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    Cinderella Smith
    Cinderella Smith
    Cinderella Smith
    Ebook138 pages1 hour

    Cinderella Smith

    By Stephanie Barden and Diane Goode

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Cinderella Smith has aproblem with a capital P.She loses shoes almost asquickly as she puts themon her feet. But now she’s lost themost important shoe of all: her shiny,ruby red tap shoe. Without it shewon’t have a chance of being chosenPumpkin Blossom Fairy for the falldance recital—and that means no specialtutu, no crown, and no solo!

    The school year is starting out withbig problems too. Her new teacherlaughs at her name, she’s sitting atthe smart-boys table, and her old bestfriend is ignoring her. Now the newgirl, Erin, has asked for her adviceon wicked stepsisters. And Cinderelladoesn’t have stepsisters—wicked orotherwise!

    The recital is just around the cornerand the stepsisters are on their way.Can Cinderella and Erin solve the capitalP problems in time?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateApr 26, 2011
    ISBN9780062076984
    Cinderella Smith
    Author

    Stephanie Barden

    In between tripping over abandoned shoes, chasing after escaped pets, and searching for lost belongings, Stephanie Barden wrote her first book, Cinderella Smith, which was followed by Cinderella Smith: The More the Merrier. The author teaches classes at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, where she lives with her husband, Tom; son, Joe; and eighty-pound lapdog, Otis.

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    • 4/5
      Cinderella is constantly losing her shoes but this time it is a huge deal because she needs it for the Pumpkin Blossom Fairy dance recital. The new girl Erin and her look for her shoe, while Erin thinks Cinderella can help with her step sisters. Cinderella doesn’t even have step sisters but she does have mean classmates. This is a fun, dramatic, and enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      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).

    Book preview

    Cinderella Smith - Stephanie Barden

    Chapter 1

    A White Sneaker with Green Stripes

    There was a very crazy knocking noise going on at my front door that I was pretending not to hear. Instead of going knock-knock-knock like most knocks, it went knock-bounce-knock-bounce-knock . And I wasn’t even one bit wondering what was making that crazy noise because I already knew.

    Cinderella, can you answer the door, please? my mom called.

    I thought a little bit about that question. I could answer the door; I just didn’t want to.

    The bounce-knock-bouncer kept knocking.

    Cinderella! my mom called. Did you hear me?

    I’m a little busy with something! I called back, and that was true. I was lying on my bed looking through a coupon book full of back-to-school supplies and pretending I could get anything I wanted. Even the Puppy Power Messenger Bag. Even the Rock Star 40-Piece Value Pack.

    I’m busier finishing this page! my mom yelled. And she wasn’t talking about the page of a very, extremely exciting book. She was talking about a web page, because that’s what she does for work. Answer the door! She said it very loud and stern, like she meant business. And in case you were wondering if she was a mean and bossy stepmom and that’s how I got my name, the answer is no. She’s just a regular kind of mom who is usually nice but kind of strict.

    I rolled over to the edge of my bed and raced to the front door. So now you know that I didn’t get my name from sleeping by an ashy fireplace in the kitchen like that other Cinderella.

    Finally! said the bounce-knocker when I opened the door. Think fast! A white sneaker with green stripes flew toward me.

    a1

    Good catch, Tinder, said the bounce-knocker. The bounce-knocker, by the way, lives next door and is named Charlie Prince. He was making that crazy noise by dribbling his basketball and knocking on the door at the same time.

    When we were very little, we called each other Tinder and Tarles because we couldn’t say each other’s name just right. As soon as I could, I started calling him Charlie; but he kept calling me Tinder because he knows it embarrasses me, and this is why. Back when I was calling him Tarles, I had, for some dumb reason, a crush on him. In this instance I am allowed to use the word dumb because it’s about me and because it really was dumb. I used to walk over to his house every morning and ask him if he thought I looked pretty. If he said yes, I went back home and had breakfast. If he said no, I went home, changed my clothes, and tried again. And that is embarrassing stuff with a capital E.

    You don’t need to put your name and address on shoes anymore, said Charlie. No other kid loses just one shoe.

    You don’t need to bring a basketball with you everywhere you go either, I said. I was a little bit proud of myself for coming up with that. Usually I never think of anything to say when he’s pestering me.

    Charlie shrugged his shoulders and kept dribbling. Did you get your back-to-school letter?

    Yep, I said.

    Who’d you get for a teacher? he asked.

    Someone new named Mr. Harrison. I didn’t want Charlie to know, but I was a little bit worried about getting a man for a

    teacher. I’d never had one before, and I didn’t know what to expect.

    Oh no! Charlie turned and jogged toward his driveway. I got him too!

    a1

    ‘Oh no’ is right! I said. Charlie and I haven’t had the same teacher since Mrs. Adams in first grade.

    All of a sudden I remembered my manners. Thank you for my shoe!

    No problem, Tinder! he yelled back.

    Then I was mad I’d remembered my manners after all.

    Who was at the door? My mom looked down at the shoe in my hand and her eyebrow went up, which is not a good thing.

    Look at the bright side, Mom, I said. I might have lost a shoe, but I got it back! And I’m almost one hundred percent sure this is the only one I lost all summer, except for the flip-flop at the beach. Dad said that one didn’t count, though, remember? It was the lollapalooza wave’s fault.

    My mom’s eyebrow stayed up, but Tess ran into the living room naked.

    Woilà! she yelled. That’s French for ta-da! and something I taught her. And, by the way, Tess is a nice little sister and not a mean step one, so that’s not how I got my name either.

    Would you mind getting her ready so we can get your school things and tap shoes? asked my mom. If we have time we’ll stop by the library too, so make sure we have all the books.

    Keeping track of the library books is one of my chores, but I don’t have a billion like the other Cinderella.

    I helped Tess get dressed and then we searched for Mrs. C, a stuffed crocodile that has to go everywhere with her. Even though she’s almost the most important toy in the world, she still gets lost a whole lot, and that causes a whole lot of problems. One time Mrs. C went missing for an entire day. When we finally found her, I super quick wrote on her tag Property of Teresa Louise Smith before she could get lost again.

    a1

    While I was writing, I had a big AHA! which means a very, extremely good idea. I thought of something else that got lost a whole lot, and it wasn’t car keys or the cordless phone. I ran to my closet, pulled out all of my shoes, and wrote on their bottoms:

    If found please return to:

    Cinderella Smith

    410 Blackberry Lane

    Seattle, Washington 98105

    Some of the shoes were easy to write on, like my ballet slippers and new back-to-school silver sandals from Grandmother Smith, because they had smooth, flat bottoms. Some of the shoes were harder, like my rain boots and gym shoes. They had wavy and zigzagging bottoms, and I had to make the letters extra big and puffy. My old tap shoes—which I

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