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Interstellar Cinderella
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2015)Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.
With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball--but when the prince's ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.
With a little help from her fairy godrobot, Cinderella is going to the ball--but when the prince's ship has mechanical trouble, someone will have to zoom to the rescue! Readers will thank their lucky stars for this irrepressible fairy tale retelling, its independent heroine, and its stellar happy ending.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
23 people are currently reading
2844 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 747 reviews
January 23, 2016
A feminist Cinderella in space! Cinderella is a pink-haired, freckle-faced little white girl.
http://kinderlitcanada.files.wordpres...
Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.
She fixed the robot dishwashers
and zoombrooms in her care,
but late each night she snuck away
to study ship repair.
http://media.virbcdn.com/cdn_images/r...
When everyone is invited to the Prince's Royal Space Parade, Cinderella's wicked stepmother forbids her to go, claiming there isn't enough room for her.
"Why don't you fix that broken ship
and fly it to the show?", the evil woman suggests.
But the evil stepsisters take her toolbox.
"My toolbox!" Cinderella cried.
We're stranded here, I guess."
But Murgatroyd the mouse sent out
a cosmic SOS.
Awwww! Her cute little robot mouse is helping her!
Then her fairy godbot appears and gives her brand-new tools, and an atomic blue spacesuit studded with jewels. She also gives Cinderella a power gem to power her ship until midnight.
Cinderella does the hard work of fixing the rocket. This is important. Fairy Godbot does NOT fix the rocket for Cinderella. She fixes the rocket on her own.
http://i2.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-conte...
Cinderella goes to the parade and admires all the different spaceships. But she notices that the royal spaceship is smoking!
The young (brown-skinned, black-haired) prince jumps out. He doesn't know how to fix the ship and his chief mechanic's quit!
But Interstellar Cinderella
knew just what to do.
She zipzapped with her socket wrench -
the ship was good as new.
So the prince invites her to the ball.
They talked for hours of rocket ships.
The time went whizzing by.
Then Cinderella saw the clock
and said, "I have to fly!"
"But wait!" the prince called after her.
"Please tell me how to find - "
The girl was gone - but she had left
her socket wrench behind.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD_pRMl7yp0...
The prince tries hard to find her. Stepmother locks Cinderella in the attic with Murgatroyd.
The prince brings a broken ship with him and asks the girls to fix it as proof they are Cinderella. No comment on why he can't simply remember her face and hair. I mean, it's pink. Come on.
Murgatroyd chews through the ropes binding Cinderella. She repairs an old rusty jet pack and chases the prince's ship down.
http://jillrbennett.files.wordpress.c...
She claims the wrench and fixes the ship. The awestruck prince proposes marriage.
She thought this over carefully.
Her family watched in panic.
"I'm far too young for marriage,
but I'll be your chief mechanic!"
http://nerdybookclub.files.wordpress....
Both she and the prince look to be about 10 or 12, so, I can see where she's going on this. Also, I'm surprised the prince wants to get married at his age.
We see her happily repairing ships, with the prince sitting next to her and handing her tools and such. Little Murgatroyd is also helping.
Amid her fleet of sparkling ships,
and friends both old and new,
a joyful Cinderella cried,
"My stars! Dreams do come true!"
EL FIN
...
THE PLUSES:
- Great pictures in a cute punk style.
- Great end pages in which we see Cinderella's garage: all her tools are on the bench or hanging on the wall: Galactic Goggles, Micropliers, Antimatter Hammer, Plasma Pump, Robot Clamp, Megamag Mallet, Gyro Torch, Ion Tether, Cosmiccaliper, Googol Gauge, Hyper Drill, etc. etc.
Very creative.
- She has a little pet robot mouse! How cute! It's named Murgatroyd! Doubly cute!
- Cinderella has pink hair. Cool.
- Cinderella is white and the prince is not white. He looks Indian to me, but he could be Latino, black, insert other possibilities here.
- Cinderella is a hardworking handywoman who doesn't shirk hard work and is very capable and strong.
- Cinderella turns down marriage at the end and takes a mechanic's job.
- The book is in rhyme and is very cutely done.
THE MINUSES:
- I kind of wanted a romance between Cinderella and the prince. Not very feminist of me? Perhaps*, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies when books/movies/tv shy away from interracial romance. I know that is not the reason Underwood is having them be non-romantic at the end, I know that - but I can't stop the scrapy feelings in my heart every time an interracial romance is neatly sidestepped. It's super-important to teach kids that it's okay to fall in love "outside their race" or whatever the fuck people call it nowadays. Because absolutely "marry your own kind" is still being taught, I see it EVERY DAY and it hurts me to still see media (subtly and perhaps insidiously) reinforcing this concept.
