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A review by beautifulminutiae
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
4.0
3.5 stars
I really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling. It follows Ella after the prince finds her and brings her back to the palace. Ella quickly discovers that royal life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be and that infatuation isn’t love.
I love her spunk and how she thought for herself. The way this book debunks love at first sight and knowing true love is awesome!
My biggest gripe is that it’s marketed as middle grade, but briefly reference sex and rape multiple times, which feels a little mature for that age range. Ella is 15, so I think this could pass for YA, but it’s pretty short and lacks some of the depth you might find in a YA. It straddles that line and I wouldn’t be comfortable passing this off to my daughter. Then again, she’s the younger end of MG, so maybe 12 year olds would be fine? I guess that’s up to parental discussion, but I like to put those warning in reviews for middle grade books, in case other parents might have issues with it like I did.
I really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling. It follows Ella after the prince finds her and brings her back to the palace. Ella quickly discovers that royal life isn’t what it’s cracked up to be and that infatuation isn’t love.
I love her spunk and how she thought for herself. The way this book debunks love at first sight and knowing true love is awesome!
My biggest gripe is that it’s marketed as middle grade, but briefly reference sex and rape multiple times, which feels a little mature for that age range. Ella is 15, so I think this could pass for YA, but it’s pretty short and lacks some of the depth you might find in a YA. It straddles that line and I wouldn’t be comfortable passing this off to my daughter. Then again, she’s the younger end of MG, so maybe 12 year olds would be fine? I guess that’s up to parental discussion, but I like to put those warning in reviews for middle grade books, in case other parents might have issues with it like I did.