'You? Go to the ball?' said Cinderella's stepmother. 'You must be joking. You belong in the kitchen.' But Cinderella's fairy godmother has other ideas. With a wave of her wand, the magic begins. Cinderella's life is about to change forever.
She joined Usborne Publishing almost straight out of university and has been writing books for them pretty much ever since. She has written about everything from dinosaurs to the Queen to Fairy Ponies and tiny monsters, small enough to fit in your pocket. She is also a mum of two boys and works from home, where she spends most of her time talking to the dog and trying not to eat too much cheese.
revolting dishes: means disgusting, to describe the dishes that Cinderella made for her stepsisters
(sausage) trifle: A dessert typically consisting of plain or sponge cake soaked in sherry, rum, or brandy and topped with layers of jam or jelly, custard, and whipped cream
custard (pie): A dish consisting of milk, eggs, flavoring, and sometimes sugar, boiled or baked until set
cobweb: i.e., spiderweb
sneer (at): to speak in a scornful manner (I explained to M it means "laugh at")
gaze at: to look steadily, intently, and with fixed attention
shriek: v. and n. to make sharp piercing cry
gasp: to utter in a breathless manner
swish: move with a whistling or hissing sound
tinsel: a showy decoration that is basically valueless; a thread with glittering metal foil attached
soot: 煤烟
airily: 轻盈地, 快活地
smear: "ear" read as in the word ear, means to stain
glistening: from verb "glisten", which means to be shiny
flung: past tense of "fling", means to throw with violence
ram: as a verb, means to strike with a heavy impact
grunt: as a verb, means to issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise 作呼噜声
The Lexile level is 480l, so the grade level is primary. The main character include Cinderella, her parents, her step-mother, her two step sisters. After Cinderella's mother passed away, her father remarries a cold, cruel woman who has two daughters, Drizella and Anastasia. When the father dies, Cinderella's wicked stepmother turns her into a servant in her own house. Meanwhile, across town in the castle, the King determines that his son the Prince should find a bride and provide him with a required number of grandchildren. So the King invites every eligible maiden in the kingdom to a fancy dress ball, where his son will be able to choose his bride. Cinderella made it to the ball after experiencing all kinds of difficulties. And the prince falls in love with her. She left one of her glass slipper at the ball when she returns home in a hurry. Eventually, the prince finds her through the glass slipper.
It is a story that every child should read and know about. It teaches us that we should not be so greedy and mean. If we treat others nicely, we will be treated eventually. Satisfying concluding statement is be kind and don't give up on life.