Do I really want to see 12-year-olds get married or kiss or some shit? No. But I thought it would have been better if it was clear that they had feelings for each other and one day in the future, maybe... Maybe they could hold hands once or something?
- One thing that really bothers me about Cinderella (in any retelling) is the prince's seeming inability to recognize the woman/girl he just spent hours with and fell in love with. I just can't brush off my feelings of being very insulted that he would even think the stepsisters and Cinderella are perhaps the same people. Ugh.
- The children were not very impressed with this story. I have no idea why. I liked it! They just looked at me like, "What the fuck are you reading me?" So. I really don't know why they weren't interested, but they weren't. I thought I should note that here.
Tl;dr - A fun and unique twist on the classic Cinderella story. Future Cinderella in Space! Cinderella is now a mechanic! Underwood keeps enough nice classic touches (Cinderella's pet mouse, locking her in the attic, a fairy godmother appears) while turning other things on their head (having Cinderella refuse marriage in lieu of a mechanic position, making the prince brown and Cinderella white, and making Cinderella more of a capable agent of her own destiny). I thought it was fun and creative, even if the children didn't agree with me. Perhaps a different bunch of children would have reacted differently, your mileage may vary.
Ages 0-6 or 7.
*Oh, wait, no it's not un-feminist of me. Because I am a rabid feminist but also adore men, love kissing, and am also a romantic. So boo-yah!
P.S. EDIT UPDATE: Just showed this book to my (adult) friend and she said that the reason the prince doesn't recognize Cinderella is because when they were talking, she had her space helmet on. I'm not buying it - it was see-through and she should have been clearly visible, but if you want to give Underwood the benefit of the doubt, there's an excuse you could use.
http://kinderlitcanada.files.wordpres...
Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets.
She fixed the robot dishwashers
and zoombrooms in her care,
but late each night she snuck away
to study ship repair.
http://media.virbcdn.com/cdn_images/r...
When everyone is invited to the Prince's Royal Space Parade, Cinderella's wicked stepmother forbids her to go, claiming there isn't enough room for her.
"Why don't you fix that broken ship
and fly it to the show?", the evil woman suggests.
But the evil stepsisters take her toolbox.
"My toolbox!" Cinderella cried.
We're stranded here, I guess."
But Murgatroyd the mouse sent out
a cosmic SOS.
Awwww! Her cute little robot mouse is helping her!
Then her fairy godbot appears and gives her brand-new tools, and an atomic blue spacesuit studded with jewels. She also gives Cinderella a power gem to power her ship until midnight.
Cinderella does the hard work of fixing the rocket. This is important. Fairy Godbot does NOT fix the rocket for Cinderella. She fixes the rocket on her own.
http://i2.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-conte...
Cinderella goes to the parade and admires all the different spaceships. But she notices that the royal spaceship is smoking!
The young (brown-skinned, black-haired) prince jumps out. He doesn't know how to fix the ship and his chief mechanic's quit!
But Interstellar Cinderella
knew just what to do.
She zipzapped with her socket wrench -
the ship was good as new.
So the prince invites her to the ball.
They talked for hours of rocket ships.
The time went whizzing by.
Then Cinderella saw the clock
and said, "I have to fly!"
"But wait!" the prince called after her.
"Please tell me how to find - "
The girl was gone - but she had left
her socket wrench behind.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kD_pRMl7yp0...
The prince tries hard to find her. Stepmother locks Cinderella in the attic with Murgatroyd.
The prince brings a broken ship with him and asks the girls to fix it as proof they are Cinderella. No comment on why he can't simply remember her face and hair. I mean, it's pink. Come on.
Murgatroyd chews through the ropes binding Cinderella. She repairs an old rusty jet pack and chases the prince's ship down.
http://jillrbennett.files.wordpress.c...
She claims the wrench and fixes the ship. The awestruck prince proposes marriage.
She thought this over carefully.
Her family watched in panic.
"I'm far too young for marriage,
but I'll be your chief mechanic!"
http://nerdybookclub.files.wordpress....
Both she and the prince look to be about 10 or 12, so, I can see where she's going on this. Also, I'm surprised the prince wants to get married at his age.
We see her happily repairing ships, with the prince sitting next to her and handing her tools and such. Little Murgatroyd is also helping.
Amid her fleet of sparkling ships,
and friends both old and new,
a joyful Cinderella cried,
"My stars! Dreams do come true!"
EL FIN
...
THE PLUSES:
- Great pictures in a cute punk style.
