Fairytale Land’s baddest girl is about to head to a prince’s ball. A modern, twisted retelling of Cinderella.
Once upon a time in Fairytale Land, there lived Sylvia Locke—the baddest girl around. So bad that her grandparents have shipped her off to live with her uptight Aunt Marjorie and two goody-two-shoes step-cousins. When an invitation to the prince’s ball arrives, Sylvia is determined to attend at any cost, even if it means enlisting the help of an evil fairy godmother (against Fairytale Land laws, but has that ever stopped her?).
Along this chaotic quest, Sylvia stumbles into some unexpectedly imperfect friends. But will she also learn to appreciate those who truly care for her? The second book in the Tairy Fails series of modern, twisted retelling that puts a hilarious, rebellious, new spin on the classic fairy tales. Perfect for elementary school kids and early chapter book readers.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Sylvia is back in another comical tale that has her embracing her dark side. This time, the story follows Sylvia as her grandparents force her to spend some time with her Aunt Majorie and step-cousins, Macey and Lacey, in Buttzville. Funny name, right?! Wait until you hear what the residents call themselves. It’s Buttonians! No joke!
Sylvia is not thrilled to be vacationing with these “goody-goodies.” She is not like them; she has an aversion to being polite. She finds amusement in doing bad acts. For starters, Sylvia kicks the twins out of their room, forcing them to sleep in the basement with the biting spiders. The morning after she arrives, she’s all set to prank them with a fake tarantula when a messenger arrives from the royal family. Every 5th-grade girl with a B and higher average can attend the royal ball. The prince will select one girl to be his honorary princess until he reaches eighteen unless it is a leap year. The appointee will have to wave, smile, and do some schmoozing. Lacey and Macey think the idea is wonderful; Sylvia finds it lame. Cue another bad act courtesy of Silvia.
Since all attendees need proof of good grades to enter the ball, Sylvia alters her step-cousins’ report cards, giving each a C and D. Meanwhile, she is a solid B student thanks to a quick fix back in Farmington. (Read the story to discover why Sylvia needed to hide the actual contents of her report card from her grandparents.) Aunt Majorie tells Sylvia she can’t attend the ball despite her “good” grades. Sylvia has no desire to attend the ball, but being told she can’t do something only ignites her desire to defy her aunt. She’s known as Sylvia the bad for a reason.
In the sweet Disney fairytale, Cinderella is the good girl, and her stepsisters are evil. In this version, the step-relatives are the good ones, and the third wheel, aka Sylvia, is the evil one. In both stories, a godmother appears in a mist of sparkles. But unlike Cinderella, Sylvia doesn’t get a sweet old lady wearing a hooded periwinkle cloak with giant sleeves and a big pink bow on the front. Oh no, Sylvia’s fairy godmother appears wearing all black, has spiky black hair and black lipstick, and carries wands that don’t always work as intended. Cinderella’s godmother has only good intentions, whereas Sylvia’s godmother only “helps” evildoers complete their evil tasks.
I found the interactions between Pamela, the evil fairy godmother, and Sylvia amusing. Pamela complained about the used wand prices at the Fairy Farmer’s Market. When she waved it, it was a 50/50 chance the wand would work properly. You get what you pay for, right?! I laughed when Sylvia was confused about what cassette tapes and tracksuits were. She never grew to appreciate a cassette deck, but she did see the beauty of a tracksuit. She’s right; they feel great, are loose, and are easy to move in.
There’s no pumpkin turning into a stunning coach. (Read the story to find out why!) There is a self-driving and talking car. It’s no KITT (from Knight Rider), but it does know how to move fast and handle itself in a car chase. Sylvia faces the same midnight deadline, which didn’t seem like a big deal to her at the start of the night, but her attitude changes as the night progresses, thanks to Prince Quinn.
Read the story to discover what “souvenir” from the magical night reunites Prince Quinn with Sylvia.
Read the story to see if Sylvia and her grandparents leave Farmington to live with the royal family in Rainbow City.
Read the story to discover if Sylvia becomes a “goody-goody” person like her aunt and cousins.
Read this story because it had many humorous moments, and the images are just as entertaining as the story. Love ROBO-MAID and their French maid outfit!
Pick up the print edition for the bonus material: coloring sheets.
As much as I did love the story, I wish the illustrations were in color. They were lovely as is, but I wanted to see the attendees’ outfits in something other than black, white, and gray tones. Kids will want to see Pamela’s drastic outfit change from goth to pink pajamas. There are two more items I want to note. For one, the story states the prince is wearing a red-and-gold tracksuit, but the image paired with the scene shows him wearing typical royal attire. It didn’t look like a tracksuit to me. And two, the writer mistakenly wrote Gram-Gram without a hyphen. The second is a quick editing change.
I recommend reading both books in the Tairy Fails series. It will cause random outbursts of laughter and endless smiles. Its intended audience is elementary school kids and early chapter book readers.
Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤
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Meet the Author
David Horn lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters, and a funny dog named Trixie. He is the author of the popular Eudora Space Kid early reader humorous sci-fi chapter book series. He enjoys making kids laugh.
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