Cinderella: Junior Novel

by Elizabeth Rudnick

In 1950, Walt Disney Studios released the classic film about a kind and wishful servant girl who is swept away from the harsh lifestyle of a bleak home to a life of royalty and true love. The live-action re-imagining of this timeless tale is sure to delight fans both old and new!

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Cinderella, Fairy Tales, Audiobook, Retellings, Middle Grade

161 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

his is the part I'm always the worst at—talking about myself! So as you've figured out, my name is Elizabeth Rudnick and I'm a young adult author. I'm also a Senior Editor at Disney Press in New York City. I've edited books based on movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Prince of Persia as well as Miley Cyrus's memoir, Miles to Go, which was a New York Times bestseller (imagine if Tweet Heart was too!) and a total blast to work on.

When I'm not working, I live in Connecticut with a big mutt named Jack Dyson (because he has the ability to suck up anything in his way) and have a habit of watching hours of mindless television. I like to think of it as research!

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wer die Disney Verfilmung kennt, kennt auch dieses Buch. Ich liebe ja die Cinderella Verfilmung und habe den Film schon etliche Male gesehen, daher war ich mir schon vorher sicher, dass ich auch dieses Buch lieben würde. Und so ist es nun auch!
Ein wunderschönes Märchen! ❤️

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many people who know me it's not very new information that I loved the Cinderella live action movie more than any other movie in the whole wide world (which is not just because Richard Madden is a perfect and handsome human being). When a friend of mine told me that there was actually a novel based on this exact movie, I had to go to amazon to find it.

I found a very cheap, second hand copy and after returning home from a short holiday at my parents' I found it, looking absolutely new and unused, in my mailbox. I was really excited to start reading it and my excitement only grew when I discovered that Elizabeth Rudnick, who made me feel sorry for Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, wrote it.

And it turned out to be everything I hoped and wanted it to be. The Cinderella live action movie had, in my opinion, already done a great job when it came to creating layered characters for this fairytale that's not known for its depth. The book adds even more layers to all of them which will also give watching this movie a whole new dimension.

The book is written from multiple point of views, switching whenever needed. Therefore we get to see the motivation of not just Ella and Kit, but also Mrs. Tremaine, the Grand Duke and King Frederick. The expressions and acting choices make even more sense now they're accompanied by a thought process and reasons. And I'm sure I will see more than a few scenes in a different light now.

But, the book does more than that. It also adds scenes, small little moments, snippets of conversations. Scenes that made me smile, scenes that made this story even more magical, even more special, and even more beautiful. It were those small moments, where we got to see and hear things the movie didn't show us, or cut out (probably), that I had to smile most. It was as if finally, after all those time, I discovered a few deleted scenes I didn't know I needed.

I'm fairly certain that I will re-read this book quite often and I wished I had known and heard about it sooner! (Ow, and all other books from Elizabeth Rudnick are now added to my to be read list!)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am quickly learning that it isn't easy finding a sweet, clean, book for younger readers. This, however, is a book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to any young girl. It follows the new Disney movie very well, and actually improved upon the movie's depth for me after I read it. It has 8 pages, in the center of the book, of fully colored photos from the movie. I wish they would publish this book in a pretty, little hardcopy with a ribbon marker. I am glad my daughter told me it was one of her favorite books to read and asked me to read it.

[Moriyah Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Have courage and be kind.”

This is such a beautiful and sweet book about the power of kindness and forgiveness. I love this movie and Elizabeth Rudnick did a beautiful job of taking the movie and writing it as a book. I love a good fairytale retelling and Cinderella is one of my FAVORITE stories.
I love the characters and how they were written. Ella and Kit’s relationships is so beautiful and wholesome. I love them!
This took very little time to read and was very rewarding! This is one of my favorite books to reread (I don’t know how many times I’ve reread this book but I always feel so happy after reading it). This is the perfect short book to read if you are in a fairytale mood (and want a quick story).

Side note: I highly recommend listening to the soundtrack of the movie while reading this book! It gives an extra layer to reading having the soundtrack playing in the background. This is something I will be doing more often in my reading (listening to soundtrack while reading)!

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For more bookish content at https://fablerosemc.blogspot.com/ and @fablerosemc !

[Claire Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was curious as to how disney would approach a live action Cinderella and make more of the story than a reimagining of the animation, I am also quite impatient so I read this. It's a beautiful book for children, not too simple but not too complicated. It has strong interwoven themes of love, strength, courage and believing in yourself. The Cinderella in this telling is a good role model and the prince far more defined than previous incarnations. The step mother is more complex than evil and the step sisters are fun comic relief.

I think this is a version I would have like to have read as a child. It bodes well for the movie

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Cinderella ..

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

When your daughter finishes reading a book and brings it to you and says "Mom, you should read this", you read the book. A nice little story. Love the message of "be kind and have courage", but I think we'll discuss in more detail the difference between being kind and letting others abuse you (though it had to happen to keep the Cinderella storyline intact...at least they tried to frame it as her refusing to give up the house her parents loved). And now we'll go watch the movie again together!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally after reading so many books lately, a hard addiction it appears) found a nice, clean book. I have found even reading a few juvenile and young teen books, there is so much nastiness and hate in this world and it has poured over into writing not in this one! Cinderella is based off the live action movie which I haven’t seen, but is a breath of fresh air. She is pure and nice and exudes that throughout the book. Great job Disney

[Annemirthe Slikkerveer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A kind heart is the most powerful wand of all. So have courage and be kind."