- Great end pages in which we see Cinderella's garage: all her tools are on the bench or hanging on the wall: Galactic Goggles, Micropliers, Antimatter Hammer, Plasma Pump, Robot Clamp, Megamag Mallet, Gyro Torch, Ion Tether, Cosmiccaliper, Googol Gauge, Hyper Drill, etc. etc.
Very creative.
- She has a little pet robot mouse! How cute! It's named Murgatroyd! Doubly cute!
- Cinderella has pink hair. Cool.
- Cinderella is white and the prince is not white. He looks Indian to me, but he could be Latino, black, insert other possibilities here.
- Cinderella is a hardworking handywoman who doesn't shirk hard work and is very capable and strong.
- Cinderella turns down marriage at the end and takes a mechanic's job.
- The book is in rhyme and is very cutely done.
THE MINUSES:
- I kind of wanted a romance between Cinderella and the prince. Not very feminist of me? Perhaps*, but it gives me the heebie-jeebies when books/movies/tv shy away from interracial romance. I know that is not the reason Underwood is having them be non-romantic at the end, I know that - but I can't stop the scrapy feelings in my heart every time an interracial romance is neatly sidestepped. It's super-important to teach kids that it's okay to fall in love "outside their race" or whatever the fuck people call it nowadays. Because absolutely "marry your own kind" is still being taught, I see it EVERY DAY and it hurts me to still see media (subtly and perhaps insidiously) reinforcing this concept.
Do I really want to see 12-year-olds get married or kiss or some shit? No. But I thought it would have been better if it was clear that they had feelings for each other and one day in the future, maybe... Maybe they could hold hands once or something?
- One thing that really bothers me about Cinderella (in any retelling) is the prince's seeming inability to recognize the woman/girl he just spent hours with and fell in love with. I just can't brush off my feelings of being very insulted that he would even think the stepsisters and Cinderella are perhaps the same people. Ugh.
- The children were not very impressed with this story. I have no idea why. I liked it! They just looked at me like, "What the fuck are you reading me?" So. I really don't know why they weren't interested, but they weren't. I thought I should note that here.
Tl;dr - A fun and unique twist on the classic Cinderella story. Future Cinderella in Space! Cinderella is now a mechanic! Underwood keeps enough nice classic touches (Cinderella's pet mouse, locking her in the attic, a fairy godmother appears) while turning other things on their head (having Cinderella refuse marriage in lieu of a mechanic position, making the prince brown and Cinderella white, and making Cinderella more of a capable agent of her own destiny). I thought it was fun and creative, even if the children didn't agree with me. Perhaps a different bunch of children would have reacted differently, your mileage may vary.
Ages 0-6 or 7.
*Oh, wait, no it's not un-feminist of me. Because I am a rabid feminist but also adore men, love kissing, and am also a romantic. So boo-yah!
P.S. EDIT UPDATE: Just showed this book to my (adult) friend and she said that the reason the prince doesn't recognize Cinderella is because when they were talking, she had her space helmet on. I'm not buying it - it was see-through and she should have been clearly visible, but if you want to give Underwood the benefit of the doubt, there's an excuse you could use.
January 27, 2025
2015 review:
The illustrations are gorgeous and unique, the message of the story is positive, and it's original. What not to like? The rhymes in the story sometimes seem forced, but it's still a terrific book, and I greatly appreciate the following three things which are rare to find in girl power books.
1. The book takes for granted that it makes perfect sense for a young girl to be interested in fixing rockets, and wastes no time carrying on about inferior girls who don't like rockets or people who don't think girls should be involved in said activity. The message isn't "some people think girls can't be intelligent and capable, so we wrote this book to make sure you feel empowered." Instead, it just assumes that girls are intelligent and capable and leaves it at that. It's refreshing.
2. It actually stands as a good story by itself and isn't too message-driven to tolerate.
3. The book does not try to teach girls that boys are oppressive or unnecessary, but just lets the boy and girl interact in a natural way. The story ends without a marriage because Cinderella is too young, not because she laughs in the boy's face and tells him she's an independent woman who doesn't want to tie herself down with a dumb male who can't help himself. The prince character is treated respectfully and does not send the message to young girls that men are deplorable or inferior. They're people too, and I appreciated that this book wasn't out to empower one gender by tearing down the other.
2022 review:
I love this book and wanted to read it for my space-themed storytimes this week, but it was too lengthy for the little kids in my Thursday morning one, and my first Saturday group was mostly babies and toddlers as well. In my last storytime, I only had a few people, but they were very focused, so I swapped out my shorter book for this one at the last minute, and they loved it! The parents liked it best of all. I loved seeing their faces light up and hearing their gasps at unexpected moments, and the dad said at the end, "That was a great book!"
