February 1, 2022
Cinderella's hitherto unknown youngest stepsister becomes the protagonist of this psychologically astute fairy-tale adaptation. Queen Ella has now been married and ruling her country for six years. Beloved by her subjects, she dons her special glass footwear annually for the grand ball. Her wicked stepmother is dead, and the two cruel, older stepsisters have been exiled to a remote peninsula. But their younger sister, just a little girl at the time of the legendary events, lives with the royal family in the castle. Still, 11-year-old Tirza is always unsure of her status; the young princes love her, but she's hidden away and not treated as an equal within the family. She also feels guilty about not being able to help her sisters in exile. Tirza's only friend is Aden, the stable boy who also sells cupcakes in the castle. However, Dame Yaffa, the cupcake baker, turns out to have ulterior motives and nefarious goals, and when the slippers go missing, Tirza is accused of stealing them. The mystery of the thief's identity becomes a focus of the book, but questions of women's clout, family loyalty, and sisterly relationships play equally important roles. All characters are presumed White in this engrossing novel that injects originality into a familiar medieval European setting as it explores sibling rivalries of different stripes. Begins with a familiar tale but creatively travels down a different path. (Fantasy. 9-12)
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