Just Ella

Reader reviewed by Ellery

Ella has her Prince Charming with just one hitch.  Everyone is telling her what she should do when she becomes a princess.  Her personal maid, Madame Bisset, always has a heart attack every time she does something from her old life.  Those stunts eventually put her into the dungeon for about 4 months.  She escapes to a refugee farm where her true love, Jed, was sent.  She stays there for the rest of her life as a refugee helper.

Reader reviewed by Kyra

What ever happens after "Happily Ever After"? Is being a princess all its cracked up to be?

Reader reviewed by Abi

This is such a fun book! Ella has gotten everything she could possibly hope for! She finally fid of her evil step family, shes won Prince Charmings Heart, and she's living in the lap of luxury as Princess in the castle just days before the wedding! But all is not as it seems; This new lavish life shes accquired is a little too comfortable, she can't do anything! Ella soon finds that even her Prince Charming is just a pretty face with no personality to speak of! Ella's brave (somtimes petulant) spirit will not cow tow to this new life of restriction and propiety, but will her actions be too brash?

I found this book very entertaining. Sort of, the truth behind the fairy tale. It's a story of adventure, romance, finding who you are.

Reader reviewed by Heatha the hottie

I think this book is very good but i've read better i no a lot of teachers like this book i actually got the book Just Ella from one of my teachers at the end of the year and i am not much of a reader but this was a good book i never got time to read it in the summer so i read it the next year and i engoyed it i am happy my teacher gave it to me it really gave me a reason to read and that reason was because it was a good book!!! Thank you teach for some good readinggggggggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reader reviewed by Mary

What if Prince Charming was really Prince Boring? What if Cinderella no longer wanted to marry Prince Charming after he proposed? Margaret Peterson Haddix continues the tale of Cinderella in this story.

Ella thought that her dreams had come true when Prince Charming had proposed to her. But she was wrong. Prince Charming is a dull, boring man. She misses the old days when there were things that had to be done-although she doesn`t really miss her stepsisters. Ella is a strong character and so soon voices her concerns to the Prince. And in a hilarious scene she is locked in a prison until the wedding. Will Ella be able to escape?


This is an excellent retelling. Ella is a spunky heroine who is determined to get what she wants. After many hilariously told setbacks, the story ends in true fairy tale style- with a happily ever after.

Reader reviewed by Kris

this tells the story after the Happily Ever After ending Cinderella is always given. I enjoyed this book b/c I've always seen the prince as kind of stupid and shallow and glib (why could he not just look at the girls in the kingdom and say "Her with the broom. That's the lady I danced with"? and how likely is it that NO ONE else in the kingdom shared her shoe size? that's not a good way to find the woman of your dreams if you ask me...). anyway, it's not all happily ever after at the castle (esp when Ella makes a run for it), but there is still a happy ending to it. in this book you get to see what happened after the fact. which is good. and the prince is shown as stupid and shallow and glib. but Ella still finds herself a good happy ending, which she, of course, deserves.

Reader reviewed by Ally

This book is is all about after Cinderella's ball. And as it turns out, there was no fairy godmother. No magic. Just luck and the help of a few friends. And now that ellas at th palace, she comes to find that she had mistaken adventure for love and desprately needs a way out of her engagment. Cute story, shows there are two sides to everything. i'd recommend this for someone 10 or 11...

Reader reviewed by Val

I thought this book was great because it wasn't like so many of the happy ever after abridged versions of cinderella. It bringsawhoel new menaing to the name cinder-ella. In total Maragret Peterson Haddix style this novel tells the story of an intelligent woman who niavely mistakes a fling for love. She is entranced by the glamorous and seemingly graceful prince but when she becomes engaged to him she realizes that not all fairytales are what they seem. This Ella isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes and is empowering to girls. SHe plans her escape and doesn't hesitate to get down and dirty literally! After I read this novel I could't help but laugh because the author managed to make every aspect that is told in the original story not what it seemed. The important things in the fairy tale like the prince fitting the glass shoe is somewhat trivial. Overall, I would definitely say read this book.

Reader reviewed by iki

This book shows how life was for cinderella after her big beautiful wedding. The honeymoons over. This book got me thinking more about how people think some lives are perfect and if thy really are what they seem. You will like this book a lot.

Reader reviewed by Bettina

This is a different version of the fairytale Cinderella. There is no fairy godmother, no magic, just the tale of girl that just gets into a huge mess by herself. But Ella is stronger than Cinderella. Ella does not like the life in the palace and she realizes something very important regarding love. Read the book to find out what happens.

I thought this book was funny and thought it was very funny.