2023: I read this for Royal Storytime for the second year in a row, and parents and kids really enjoyed it! This is one of my favorite picture books published in the last several years, and it was so fun to share it again.
The illustrations are gorgeous and unique, the message of the story is positive, and it's original. What not to like? The rhymes in the story sometimes seem forced, but it's still a terrific book, and I greatly appreciate the following three things which are rare to find in girl power books.
1. The book takes for granted that it makes perfect sense for a young girl to be interested in fixing rockets, and wastes no time carrying on about inferior girls who don't like rockets or people who don't think girls should be involved in said activity. The message isn't "some people think girls can't be intelligent and capable, so we wrote this book to make sure you feel empowered." Instead, it just assumes that girls are intelligent and capable and leaves it at that. It's refreshing.
2. It actually stands as a good story by itself and isn't too message-driven to tolerate.
3. The book does not try to teach girls that boys are oppressive or unnecessary, but just lets the boy and girl interact in a natural way. The story ends without a marriage because Cinderella is too young, not because she laughs in the boy's face and tells him she's an independent woman who doesn't want to tie herself down with a dumb male who can't help himself. The prince character is treated respectfully and does not send the message to young girls that men are deplorable or inferior. They're people too, and I appreciated that this book wasn't out to empower one gender by tearing down the other.
2022 review:
I love this book and wanted to read it for my space-themed storytimes this week, but it was too lengthy for the little kids in my Thursday morning one, and my first Saturday group was mostly babies and toddlers as well. In my last storytime, I only had a few people, but they were very focused, so I swapped out my shorter book for this one at the last minute, and they loved it! The parents liked it best of all. I loved seeing their faces light up and hearing their gasps at unexpected moments, and the dad said at the end, "That was a great book!"
2023: I read this for Royal Storytime for the second year in a row, and parents and kids really enjoyed it! This is one of my favorite picture books published in the last several years, and it was so fun to share it again.
July 29, 2017
Another Cinderella story and what a story!
Who in the world would have imagined that Cinderella could live in a different planet, in space and still had the same problems caused by stepmother and stepsisters!
Brilliantly put and well written.
Who in the world would have imagined that Cinderella could live in a different planet, in space and still had the same problems caused by stepmother and stepsisters!
Brilliantly put and well written.
November 13, 2015
The whole family is reading all these Goodreads Children's Illustrated book nominees for 2015 and rating all of them. This is #20 of 20 for us!!!
We're done!
This was probably our second highest rated book overall, with three five star ratings. Only Princess and the Pony had more (five) five star ratings, which I voted for as best picture book of the year. But this was close, and I was the only one who didn't absolutely LOVE it quite as much as everyone else. But I did really, really like it a really lot! And I have to say it was one of the two freshest and most original (with the Pony book), with both having strong girl characters working in a genre (Pony features a girl power girl who wants to be a knight in medieval England, and Cinderella is a mashup of fairytale and sci fi). Both are funny and feature real surprises and goofy good and entertaining art.
Get this: Cinderella in this story doesn't want to marry the prince, she wants to be his mechanic! She doesn't leave her slipper at the ball, she leaves her screwdriver and the test he sets up is who can fix his rocket ship. Funny, right? It is! A fractured feminist tale for kids.
Dave 4.5 stars (but will bump it up to an overall 5 for the fam)
Tara 5 stars (Tara is an electrician, so duh... .)
Harry (10) 4 stars
Henry (9) 5 stars
Lyra (8) 5 stars
We're done!
This was probably our second highest rated book overall, with three five star ratings. Only Princess and the Pony had more (five) five star ratings, which I voted for as best picture book of the year. But this was close, and I was the only one who didn't absolutely LOVE it quite as much as everyone else. But I did really, really like it a really lot! And I have to say it was one of the two freshest and most original (with the Pony book), with both having strong girl characters working in a genre (Pony features a girl power girl who wants to be a knight in medieval England, and Cinderella is a mashup of fairytale and sci fi). Both are funny and feature real surprises and goofy good and entertaining art.
Get this: Cinderella in this story doesn't want to marry the prince, she wants to be his mechanic! She doesn't leave her slipper at the ball, she leaves her screwdriver and the test he sets up is who can fix his rocket ship. Funny, right? It is! A fractured feminist tale for kids.
Dave 4.5 stars (but will bump it up to an overall 5 for the fam)
Tara 5 stars (Tara is an electrician, so duh... .)
Harry (10) 4 stars
Henry (9) 5 stars
Lyra (8) 5 stars
August 14, 2021
"Once upon a planetoid,
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets."
