Review: Cinderella: The Graphic Novel retold by Beth Bracken

Cinderella: The Graphic Novel retold by Beth Bracken
Illustrated by Jeffery Stewart TImmins
Hardcover, 33 pages
Published September 1st 2008 by Stone Arch Books
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Cinderella's wicked stepmother won't let her go to the ball. But with a little help from a Fairy Godmother, she'll be getting there in style. There's just one catch. At midnight, her magical gown will turn back into dirty old rags

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Initial Thoughts:

I walked up to the graphic novel section of my library and this spine caught my eye immediately. My first thought? A Cinderella graphic novel?! Yes Please!! I flipped through the pages and knew I had to rent it.

My Review:

Well I’m sure everyone knows the story of Cinderella; whether you have read one of the tons of variations or have seen the Disney movie. I have never seen this version of Cinderella before. This one still has the Fairy godmother, pumpkin carriage, and the same base story. This story has purple shoes though instead of the well-known glass shoe.

The interesting thing about this graphic novel is the fact that it takes on a very dark look. The colors are very drab and very unlike the Disney movie, has an overall sad feel. I’m not sure Cinderella smiled but a couple times. The drawings are interesting. The characters all have large hair and what look like no chins. I wasn’t a big fan of that. I did, however, like the scratchy style of drawings.

This is a middle grade/elementary school children's book. One neat thing about this book is the last few pages of the book. There are of course the normal “About the Author” and “About the Illustrator” sections but there are also a couple more things. There is a "Glossary" for words younger children may not understand. There is also a page that talks about history of the story about Cinderella, which I thought was rather interesting. I didn't know how many different stories of Cinderella there actually were. There is also a page for discussion questions and writing prompts. I think this would be great for a teacher to read to his/her students.

Do I Recommend this Book/Series?

If you like fairytales and graphic novels then this is the book for you!

My Rating: