TAMING OF THE SHOE

As she did with Fairest of Them All (2017), Littman takes on the “ever after” of fairy-tale characters and their offspring.

In this outing, readers get to know Cinderella and Prince Charming’s daughter, Araminta Robicheaux. Minty is trying to forge her own identity, but she’s feeling uncertain about where she fits after her family moves from their home kingdom to New York City. In her new middle school, which seems to teem with other fairy-tale progeny, there is a hierarchy. Students at the top are treated like royalty, but Minty isn’t automatically among them. Add to that, she’s feeling overshadowed by her mother and the evil stepsisters. They have all become famous for their respective business ventures: Ella for her cleaning products (Soot Slaughterer, Dust Decimator, and Crud Crusher) and the stepsisters for their brand of Comfortably Ever After shoes. With this lineage, Minty is self-conscious about her passion for shoe design. She thinks it’s too predictable! But after a new acquaintance dupes her in an important shoe-design contest, Minty is ready to prove herself. Cheeky, over-the-top riffs on the familiar tales make this a breezy read with deeper messages that are easily absorbed. Were the evil stepsisters ill-advised and groomed for bad behavior by their own mother? Can people change their behavior? How do we gain the confidence to make dreams reality? Minty and her family present white, and the book assumes a white default.

This untraditional fairy tale will inspire young fashionistas.