This was sweetest little picture book! The rhymes were fun to read aloud and the images that filled each page were vibrant and detailed. It reworked the original tale of Cinderella but set it in space. It followed a similar format to the original, only Cinderella left behind a tool rather than a slipper and her ending was a far more independent one. I loved the message this delivered and adored the fun read it immediately proved to be.
amid her tools and sprockets,
a girl named Cinderella dreamed
of fixing fancy rockets."
This was sweetest little picture book! The rhymes were fun to read aloud and the images that filled each page were vibrant and detailed. It reworked the original tale of Cinderella but set it in space. It followed a similar format to the original, only Cinderella left behind a tool rather than a slipper and her ending was a far more independent one. I loved the message this delivered and adored the fun read it immediately proved to be.
October 10, 2015
The cutest girl power book for children!
Cinderella loves to fix things, but her real dream is to fix fancy ships.
When the time comes for the Prince's Ball, as the story always goes, Cinderella is forbidden to attend. But with the help of her Fairy Godrobot, and the faithful company of her robotic mouse Murgatroyd, Cinderella saves the day and achieves her dreams!
April 27, 2016
Great concept (girl spaceship mechanic), the main character's spunky appearance is also excellent, the illustrations are very colorful and the rhymes are often charming, but occasionally forced. The problem is that the book is about ten pages too short, leaving aside depth of characters, how they interrelate, and the basic coherence of the story. Thank goodness we all know the underlying story.
October 5, 2015
Yes to cool chicks who like space, robots, and fixing things. Yes to rhyming text that flows smoothly and doesn't compromise interesting vocabulary. Yes to a twist on a classic fairy tale that has big pictures for a group share and isn't overly long. And yes to the just-right ending!
November 16, 2018
The comparisons to Marissa Meyer's Cinder are going to be inevitable... although, I have to say, I think I enjoyed this picture book more than I did the novel! Cinderella lives with her stepmother and stepsisters (who look vaguely Asian, which further reminded me of Meyer's book) on a planetoid where she acts as a household mechanic. Her best friend is a robot mouse named Murgatroyd. Despite her stepfamily's best attempts, she ends up going to the Royal Space Parade, where she ends up talking shop with the prince. Because who doesn't like a woman who can fix your spaceship? Aside from the setting (and the fact that it's a socket wrench rather than a shoe that the prince is trying to match to its owner), this is a fairly classic version of the story. Well... maybe not the ending; I quite liked that, as it provided a much-needed (and logical) update.
The illustrations are fun and colourful, with a retro sort of feel. You do need to pay careful attention to them, however, or you'll miss things. (For example, I didn't understand why Cinderella cried, "My toolbox!" until I saw that one of the stepsisters had snatched it; the theft wasn't mentioned in the text.) The whole story is written in rhyming verse, which isn't clunky at all (no small feat) and would be easy to read out loud.
I quite enjoyed this picture book. It would be a great addition to a fairy-tale library, as it offers a bit of a modern take on an old favourite, encouraging girls to enter STEM fields and implying that it's okay not to pair off with the first boy who shows an interest. This is a great fairy-tale retelling to keep kids satisfied until they're old enough to read books like Cinder for themselves.
Quotable moment:
The illustrations are fun and colourful, with a retro sort of feel. You do need to pay careful attention to them, however, or you'll miss things. (For example, I didn't understand why Cinderella cried, "My toolbox!" until I saw that one of the stepsisters had snatched it; the theft wasn't mentioned in the text.) The whole story is written in rhyming verse, which isn't clunky at all (no small feat) and would be easy to read out loud.
I quite enjoyed this picture book. It would be a great addition to a fairy-tale library, as it offers a bit of a modern take on an old favourite, encouraging girls to enter STEM fields and implying that it's okay not to pair off with the first boy who shows an interest. This is a great fairy-tale retelling to keep kids satisfied until they're old enough to read books like Cinder for themselves.
Quotable moment:
February 13, 2016
This was one of my Christmas presents from me boyfriend! Thanks dear!
I have been meaning to read this book for some time. Fairy Tale Retellings? Check! Awesome art? Check! Original/creative idea? Check! It had all the makings of being an epic picture book, and after reading it, I can definitely say that it is that and more. This Cinderella retelling is now my favourite of all that are out there.
This Cinderella kicks butt, knows how to fix stuff, isn’t afraid to learn new things, even if that means cleaning/fixing other stuff first and read a big hefty book at night to learn all those new skills.
