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The Trouble With Toads by Danyelle LeaftyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received electronic copy for review
Genre: Fairy Tale (Middle Grade/Tween)
Book description: Once upon a time a young girl wanted revenge. But first, she wanted to be beautiful. Twelve-year-old Bettony has read enough stories that begin with ‘Once upon a time’ to know what happens to the ugly stepsisters at the end, and she’s determined to escape that fate by any means necessary—even by magic. Unfortunately, when it comes to magic, there is no place for regret, refunds, or exchanges. Even if you accidentally turn your older sister into a toad. If Bettony wants her Happily Ever After to end well, she’s going to have to find a way to turn her sister back into a person before their mother finds out she’s been dabbling with magic and grounds her for life. Tracking down the family magic turns out to be surprisingly easy. Now, if only it came with directions . . . THE TROUBLE WITH TOADS (45,000 words) is the first book in a new upper MG series The Secret Stepsister Society. The second book will be released Summer 2013.
My thoughts: This is a fun book for kids!
Bettony is an "ugly stepsister" who wants to be pretty. She is jealous of her beautiful stepsister "Dersire". She thinks that life is unfair and that her life would be much better if she were pretty.
She takes matters in her own hands and visits her witch Grandmother. Her grandmother reminds her that magic may not be what she wants and that she can have "no regrets". A spell is performed and potions given.
In an accident with a potion, her sister is accidentally turned into a toad. Bettony's enemy becomes her ally when they work together to set things right.
This book is a conglomeration of many fairy tales. There were many times where I caught myself thinking that it resembled a different fairy tale. It is a cute and fun book. I was surprised that there wasn't a definite ending. There will be a sequel and I am sure that it will also be fun to read and inspire imagination.
Author Danyelle Leafty
Danyelle Leafty writes upper MG and YA fantasy, and is the author of THE FAIRY GODMOTHER DILEMMA series. Danyelle has always loved fairy tales, and prefers stories where someone gets eaten, or at the very least, transmogrified. Much of her inspiration has come from fairy tales, because as G.K. Chesterton so aptly states, "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."
In her spare time, she collects dragons, talking frogs, and fairy godmothers. She also collects books, and one day hopes to make a house out of them. She enjoys learning languages, fiddling with her harp, and perfecting the fine art of mothering. (It's a lot like trying to herd chickens during a lightning storm while a goat stampede is going on.)
One of her heroes is Albert Einstein, particularly for the following quote: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The most important thing is not to stop questioning."
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The Trouble w/Toads looks like a really cute book that I would like to read.
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