About a year ago, and rather to my surprise, I fell in love with a fictional character named Clementine and have eagerly shared her stories with my grandkids and with the children of friends. Happily, most of them love Clementine, too. (It's always satisfying when people really enjoy the books you recommend to them.) Though there are a number of things that drew me to Clementine, I think the fact that she has a kind heart tops the list. And I see a similar vein of kind-heartedness in Cinderella Smith, the central character in Stephanie Barden's newly published children's book of the same name.
Cinderella isn't her real name of course. That would be Josephine-Kathryn (with that little line thing in between). And she isn't called Cinderella because she has a mean, bossy stepmom, or because she sleeps by an ashy fireplace or because her sister is a mean step one, or because she has a billion chores to do. Alas, it's because she has shoe trouble. She loses them. Frequently. And always only one, just like in the fairytales.
As she starts 4th grade, shoe trouble isn't the only thing Cinderella is facing. For the first time, her teacher is a man, something she's a little nervous about; her pesky neighbor (and pre-school age crush) Charlie Prince, who loves to tease her, will be in her classroom again; her mom refuses to let her get her ears pierced like all her friends and, perhaps worst of all, some of those same friends don't seem to be quite so friendly any more. Cinderella is getting left out - and it hurts. To top it off, after being chosen for a solo in her dance recital, Cinderella has - wouldn't you know - lost one of her new red tap shoes. If she can't find it, the solo will go to Rosemary T., the used-to-be friend who is now leading the "let's not play with Cinderella anymore" faction.
4th grade has brought some good things, too. Along with being tapped for the coveted dance solo, Cinderella is making friends with Erin, the new girl at school. With her mom about to get married, Erin will soon have two new stepsisters. She hasn't met them yet but, since everyone knows that stepsisters are mean, wicked beings, she wants Cinderella's advice on how to deal with them. Cinderella has no experience with stepsisters of any kind, of course, but she agrees to help Erin try to figure out if the soon-to-be-stepsisters really are wicked. The two start a notebook to keep track of clues, including any evidence that the stepsisters are loud, messy or lazy, etc. And since Erin will be a stepsister as well (and therefore apparently prone to wickedness), they decide they had better make note of her habits and characteristics as well, classifying each as Not-Wicked, Possibly Wicked or For-Sure Wicked. While the girls work together, their friendship grows.
So much of Cinderella Smith "felt" right to me. This IS the age when some of the girls are suddenly into - or want to be into - make up and fashion. Relationships with parents begin to change as kids grow more independent and seek both more time with - and more approval from - peers. Unfortunately, it can also be a time when cliques solidify and former friends find they have less in common. On many levels, the slow slide into the emotional hotbed that is adolescence has begun. But even with some more serious underlying issues, Cinderella Smith never becomes a pre-adolescent angst-fest. It maintains a light tone and is a fun read.
I really liked Cinderella and discovered that her kind-heartedness is not the only trait she possesses that I admire. She is also feisty and spirited and is showing strong signs of being able to stick to her guns rather than fall in with her peers the moment they raise an eyebrow over something she says or does. Though this is only shown in small ways (her refusal to pull her hand out of her father's when she sees her friends snickering, for example), it's such an important trait - both to possess and to encourage - that I'm glad Barden chose to include it. Best of all, I think Cinderella is relatable. Readers in the 7-11 year old age group will be able to see something of themselves either in her or in some of the things she is experiencing.
Barden's debut is solid and highly enjoyable. While I would have liked to have seen a little more depth in some of the characters, particularly in Cinderella's family members and in Charlie, the bones are here for a good series. Alas, according to the author's website, we won't see book two, Cinderella Smith and the More the Merrier, until next year. It's a long wait, but I've already put it on my watch list and will be pre-ordering it as soon as it's announced. An untitled third book is in the works for 2013. I think Barden will enjoy a growing audience. And deservedly so.
Happily recommended.
Note: Cinderella Smith is illustrated by Diane Goode, Caldecott Honor recipient for When I Was Young in the Mountains. While the abundant line drawings are quite different from the work in her award-winning book, they convey a good sense of the characters and are a welcome addition to the story.
If you enjoyed Cinderella Smith, it might be a very, extremely good idea for you to check out these series as well:
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker (Clementine, The Talented Clementine, Clementine's Letter and (my favorite) Clementine, Friend of the Week. Next up: Clementine and the Family Meeting, due September 13, 2011).
Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper (Just Grace, Still Just Grace, Just Grace Walks the Dog, Just Grace Goes Green, Just Grace and the Snack Attack and Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu. Coming August 1, 2011: Just Grace and the Double Surprise).
Slightly more challenging is the wonderful Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall (The Penderwicks, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette).