Most of the story is just the same as the original, just with Space as a theme. The stepsisters + stepmother are still evil as hell, there is a ball, there is a godmother (just all new and shiny), the prince is looking for the one who disappeared at midnight (though this time he was looking for her because she helped him out, and not because she left a slipper).
The ending however was totally different, the decision that Cinderella made there fitted totally with this story. Of course I won’t spoil anything, but I do have to say that I really liked and that I was clapping. Of course, I still kind of hope that it will be a bit different, but who knows. :)
The art is gorgeous, Cinderella looks fantastic, the backgrounds are colourful and detailed. Really, it was like I was just standing next to Cinderella at times, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.
The cover really is amazing and I love the inside pages at the beginning and ending(before you start the story).
Would I recommend this book? Heck yes!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I have been meaning to read this book for some time. Fairy Tale Retellings? Check! Awesome art? Check! Original/creative idea? Check! It had all the makings of being an epic picture book, and after reading it, I can definitely say that it is that and more. This Cinderella retelling is now my favourite of all that are out there.
This Cinderella kicks butt, knows how to fix stuff, isn’t afraid to learn new things, even if that means cleaning/fixing other stuff first and read a big hefty book at night to learn all those new skills.
Most of the story is just the same as the original, just with Space as a theme. The stepsisters + stepmother are still evil as hell, there is a ball, there is a godmother (just all new and shiny), the prince is looking for the one who disappeared at midnight (though this time he was looking for her because she helped him out, and not because she left a slipper).
The ending however was totally different, the decision that Cinderella made there fitted totally with this story. Of course I won’t spoil anything, but I do have to say that I really liked and that I was clapping. Of course, I still kind of hope that it will be a bit different, but who knows. :)
The art is gorgeous, Cinderella looks fantastic, the backgrounds are colourful and detailed. Really, it was like I was just standing next to Cinderella at times, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.
The cover really is amazing and I love the inside pages at the beginning and ending(before you start the story).
Would I recommend this book? Heck yes!
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 7, 2015
This story made me sad.
OK, I get it. Girl power and all that. We don't need romance or to marry a prince, we just need a useful career where we make a difference and gain a feeling of fulfillment. This book is full of just that.
So somewhere romance died and we missed the funeral. I'm disturbed by the constant feminist agenda being shoved down the throats of children in the name of political correctness.
While this book delivers on the premise - the rhymes work, art is fun and colorful, the whole book engaging - I just don't like books with an agenda - and I don't care if that agenda is to the left or the right. Anytime the message is that heavy handed I'm going to be unhappy with the book. A book doesn't need to shout to be heard, and that's the mistake far too many authors make.
I'll give this three stars for the effort and the artwork, but I can't do any better than that on this one.
OK, I get it. Girl power and all that. We don't need romance or to marry a prince, we just need a useful career where we make a difference and gain a feeling of fulfillment. This book is full of just that.
So somewhere romance died and we missed the funeral. I'm disturbed by the constant feminist agenda being shoved down the throats of children in the name of political correctness.
While this book delivers on the premise - the rhymes work, art is fun and colorful, the whole book engaging - I just don't like books with an agenda - and I don't care if that agenda is to the left or the right. Anytime the message is that heavy handed I'm going to be unhappy with the book. A book doesn't need to shout to be heard, and that's the mistake far too many authors make.
I'll give this three stars for the effort and the artwork, but I can't do any better than that on this one.
April 4, 2020
Good sci-fi adaptation of Cinderella!
July 7, 2021
3.5 stars. This is definitely a book to recommend to anyone who is looking for Cinderella retellings.
July 2, 2018
It's a pink-haired Cinderella as a mechanic, on planetoids and in spaceships. She has a robot pet mouse and a fairy godrobot. She's always fixing stuff. What's not to like?
I found the 'Interstellar Cinderella' picture book to be more interesting and inventive (get it?) than the YA novel 'Cinder', which features a cyborg Cinderella who is also a mechanic.
'Interstellar Cinderella' is cute, colourful, fun, and full of good rhymes and bits and bobs on every page. The sci-fi, intergalactic twist on the overused classic tale is executed creatively. It even gives a good reason for why the prince (who is a POC here) doesn’t recognize Cinderella after their first meeting (in this version they never get to the ball; she fixes his ship and they spend time admiring gizmos together) - she was wearing a space helmet and goggles. Her glass slipper is substituted for a sonic socket wrench - the prince will find his dream girl based on her skills as a mechanic!
'Interstellar Cinderella' is rather potholed at points; even for a short picture book, it skips and jumps forward in the story far too much. The fairy godrobot only appears on one page as well.