So this is love hmhmhmmhmmm.
Lavender blue, dilly dilly.

I adore the fairytale of Cinderella!

"I forbid you to forbid her" need I say more?

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was petty good. there was a little more I wish they had included like occupations the mother and daughter did together, a little more on the mother's funeral, chores that Cinderella must do around the house, and perhaps what happened to the Tremaine's after the absence of Cinderella and the marring of her and the prince. The story was wonderfully developed with wonderful language. I especially loved the little notes the fairy god mother snuck in. overall a great book after you watch the movie and get a little more back round and detail.

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great companion to Disney's live action Cinderella movie, this easy to read chapter book is based on the screen play by Chris Weitz. It's a wonderful edition to have. I love it when movie ties make you feel like you're reading the movie brought to life in book form. Also featured in the book, are images from the movie. We really enjoyed this one, and would definitely recommend picking it up. This book is great for readers in grades 2nd-4th.

[Rainy Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in one sitting. It's like rediscovering my childhood all over again. I watched the movie back in 2015 and I still love it now. I personally think that both Richard Madden and Lily James are the perfect for the role of Kit and Ella. This book of the film is simple and yet, still good at the same time. While reading, I remember the scenes in the movie. I think the author did well in writing this in a fun and simple way.

[JB Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming supplement to the film. I especially liked the screen shots from the film they added to the book.

[Madison Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first purchased this book, I bought preceding since the 2015 live action film of Cinderella. What I found in leu of reading this book, is it pretty much exactly the same as the film, which I may mention is not the same as the original cartoon film. Even though it was practically the same, I still found joy in reading it. I am just curious into why the author felt the need to copy the movie exactly, rather than put her own take on it? Overlooking that aspect this is still a quality children’s chapter book, where young kids can follow a beloved character in her journey to find happiness. The main themes of this story include perseverance, courage, kindness, and finding the good in all living creatures. This book exhibits a large amount of imagery, which makes the book even more magical, as well as a joyous and hopeful tone. This book would be a great book for beginning readers because it has a simplistic vocabulary and east to follow plot. It would also be a good read-aloud book for teachers to read in their classes. As well as a good book to keep in your classroom library.

[Joana Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was as sweet, magical and romantic as I have expected it to be.
Loved to read the little comments, made by a very dearly character, now and then through out the story.
Cinderella is a really strong and loving character, and her story is a delight to read over and over again, just because it warmed my heart so much!
If you had seen this movie, then you already know what happens in this book, but then, as I said before, you will miss the magical eyes that are telling this story or miss reading the sweet note in the end or even miss having the gorgeous pictures to go along as you read this enchanting tale!
A beautiful little book with an amazing story to tell to people of all ages, a story about kindness, love and courage!
And believe me or not, I’ve finished this book exactly at midnight!😉💕

[Kate (bookishkenyannerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to see the old neighbourhood library's new selections the other day. Not the best really 😅 but I stumbled onto the Cinderella story, adapted from the 2015 film and decided to read it there and then.

I loved revisiting the story, having re-watched the movie a few months back. There's just something timeless about this fairytale to me that always draws me to it. Of all the Cinderella movies I've watched though, Ella Enchanted takes the cake for me 😂

It made for a light quick read and I liked it.

[anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

often i see this meme that goes along the lines of "cinderella lost everything at midnight except her glass slippers" well, if you had read the book you'd know that the fairy god mother meant to give it "as a memento". a bit of fairy dust (aka key details) are in here which the movies just miss, and honestly it's the cherry on top.

other than that, the cover is so beautiful, leaves me breathless and awestruck everytime.
have courage and be kind, my memento for life <3

[Hera Sundstrom]

I read this after watching the movie and highly recommend the book first. The main messages that I found were believing in yourself and courage. These are important messages for students to learn while they are growing up in a harsh and critical world. This is a great book for young girls in middle school or going into high school.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book gifted to my daughter. After putting her off for her requests to read it for some time, I gave in. Surprisingly, It was a really well written book. The dialog was natural. The heros were loveable, and the antagonist truly evil. The moral throughout is kindness and courage. Everybody loves a Cinderella story and this delivered.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 16 in the 2020 Medieval A Thon-A book under 300 pages.

This is an entirely biased review. I love this movie, and therefore I loved this book. The full-colored movie pictures were a lovely addition. It was a lovely and sweet.

I'll be keeping this from my physical TBR.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

Once you get over the fact that they've only met twice and fell in love, it's a beautiful story of strength of character/courage, goodness/kindness, and love overcoming all.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love the movie it is one of my favourites. Cinderella stories are also my favourite kind of story. This book was just like the movie but with a little less magic, good but nothing to write home about.

[Kristen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good details that follow the movie. It was an exciting story, but not overly scary. Great for young girls.

[Noe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like that the stepmother was super bad to Cinderella. The thing that I did like was that their family got to visit and painted in a portrait.

[Lauren Fullington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Disney so much. I loved this movie and novel. It's great for all ages, especially for Disney fans.

[Julie sims and books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still love this story! Was my momma's favorite.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of how Ella became Cinderella. Essentially from the movie itself. A very emotional tale indeed.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good and cute book

[Mars Gambau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical

Disney live action Cinderella is a lovely and powerful story about kindness and courage.
Definitely worth to read and as well worth to watch the movie.