It’s another month of Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays!

The name Cinderella brings many fond memories of her tale from both young and old. She lived happily ever after…or maybe not as we find out in this imaginative and suspenseful new extension of the original classic.

Come to find out there was another step sister. Tirza (pictured front and center on the cover). Tirza has lived in the castle with Cinderella since her sisters were banished to a far away place. She’s still ashamed at what her family did to Cinderella, now known as Queen Ella. The queen has tried to convince the populace that Tirza is not like the rest of her family.

No one has believed her, especially the King. The situation worsens when those iconic glass slippers are stolen and the number one suspect is Tirza. Despite trying them on Tirza insists she did not steal them. As the tension mounts Tirza seeks out the real thief, but does she believe her sisters or the Queen about the facts they put forth?

The surprising answer is found toward the end of this fast moving story. The first person narration by Tirza is wonderfully engaging. I didn’t begin my reading with much anticipation, but the plot won me over and will appeal to young and old.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: April 5, 2022 PAGE COUNT: 272

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT GLASS SLIPPERS BY Leah Cypress

1. I discovered this is the second in the SISTERS EVER AFTER series following the original THORNWOOD—about Sleeping Beauty’s younger sister. What a great way to capture new readers when they are already familiar with the original character. I hope to see more.
2. There is one boy character, Aiden, who may or may not be Tirza’s friend. Having a male secondary character will add to the appeal for those young readers who always ask me when they see a cover like this—Are there any guy characters in this book? Aiden adds even more mystery to the story.
3. Yes, there are mice but thankfully they aren’t singing in this tale. GLASS SLIPPERS is a mystery and one you’ll constantly be re-guessing who is the real guilty party.
4. Be aware there is blood but not in a way that will scare the intended audience. Its true effect is one of the many twists you will discover.
5. A fairy tale for those who don’t normally read these type of stories. (I’m talking to myself here)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leah Cypess

I wrote my first story in first grade. The narrator was an ice-cream cone in the process of being eaten. In fourth grade, I wrote my first book, about a girl who gets shipwrecked on a desert island with her faithful and heroic dog (a rip-off of both The Black Stallion and all the Lassie movies, very impressive).

After selling my first story (Temple of Stone) while in high school, I gave in to my mother’s importuning to be practical and majored in biology at  Brooklyn College. I then went to Columbia Law School and practiced law for almost two years at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, a large law firm in New York City. I kept writing and submitting in my spare time, and finally, a mere 15 years after my first short story acceptance, I sold my first novel to Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins).

I live in Silver Spring, Maryland (right outside of Washington, D.C.) with my husband and four children.

(For more about Leah visit her author web site)

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Comments are welcome below.