Though Philip Pullman did it earlier and funnier with I Was a Rat! (2000), this take still feels fresh enough, despite...
A new “Cinderella” retelling includes the perspective of a rat living in her home.
Chapters alternate narration between Char, the titular Rat Prince, and Cinderella. Though Char initially believes Cinderella is an idiot, allowing abuse from her stepmother and stepsister, it’s soon apparent to him and to readers that Cinderella is shrewd and biding her time. When Char discovers that Cinderella is to attend a royal ball where the human prince will choose a bride, he investigates at the palace, hoping to learn that the prince is worthy of her (he’s not). Meanwhile, Cinderella unwittingly summons her family’s goddess, who plays the fairy-godmother role, with Char arriving on scene just in time to be transformed into a human footman. Much occurs in the short span of hours of the ball, including Cinderella’s falling in love with the transformed Char (almost instantly) and the goddess playing deus ex machina, fixing all problems (save one) in a fairy-tale–tidy ending. The cover illustration of Char, a black rat (Cinderella calls him “Blackie”), is lit in such a way that readers may mistakenly perceive light fur; Cinderella’s lovingly described physical attributes—her blonde hair, pale skin, and oft-praised “tiny” waist—play into tired and damaging tropes. Still, Cinderella is fairly empowered for a damsel in distress.
Though Philip Pullman did it earlier and funnier with I Was a Rat! (2000), this take still feels fresh enough, despite misgivings. (Fantasy. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-374-30213-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Willow, the second-person narrator in Thorn (2005), determines to leave the village of the People of the Singing Seals before the male elders give her to one of the “Uncles” (all elder males are uncles) in their desperate hope to produce healthy babies. The plot is driven by Willow’s need to be free of her clan and their desperation. Her single-minded trek forces her through the emergent winter; she is supported by the knowledge and skills she developed in her tomboy years and a last-minute gift from a village boy. This book’s worldbuilding is firmly rooted in Thorn’s island home, and a chance meeting with one of the greatly feared Others fills in facts about the missing history and challenges the tenets of her upbringing. Themes examined in this novel include the reconciliation of friendship with independence and the obligation to challenge falsity in word and deed. This exciting read can stand on its own but will also appeal to readers of the first book and of Lois Lowry’s Giver and companions. (Fiction. 11-14)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60819-097-0
Page Count: 134
Publisher: Namelos
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2010
From disappearing coral reefs, beaches and bees to increased incidence of floods and malaria, eight short stories illustrate varied effects of climate change around the world. This timely collection comes from England, but its stories are set around the globe and through time, from the Philippines to Sri Lanka and from today to far in the future. The protagonists are young people whose personal worlds are changing and who want to make a difference. Watching belugas in Manitoba, a girl determines to be a marine biologist; disturbing dreams, perhaps from the future, convince another to start a school compost bin. Further afield, a boy in northern Siberia watches the efforts of foreign scientists studying climate change but ignoring its effects on the local culture. Some stories are hopeful, but others are surprisingly bleak; one main character dies. Experiencing these individual stories may help students imagine an issue that previously seemed abstract. The message is clear, but readers may come away more overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem than motivated to address it. Author biographies are appended. (Short stories. 10-14)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-84507-930-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2010
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