Author Barbara McClintock puts her on twist in this retell of Cinderella. In this story Cinderella know as "Cinderbottom" gains a new Stepmother and two step sisters after her father remarries. The evil stepmother and sister are very mean and cruel to Cinderbottom, they boss her around and treats her like a slave. When they receive an invitation to the ball to come and get a chance to dance with the prince. Cinderbottom has nothing nice to wear and is forced to dress her sisters and make sure they look beautiful for the ball. Hurting inside after her sisters leave for the ball she begins to cry and that's when her fairy god-mother shows up. But here is the twist she gets to go to the ball two nights before the prince takes her glass shoe to find his mystery true love. The illustrations were cute and funny and brung the story life. ( )

This was a good book to read. I thought this was an original but as I kept reading I notice different outcomes. In this book, Cinderella goes to the ball twice. I thought she was joking with the two stepsisters so that they didn't know it was her at the ball. They didn't know it was her she also serves them oranges when she went to the first ball. After all these three women did to her she still showed them kindness. This ball everyone was astonished how beautiful she was and how beautiful her dress was. The similar parts from the original were that everything still ended at twelve o'clock. The second ball the prince got to know Cinderella a little more and began to fall in love with her. The clock struck twelve and as usual, she had to leave. She leaves her glass slipper like the original story and the prince wants to find out who she is, so he searches the town by letting every woman try on the glass slipper. Cinderella foot matches it and he marries her. The catching part of this story is that she still is helping these people who have done her wrong. She helps these women to find men to marry them. That must have been plenty hard trying to find. The moral of this story is the acting of kindness. It shows us that you may treat other's wrong but you will eventually may need them in the future. ( )

* McClintock's Cinderella (this book) compared to the tales told by Grimms and Walt Disney:

**Same:
All three tell the fairytale of Cinderella in the same flow. Cinderella's mom dies and her dad remarries a wicked and mean stepmother. Cinderella gains two new stepsisters, who are just as rude as their mother. Cinderella is treated like a maid and gets rags to wear. Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, the ball, the lost slipper, and magic is lost at midnight... all of this stays the same in all 3 tales.

**Differ:
The slippers that Cinderella wore in both versions told by Disney and McClintock were made of glass. In Grimms' version, the slipper was made of gold.
One thing this version includes is Cinderella's father is alive. In other versions, including Disney's and Grimms', Cinderella's father passed away and she is forced to stay in the abusive house with her two step-sisters and step-mother. "Her stepmother ruled her father with an iron fist, and the poor girl knew he would only scold her if she complained. So she suffered in patient silence."
This tale also explains that Cinderella went to the ball TWICE. The first time she ran out 15 minutes before twelve, with no rush. The second time, she ran out exactly at midnight, with a rush which made her lose her glass slipper. Disney's version had Cinderella lose her glass slipper after the first time leaving the ball since she rushed back home. Grimms' version had her going three times.
The part where the step sisters tried on the shoes ordered by the prince, both versions told by Disney and McClintock explained the girls just tried on the shoes and then gave up when it did not fit. Grimms' version included the eldest step-sister cutting off her toe in order for the gold slipper to fit. Addition to the youngest one cutting off her heel.
Disney's version also added cute little animals who were friends with Cinderella who help her get through rough times, the other two versions did not.

**The endings have huge differences.
This story ended with Cinderella and the prince getting married. Her father (who is alive) was happy for them. Cinderella forgave her step-family. She found two suitable noblemen for each of her step-sisters to marry. McClintock's Cinderella tale included a happy ending for every character in the book.
This did not happen in the tale told by Grimms. Grimms' tale of Cinderella had a bit more dark ending. At the wedding, doves picked out both of the eyes to each of the step-sisters. They were punished with blindness due to their wickedness and falseness. ( )

Her word choice is intriguing and descriptive. It makes you want to keep going. When the story ended, I was upset and wished there was more to it. The author makes you feel as though you're at the ball until it's time to go home. The illustrator shows how gloomy life is until Cinderella goes to the ball. Also, when she gets married, the picture is more colorful, cheerful, and vibrant to the eye. ( )

I'd use this book in a class of fourth or fifth graders to teach good morals and that no matter what you go through you can overcome anything. I would incourage students to share about a time someone treated them poorly and how they overcame that and how it helped them become better people then I'd have them write about what they would teach the person that did them wrong if given the chance.