Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson

This Modern Fantasy is based off of the original Cinderella Fairly Tale. What first caught my attention was the cover. There is a picture of a loafer shoe instead of the glass slipper, which is found in the original fairy tale. The brown shoe looks very out of place on the cover decorated daintily with the title in cursive lettering. I really liked this book how it was less focused on the magic (fairy godmother and others) and was more realistic. Cinderella lives next to Cinder Edna who is a down to earth girl who likes to make casserole and make jokes when she is done with her housework. I like on the first page when introducing the two characters the images are split so the viewer can see both girls at once. The illustrator does a good job in keeping up with the images of the two girls so the reader can tell them apart. The book sends a good message that you should be yourself and to not impress anyone. Cinder Edna goes to the ball with the brown loafer shoes and falls in love with one of the princes. I thought that readers can relate because Cinder Edna takes the bus and is not a very fancy girl, unlike the fairy tale Cinderella who gets all dressed up for the ball. I think it sends a good message to readers, and that is to be yourself. I would recommend teachers to have this book as part of their classroom library along with the original fairy tale. I think that students ages 6-10 would enjoy the book.