BookDragon Books for the Diverse Reader

Thornwood [Sisters Ever After, Book 1] [in School Library Journal]

Leah Cypess debuted her middle grade “Sisters Ever After” series in 2021 with this enchanting retelling of Sleeping Beauty with maybe a bit of Rumpelstiltskin mixed in. The audiobook follows a year later, releasing simultaneously with the series’ second installment, Glass Slippers.

Prolific, versatile Jessica Almasy animates the castle cast, starring Briony, the never-mentioned sister to the soporific beauty “with her gorgeous hair and her lovely eyes blah blah blah.” Such spunky attitude! Move over, ever-famous Rosalin – 11-year-old Briony is “going to tell you what really happened.” She’ll prove herself the undisputed hero, fighting evil faeries, unmasking imposters, taking no one for granted, and eventually – of course – rescuing them all.

Verdict: Almasy skillfully ensures each of Cypess’s characters gets distinctly heard in a rousing celebration of empowering sisterhood.

Review: “22 Audiobooks Inspired by Fairy Tales and Mythology,” School Library Journal, August 29, 2022

From the introduction: For the latest audio roundup, we turn to titles inspired by fairy tales and mythology, each published in 2022. Rewriting, adapting, subverting the familiar has long been a popular literary trope – who can argue with universal appeal? Cinderella, especially, continues to be an evergreen favorite, appearing in multiple stories, often in surprising permutations. Read (and listen) on!

Readers: Middle Grade

Published: 2022

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