Still, Cinderella herself is a very likable protagonist. I love how her dream of being a mechanic doesn't change throughout. She studies hard, and always finds opportunities to fix things - even big starships - and in the end she is appreciated and rewarded for her efforts. A great message for everyone to hear, not just little girls who are into what is typically "boy's stuff".
Cinderella in this story is useful to everyone she comes across, and is a joy to be with. She does what she does because she wants to, and she is especially resourceful with her tools.
With this, 'Ella Enchanted', and the film 'Ever After', by broadening my horizons more and more, I'm growing to like what was once my least favourite princess fairy tale. 'Interstellar Cinderella' is a gem all right.
Final Score: 4/5
I found the 'Interstellar Cinderella' picture book to be more interesting and inventive (get it?) than the YA novel 'Cinder', which features a cyborg Cinderella who is also a mechanic.
'Interstellar Cinderella' is cute, colourful, fun, and full of good rhymes and bits and bobs on every page. The sci-fi, intergalactic twist on the overused classic tale is executed creatively. It even gives a good reason for why the prince (who is a POC here) doesn’t recognize Cinderella after their first meeting (in this version they never get to the ball; she fixes his ship and they spend time admiring gizmos together) - she was wearing a space helmet and goggles. Her glass slipper is substituted for a sonic socket wrench - the prince will find his dream girl based on her skills as a mechanic!
'Interstellar Cinderella' is rather potholed at points; even for a short picture book, it skips and jumps forward in the story far too much. The fairy godrobot only appears on one page as well.
Still, Cinderella herself is a very likable protagonist. I love how her dream of being a mechanic doesn't change throughout. She studies hard, and always finds opportunities to fix things - even big starships - and in the end she is appreciated and rewarded for her efforts. A great message for everyone to hear, not just little girls who are into what is typically "boy's stuff".
Cinderella in this story is useful to everyone she comes across, and is a joy to be with. She does what she does because she wants to, and she is especially resourceful with her tools.
With this, 'Ella Enchanted', and the film 'Ever After', by broadening my horizons more and more, I'm growing to like what was once my least favourite princess fairy tale. 'Interstellar Cinderella' is a gem all right.
Final Score: 4/5
December 11, 2015
I keep hearing this book thrown around, uttered in the same breath as "feminist". This doesn't make any sense to me. This is just a sci-fi retelling of Cinderella in which the only difference is that Cinderella says she's too young for marriage, but will be his chief mechanic. To me, that was her saying, we'll still be friends and when I get older, our relationship might lead to marriage, but I'm not ready for it right now. How exactly is that "feminist"? That's just normal behavior, especially considering that she's really too young to get married. There's no agenda behind it, to me anyways.
Anyways, super cute and the illustrations look like Disney concept art, which should come as no surprise, since the illustrator has worked for Disney, Pixar, and assorted other animation companies.
Anyways, super cute and the illustrations look like Disney concept art, which should come as no surprise, since the illustrator has worked for Disney, Pixar, and assorted other animation companies.
September 5, 2015
this is so cute
guys it's a story where cinderella fixes the prince's ship at the interstellar ball and when he asks to marry her says they're too young but she'll totally be his royal mechanic
it's so cute
4 stars
guys it's a story where cinderella fixes the prince's ship at the interstellar ball and when he asks to marry her says they're too young but she'll totally be his royal mechanic
it's so cute
4 stars
November 19, 2017
Girl power + space science = Interstellar Cinderella (a sci-fi masterpiece for all ages)
November 16, 2017
A lovely and quirky twist to the Cinderella story we know. I really appreciate the ending.
July 27, 2022
Read for my toddler at Nashville library during vacation.
April 12, 2019
In this Sci-Fi version of the fairy tale, Cinderella is a spaceship mechanic and there's a socket wrench (a tool for repairs) instead of a glass slipper that'll assist the prince in identifying her, but it's a pretty straight retelling. I found it preachy, it makes it too obvious it's trying to indoctrinate through subverting classic elements that don't meet the same metaphorical points as the original tale's, and the artwork was bland and rather cartoony. Rather as if it were a dumbed-down summary of Marissa Meyer's Cinder with stick-figure drawings.
July 30, 2015
This is quite possibly the best children's picture book I have ever read. I have completely fallen in love with Meg Hunt's artistry. Seriously, anything she illustrates I will read, no hesitation.
The story itself was so cute, and I loved the morals behind it...the ending was just too perfect. This book took me back to my childhood more than any picture book has before. I will hold on to this book not only for myself, but also in the hopes that I get to share it with a little one someday.
The story itself was so cute, and I loved the morals behind it...the ending was just too perfect. This book took me back to my childhood more than any picture book has before. I will hold on to this book not only for myself, but also in the hopes that I get to share it with a little one someday.
