Seeing Red

Title:  Seeing Red

Author:  Sarah Mlynowski

Series:  Whatever After #12

Publisher:  Scholastic Press

Date Published:  October 30, 2018

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    I read this aloud to Gnome. We enjoy reading this series together. 

-    Abby and Jonah's Nana is visiting them. Their Nana loves telling them fairy tales for bedtime stories. When Abby gets invited to a sleepover, Nana says she can't go because she wants to spend time with family. Abby is upset and tries to get around the situation by going through the magic mirror. Of course it doesn't work, and Abby and Jonah end up in Little Red Riding Hood's story. 

-    I always love the twists Mlynowski comes up with. They are so clever and improve the original stories by making them more modern and forward thinking.

-    There aren't a lot of stories about grandkids and their relationship with their grandparents, so I really liked that aspect in this book.

-    I don't know if I'd enjoy these books as much if I read them myself. They are definitely too young for me, but they are perfect read-a-loud books. TBH, Gnome is probably outgrowing these books as well, but we still love reading them. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Previous Books in the Series: 

    
    

    

(Covers are linked)

p.s. I could not figure out how to fix the spacing issue on the last three book covers. If you have a solution, please let me know.

Abby in Wonderland

Title:  Abby in Wonderland

Author:  Sarah Mlynowski

Series:  Whatever After #10.5

Publisher:  Scholastic Press

Date Published:  September 17, 2017

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fairy Tale Retelling

Rating:  ★★★★☆

My Thoughts: 

-    Abby usually visits fairy tales through the magic mirror in her basement, but this time she falls into a giant hole on a golf course, and instead of her brother and dog accompanying her, her two best friends and sort of enemy falls into the hole with her. Abby and her friends have to wander through Wonderland and figure out how to get back home. Abby also has to deal with Penny, who isn't her most favorite person. 

-    I like that Abby and Penny learn that they have more in common than they think. I also really like that Abby learns why Penny acts the way she does. It is a good lesson to learn. Often times, the mean kids at school are struggling in some way, and they are just acting out because they don't know how else to behave. 

-    I loved all the Wonderland characters. I am a sucker for Wonderland stories. It's whimsical setting and characters are delightful. 

-    Gnome and I enjoyed reading this together. We laughed and had a lot of fun. 

Previous Whatever After Books

(covers are linked to my thoughts on each book)

  
  
  

Sugar and Spice

Goodreads Says:    That's the way the cookie crumbles!

Yum! Our magic mirror has dropped me and my brother, Jonah, into the story of Hansel and Gretel. If we're lucky, we may even get to taste the cake-house...

But we didn't count on accidentally getting trapped. The real Hansel and Gretel are on the run, and Jonah and I have taken their place. And the witch is making a kid casserole for dinner... 

Now we have to:
- Avoid being eaten 
- Pretend our dog is a cat
- Learn to make kale smoothies
- Befriend a talking duck 

Or we may never make it back to our home sweet home!

My Thoughts:

-    I usually get sick of a series after so many books, but even though this is the 10th book, I'm still enjoying them. 

-    There is something really charming and refreshing about these books. They are fun and quick to read, and it is a nice break from my usual reads.

-    I love the fun and inventive twists on classic fairy tales. This one had a pretty funny twist in the end. I liked it.

-    I'm still very curious about Mary Rose. When are we going to get more of her story?

-    I thought it was interesting that this is the first book in the series that hasn't done a fairy tale that has been an animated Disney movie. 

Previous Whatever After Books

(covers are linked to my thoughts)

  
  
  

Genie in a Bottle

From Goodreads:    Abby and her little brother, Jonah, have a magic mirror in their basement that takes them to different fairy tales -- which they always wind up messing up. But sometimes, it's for the better: Snow White doesn't eat the apple, Cinderella gets a job she loves, etc. In this enchanting ninth installment, the siblings fall into the story of Aladdin. They're excited to be in this world of magic carpets and genies ... but making three wishes isn't so easy, and soon hilarities and hijinks ensue! These books are feminist fairy tales for a new generation.





My Thoughts:

-    This book wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. I liked it, but it is one of those books that sits right in the middle of a rating scale. It is enjoyable, but I think I'm getting burnt out on this series.

-    I really liked the twist on genie in this book. It was fun to see the genie learn new tricks, and she had a fun personality.

-    Aladdin seemed really young. I felt like he wasn't much older than Abbey.

-    The story was a fun play on the original story. I never know how things will change in these stories, but I'm always pleased.

-    I'm still curious about Maryrose and what happened to her. Will I ever get to find out? Does this series end?

Previous Whatever After Books

(covers are linked to my thoughts)

  
  
 

Once Upon a Frog

Goodreads Says:    Ribbit ribbit! Siblings Abby and Jonah are in for a surprise when the magic mirror in their basement pulls them into the classic story of The Frog Prince. Abby knows how the tale goes: the princess kisses the frog, and he transforms into a handsome prince. Right? WRONG. Turns out the princess is spoiled and mean, and wants nothing to do with the kindly little frog. It's up to Abby and Jonah to help their new friend, the frog, while also making sure the story doesn't spin out of control. But things are never easy when you're fracturing fairy tales!

My Thoughts:

-    I'm starting to wonder if this series is ever going to end, and if I'm ever going to find out what is up with Maryrose.

-    I liked all the different methods Abby and Jonah used to try to turn the frog back into a prince, especially throwing him around. Ha!

-    I love that these retellings are a spin off the original fairy tale and not the Disney version, and I also love that the Disney movies are referenced. (Princess and the Frog is a stupid movie though, and I wish Disney had done a better job.)

-    The twists in these retellings are clever and fun. Despite there being a bunch of books in this series, I'm still enjoying them. 

-    I liked that the characters were not what they seemed at first. The message of getting to know someone before casting judgement was a good one! 

Previous Whatever After Books

(covers are linked to my thoughts)