella should act?  
  • How does Ella's impression of the Prince change as she gets to know him?  Discuss how appearances can be deceiving.
  • Write a letter from Ella to the prince that explains why she's leaving.

Other Support Materials:

Other Titles by Margaret Peterson Haddix:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Author:  Matt Phelan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 138305 Description:    Henry bonds with a young Buster Keaton over games of baseball while the latter summers locally with a troupe of vaudeville performers. Rubric Rating:   Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:  A growing interest in Graphic novels and a fascination with silent films. Notes:   I really liked this graphic novel.  The images are soft – softly coloured and softly focused.  This is the story of Henry Harrison and the summers that Buster Keaton and the Vaudeville troop come and stay at Bluffton.  While Henry is a fictional character Buster Keaton is not and the novel is based on his autobiography. The arrival of Buster brings excitement to Henry’s life.  They fill their summer days with baseball, pratfalls, and pranks. When Buster leaves for the show, Henry’s life returns to normal, helping his father at the har...
Read more

Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Cardturner Author: Louis Sachar Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 43908 Description: When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks seventeen-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative.  Includes appendix by Syd Fox with information about bridge. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I really enjoyed the novel Holes and this book is by the same author. Lori's Notes: Alton's rich uncle, a champion bridge player, is blind and needs a cardturner for him to play.  A fantastic story about families and relationships, it weaves together the storylines of Alton and his uncle and first loves.  It does delve a little into the paranormal/ghostly but it wasn't distracting to the overall sense of the novel.  It also touches on the idea of how relationships change and change us.  I'm not a bridge player at all and had no idea how the game was p...
Read more

Finding Reading a Challenge During a Pandemic

Reviewed by Lori
Image
I love reading.  I have always loved reading.  But reading during a pandemic has been more than a little bit challenging.   Between worries and distractions my mind is constantly somewhere else.  I've found that I can't sustain my focus for more than a chapter or two.  I pick up a book, I put it down.  Then I struggle to remember what I just read, so I have to start all over again.  I've tried new books, old favourites, audio books, and ebooks.  The result is always the same, another book added to the "to be finished" pile.  And it isn't like I don't have the time to read, I have scads of it.  But then I'm never alone and the moment I pick up a book to try again, someone and/or something needs my attention and whatever little time I had to myself has now blown away like dandelion seeds in a stiff breeze.   You'd think given the situation, with multiple lockdowns and unending time at home, I would use reading as an escape -...
Read more