April 22, 2017
So, if anyone is looking for a cute girl power children's book, I just read Interstellar Cinderella, and it was darling. Set in space, this rhyming version of the classic tale has Cinderella winning the prince over not with her looks but with her abilities as a mechanic. It was a fun read that even my boys enjoyed.
December 22, 2016
Read for Second Grade Field Trips and the kids were hooked from the start. A few groans from the word Cinderella, but those were squashed with a simple, "yeah, but it's in space!" I think the teachers like this one too.
March 26, 2015
What a truly original (and feminist) take on Cinderella! That ending was divine!
"I'm far too young for marriage, but I'll be your chief mechanic!"
Ahahhahahahaha.
"I'm far too young for marriage, but I'll be your chief mechanic!"
Ahahhahahahaha.
August 13, 2017
Cinderella, rock on with your bad self. I love the message of girl power in this futuristic version of a beloved fairy tale.
September 27, 2015
A Cinderella story for today's girls that boys will be able to stomach as well. I also love the message that happily ever after doesn't always have to mean marriage.
February 2, 2023
Ages 3-5
January 9, 2018
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hey there, everyone! Today’s book is an awesome girl-power twist on a classic children’s story: Interstellar Cinderella, written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Meg Hunt, a sci-fi spin on the Cinderella tale.
Cinderella dreams of one day being a ship’s mechanic. Every day, she toils for her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, fixing their robots around the house, but by night she reads manuals and dreams of repairing rockets. With a little help from her fairy Godrobot, she is able to attend the royal rocket parade and, while there, impresses the prince when his rocketship breaks down. They talk about ships until midnight, when she dashes home. Hoping to find the girl with the mechanical know-how, the prince sets out to test the skills of the ladies of the land – but will Cinderella’s wicked stepmother keep her from proving her worth?
We LOVED this book. It’s a perfect update on the Cinderella tale, with a heroine who is capable, talented, and far more than just pretty (the prince falls for her without ever seeing her face, due to her spacesuit)! I especially loved that it was Cinderella’s mechanical skills that prove her identity, not just a shoe fitting. And lastly, I loved that romance was not the focus: after the prince proposes, Cinderella politely declines, saying that she is far too young to be married. She instead asks to be his chief mechanic, which he happily accepts. It shows young readers that their dreams beyond love or marriage are valid, important and achievable. Add in some gorgeously colorful graphic art illustrations, a fantastic length for all ages, fun rhyming text, and the fact that JJ loved it, and this one is emphatically Baby Bookworm approved!
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
March 22, 2020
Fairy-tale meets space opera in this delightful picture-book, with rhyming text and colorful artwork combining with marvelous effect. In this telling, Cinderella is mechanically inclined, and dreams of repairing space ships. When her stepmother and sisters leave her behind on the day of the Prince's Royal Space Parade, Cinderella's fairy godrobot appears to save the day, providing her with the sonic socket wrench needed to repair her ship and get to the parade. Once there, she makes a big impression, fixing the prince's spaceship as well - a skill the prince will use to identify her again, when he must search for his fleeing love. But does this Cinderella want to be a bride, or does she have other dreams…?
As someone who enjoys both Star Trek-style science fiction, and fairy-tale fare of all kind, I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy Interstellar Cinderella, which I found charming. I found the colorful artwork appealing, and think the rhyming text would make for an excellent read-aloud. The re-invention here of the eponymous character as a mechanic, rather than a maid, felt both natural and inspired, and I particularly appreciated the conclusion, in which Cinderella declares that ! Recommended to all fairy-tale lovers, particularly those who enjoy fractured retellings
As someone who enjoys both Star Trek-style science fiction, and fairy-tale fare of all kind, I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy Interstellar Cinderella, which I found charming. I found the colorful artwork appealing, and think the rhyming text would make for an excellent read-aloud. The re-invention here of the eponymous character as a mechanic, rather than a maid, felt both natural and inspired, and I particularly appreciated the conclusion, in which Cinderella declares that ! Recommended to all fairy-tale lovers, particularly those who enjoy fractured retellings
February 28, 2018
I love this retelling of Cinderella! Cinderella and her mouse, Murgatroyd, live on a planetoid in space. Instead of sweeping the chimney, Interstellar Cinderella is a robot mechanic in a beautiful spacesuit who leaves her socket wrench behind at the Gravity-Free Ball. She refuses marriage ("I'm far too young for marriage" but agrees to "be your chief mechanic!" What a positive story for young girls and boys alike. The rhyming aspect and bright illustrations would make this an excellent read-aloud story.
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