Excellent retelling and continuation of Cinderella!

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	• Just Ella Margaret Peterson Haddix Simon Pulse, 2007 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 187 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent retelling and continuation of Cinderella!

This novel sure does a different spin from the original fairytale. Just Ella is the continuation of Cinderella... and what happens after she meets Prince Charming is far from happily ever after. (Cinder)Ella doesn't rely on a fairy godmother to get to the ball. There is no pumpkin that turns into a golden carriage or indeed any sort of magic that gets her there. She makes it on her own. After all, Ella has endured abuse from her stepmother and stepsisters and knows how to make it on her own. And that is what she wants the most -- freedom. And she thinks she's found out when she becomes Charming's betrothed. But she realizes that she goes from being an abused maid to being a lady living an insubstantial life in an ivory tower of sorts, knitting and taking etiquette classes all day long. Prince Charming is also a disappointment. He is as dense as the air and shallow as a bird bath. When she decides to doesn't want to marry Charming, she discovers a whole new nightmare that makes living with her step-family seem like a pleasant vacation in comparison. There are various twists throughout the novel.

This continuation gives Cinderella a far more substantial spin. It tells the story of a young woman who is intelligent and spirited as well as beautiful. She has more depth here than she does in the original fairy tale and in the other retellings and continuations I have read. I love the backdrop of arranged marriages and of women's lack of power. Cinderella is portrayed as a woman before her time here (I assume this is set during renaissance times) and that gives it a more unique spin to the classic fable. I do agree with the reviewer who says that the dialogue sounds too modern at times and that kind of ruined the historical aspect for me, and it that is why I give this four stars instead of five. But the historically inaccurate dialogue is not enough to keep me from enjoying this until the end. Just Ella is wonderful from beginning to end. It has regained my faith in continuation of classics. Margaret Peterson Haddix is a talented Children/Young Adult author and I enjoyed this immensely. I highly recommend this gem.

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Just Ella

The magnificent book Just Ella was written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Some of the characters in the book are Ella, Corimunde, Madame Bisset, Lord Reston, Griselda, and Jed. Ella is the main character is this terrific book. She is similar to Cinderella because she has two evil step sisters. Ella is also like Cinderella because she is a princess. One of the character traits that I personally love about Ella is that she is adventurous and she doesn't let anyone or anything stand in her way. The genre of the book is realistic-fiction. In the book, Ella is married to her prince and she thought life in the palace would be perfect. Sadly, life in the palace is totally opposite! First of all she can not talk to the prince as she would like to because she only has an hour to talk to him. To find out the other problems between Ella and her prince you must read the totally awesome book Just Ella!!!

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Just Ella --Stephanie's review

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a different version of Cinderella. Ella is a servant to her stepmother and to her stepsisters and dreams of going to the ball and marrying Prince Charming. She thinks it would be great to live in royalty with the handsome Prince Charming. After the ball she is chosen to marry the prince but it's not a happily ever after. The royals are molding her into what they call a princess. She feels like all she gets to do is needlepoint and her lessons that teach her how to be a princess. She feels her life is meaningless. She feels she can tell Jed her princess teacher anything, but with the prince it's different; she feels she can't tell him anything without him getting offended.
Ella discovers there's more to falling in love than just looks. She suddenly is having second thoughts about her wedding. When she tells Prince that she does not love him his behavior changes. In this story there's no fairy godmother to help her. Will Ella live a happily ever after?
I like Just Ella because it's a different version of Cinderella. This book is full of adventure, courage, destiny, love, and hope. If you like to look up big words, this is the book for you, because there are some!

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Entertaining yet Deep

Of course, it was very funny and imaginative but i also found that I had to stop and think because once you got past the funny parts, you really had to imagine how it affected Ella and did the ending suit her? I really liked it because those are the kind of books I like!

Just Ella

This book is very creative and awe-inspiring for young readers and the upincoming authors of today. This book shows the creativeness of the author in seeking beyond what we have established as Cinderella, no one really knew what happened to her after "Happily ever after" This book shows that even the most gold coated situation, that every girl has dreamed of at least once, can be not so appetizing as thought. I think that this book is a must read for fans of Ella Enchanted and The Two princesses of bamarre.

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recommendations

great fairy-tale retellings you have to read.
Cinderella stories - variations on a classic
Awasome books(mostly fantasy)
Strong Female Protagonist
Teen Books and Beyond!!!

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