Book Review: Fairest of All by Sarah Mylnowski

Whatever After: Fairest of All
Author: Sarah Mylnowski
Publication: Scholastic Press (May 1, 2012)


Description: A fresh, modern spin on a classic fairy tale--from bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski!

Mirror, mirror, on the basement wall . . .

Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale.

I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.

But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops.

Now it's up to us to:
- Avoid getting poisoned
- Sneak into a castle
- Fix Snow White's story

And then, fingers crossed, find our way home.



My Thoughts: Abby is a girl after my own heart. She is ten, very concerned with fairness, wants to be a judge when she grows up, is a bossy older sister, and prefers her adventures in story books. Also, she loves exclamation points! But when she and her adventurous younger brother Jonah get sucked into a magic mirror in the basement of her old house she has to find a way to save Snow White from her evil stepmother and find her way home too.


Abby wants her stories unchangeable. When Jonah stops Snow from eating the poisoned apple, the story is changed. Abby and Jonah hatch a variety of schemes to make the story follow the pattern they both know but nothing works. The kids have lots of adventures as they travel from the dwarves' cottage to Snow White's castle. Along the way Abby does things she never thought she would be brave enough to do and learns that sometimes change is good.

The story is filled with humor and heart. I recommend it to middle grade fantasy lovers.


Favorite Quote:

"I'm going to throw it!" I yell, feeling a bit sick at the thought. "You'll be covered in burns and blisters! You won't even be the second-fairest in the land! You'll be the first ugliest!"

I received this book for review in exchange for promoting Scholastic's Mother Daughter Book Club. You can buy a copy here.