5 out of 5 stars.
How many ways do you know of to cook a tuna casserole? If you’re Cinder Edna, you know 16 different ways!
Synopsis
The famous Cinderella and her neighbor Cinder Edna each worked sunup to sundown for their wicked stepmother and stepsisters. But while Cinderella had the good fortune to be rescued by her fairy godmother, Edna was strong, self-reliant, spunky–and she lived happier ever after!
Review
I absolutely adore this book! I picked it up at my local library many years ago and was enthralled by it. When I saw it in a small town country store in West Virginia, I bought a copy for my own. Cinder Edna is a wonderful counterweight for all the princess fairy tales that are out there. Now, I have nothing against fairy tales. I personally love reading them and love reading re-tellings of them, but I also believe that there needs to be something to balance them. Something that teaches young girls that they have the power to make their own destinies and they don’t have to rely on a Fairy Godmother or Prince Charming. Cinder Edna does this.
Cinder Edna lives next door to Cinderella. She’s treated just as badly by her stepmother and stepsisters, but she doesn’t just take her fate lying down. She doesn’t sit in the cinders thinking about all her troubles. She learns to cook tuna casserole 16 different ways. She does odd jobs around the neighborhood. She takes the bus to the various places she needs to get to. Maybe she’s not as conventionally pretty as Cinderella, but she’s spunky and fun-loving. She marries a prince too, but not one who’s conceited and vain like Prince Charming; a down-to-earth man who loves her just like she is.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to all parents, caregivers, children, teachers, etc. It’s one of the best “alternate” fairy tales out there.
Valerie's Musings 