Just Ella

Just Ella
Margaret Peterson Haddix

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999

Annotation: Life as a princess after rags and tatters seems like a dream come true. So what happens if the dream that you've always wanted turns out to be something you don't really want? Ella relates her Cinderella tale by showing the real means to her survival. She had no fairy Godmother to get her into the castle walls and now she doesn't need one to get out. She finds life to be a dull and senseless routine of being unable to express ideas and free thought as a woman. In addition, she has met her match in strength. But not in her true love the prince, but rather the governess figure in her life, Madame Bisset. Bisset is a woman who, for all her charms and lady-like mannerisms, grew up amongst the poor and less fortunate. Yet, like Ella, she has built a place for herself in the castle and won't let Ella's unhappiness keep her from staying. In the battle of the wills, and finding love in Prince Charming's tutor rather than the prince himself, it's the greatest test of strength to find out if Ella or Bisset will prevail in the end. Does Ella get to be a princess forever or will she follow a new dream by aiding the refugees of war at a camp outside the kingdom?

Reason for Recommendation: This was a complete twist on the Cinderella tale. Haddix did not try to recreate the story as it was, but rather looked at it from a practical angle. Ella has the chance of a lifetime and the dream of any young girl to ride off into the night, but she must learn the hard way that love must be deserved and earned and not given upon meeting. She also learns that a the riches don't make the prince and a heart of gold isn't inherited.

Genre: Romance/Extra Credit