Just Ella [Hardcover]

Margaret Peterson Haddix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

Just Ella picks up the Cinderella tale after the ball is over. But Ella's life is not a fairy tale, nor does Ella have a fairy godmother to make things right. Ella gets her prince, but soon finds out that being a prince doesn't make you a nice man and the only thing charming about her prince is his name. And life in the castle is meaningless protocol, superficial and repressive. When Ella refuses to marry the prince she's sent to the dungeon. She escapes with the help of a servant girl, Mary. Then Ella makes her way to a camp for war refugees run by Jed Reston, a lively companion of Ella's and social activist. Could a would-be princess fall in love with a "common" man? Could the "common man" be more of a prince than the royal prince himself? The moral of Haddix's fairy tale is to be happy means taking charge of your own destiny.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Just Ella, Margaret Peterson Haddix puts a spin on the traditional tale of the glass slippers. In her version, Ella (sans "Cinder") finds her own way to the ball (there was no fairy godmother, despite the rumors) and wins the heart of the prince. But now she is finding that life at the palace as Prince Charming's betrothed is not as great as she thought it was going to be. In fact, it's downright boring for a self-reliant and active girl to do needlework all day or listen to instructions on court etiquette from the strict and cold Madame Bisset. Worst of all, Ella is beginning to suspect that Charming's beautiful blue eyes and golden hair are attached to a head with nothing in it. Her young tutor Jed, however, talks with her about serious things that really matter. Ella finally gets up the courage to announce to Charming that she doesn't want to go through with the wedding, but when she finds herself locked in the dungeon she realizes it's not that easy to walk away from a politically arranged marriage. In the end, as in all good fairy tales, our heroine and hero do manage to live happily ever after--but with a twist.

Fairy tale retellings are an entrancing form of young adult fiction, as they add psychological insight and turn events around for a surprising contemporary angle. Teens who enjoy this delightful revamping of an age-old story may also enjoy Donna Jo Napoli's Spinners and Zel or the Newbery Honor book Ella Enchanted, by Gail Levine. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

W wrote, "Haddix puts a feminist spin on the Cinderella story, beginning her tongue-in-cheek novel where the traditional story ends. Her straightforward, often gleefully glib narrative breathes fresh life into the tale." Ages 10-14.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 185 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439296900
• ISBN-13: 978-0606212755
• ASIN: 0606212752
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (197 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,901,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on a farm outside Washington Court House, Ohio. As a kid, I liked to read a lot, and was also involved in 4-H, various bands and choirs (I played flute and piano), church youth group, the school newspaper, and a quiz-bowl type team. I was pretty disastrous as an athlete, although I did run track one year in high school. After graduating from Miami University (of Ohio), I worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a part-time community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois, before my first book was published. I've moved around a lot as an adult, having also lived in Luxembourg (during a college semester abroad) and in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Several years ago, I moved back to Ohio with my husband and kids; we now live in Columbus, Ohio. My husband trains investigative journalists, and my kids are in high school, so there's always a lot going on around our house.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining retelling of Cinderella, January 15, 2000

By 

Jennifer Mo - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Ella (Hardcover)

More adult and reality-driven than Ella Enchanted, Just Ella is an interesting look at the "happily-ever-after" ending of the original fairy tale. Ella Brown in this story is fleshed out to become a realistic heroine forced to fit into the fragile and uncomfortable glass slippers of a princess. She shows herself to be resourceful and clever; however, for some reason, I never liked her as much as Ella of Frell from Ella Enchanted. Haddix, while very cleverly explaining the matters of the glass slippers and dress (think Ever After for the dress), never develops the characters enough to make them anything more than sketches of potential never fully realized. And I agree with a previous reviewer that the romance seemed a little predictable. (One of two eligible male characters in the book, the other of which is the insipid prince.) An interesting undercurrent in Just Ella was the true meaning of True Love, often mentioned so flippantly in fairy tales.

Just Ella didn't quite satisfy me-- it was neither as charming as Ella Enchanted, nor as psychologically intense as Donna Jo Napoli's retellings. What it did provide was an often ironic, imaginative and creatively rewritten Cinderella that was a definite departure from the usual fairy tale. For another Cinderella retelling, I highly recommend Silver Woven in my Hair, in which magic is inherent, though not implicitly stated. If you liked the court setting, The Crown and Court Duet by Sherwood Smith provides a more realistic (and less mocking) description of court life.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little twist, February 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Ella (Hardcover)

Fairy godmothers, Prince charming, midnight magic, its all a fairy tale. But this book gives this tale a little twist. It tells the story of how Ella realy came to the ball; under her own determination not with magic help. I loved this book and could not put it down! It is a great way to show girl power and how you can take charge of your own destiny. And with Ellas determination and will she finds her true "Prince Charming" on her own.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yet another great remake!, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Ella (Hardcover)

This book follows closly in the style of Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine, though its creativity and the strength of the main charecter surpass the other. Haddix tells how Ella takes matters into her own hands, without the help of magic, and steers her own fate not once, but twice! Her perserverence and her intellegence make her one of my favorite heroines.