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

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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?

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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! 

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Beauty Queen

From Goodreads:    The magical seventh installment in this NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!

This time, the magic mirror sucks Abby and Jonah into the story of Beauty and the Beast. When Jonah angers the Beast by picking flowers from his garden, he becomes the Beast's prisoner! Abby has to save her brother by finding Beauty, whom the Beast will surely fall in love with, right? NOPE. The Beast doesn't like Beauty, so it's up to Abby and her brother to match-make this reluctant pair and fix this fractured fairy tale before things get pretty ugly!

My Thoughts:

-    I thought this was going to be about Sleeping Beauty, but we already had that fairy tale, and she is holding a rose on the cover. Duh!

-    This was a really cute story. I'm always delightfully surprised with these books.

-    Ha! I love the twist towards the end!

-    I love Beauty and Mr. Beast. Their characters are really fun and very unconventional.

-    The ending is so great! I love that these stories play on the original fairy tale, but the characters get a happy endings in very different ways.

-    I like that we get little hints about Maryrose with each book. I wish the hints were tad bigger though! The curiosity is killing me!

-    For middle grade, these are pretty good, and I'm excited for my daughter to read them. 

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Beauty and the Beast

Goodreads Says:    Prince Alexander has been turned into a werewolf and has one year to find someone to love the beast and break the spell, or he will be a wolf forever. He has nearly given up achieving the impossible, knowing no girl would ever fall in love with such a monster.













My Thoughts:

-    Terrible take on Beauty and the Beast! This is one of the worst retellings I've read.

-    The romance was ridiculous, sappy, and very childish. I just kept rolling my eyes at the horrible dialogue and thoughts.

-    The book seemed choppy. The scenes didn't flow very well, and things seemed so disjointed.

-    I hated getting beat over the head with the moral! Enough!! I get it!!

-    I usually love fairy tale retellings, and I was looking forward to this one, but I was really disappointed, and I won't be continuing with the series.

Cold as Ice

Goodreads Says:    The magical sixth installment in this NEW YORK TIMES bestselling series!

Brrrrrrrr. This fairy tale is FREEZING!

Even though my brother and I had decided to stay away from the magic mirror, our puppy had other plans -- he bounded right in. What choice did we have but to go in after him? 

When we land in a winter wonderland, we realize we must be in the story of The Snow Queen. And this fairy tale is nothing like the movie. This Snow Queen is super-mean, and she turns our dog into an ice sculpture!

To get home we'll have to: 
- Defrost our furry friend
- Ride a very chatty reindeer
- Learn to ice-skate
- Escape from a band of robbers

And if we're not careful . . . we could end up frozen ourselves!

My Thoughts:

-    I thought Beauty and the Beast was supposed to be next? I guess Frozen/The Snow Queen was too much to resist writing about.

-    I'm glad the fairy tale twists are based on the original fairy tales and not Disney's version.

-    As usual, this was cute, fun, and humorous. This was a clever twist on The Snow Queen, and I'm sure my daughter will enjoy this.

-    I love that Abbey admitted to being bossy! I complained about that in the last book, and she fessed up to it. Abbey is definitely improving in that department.

-    I liked the Frozen references, and I liked that Abbey and Jonah realize and acknowledge the differences in the Frozen and the original story.

-    I love that the goal in this story was to save the dog! 

-    I think I keep reading these because the characters are endearing, the lessons are good ones, and I find these a light, fun, and cute read.

-    I wonder what will happen in the next books, the ending had a little twist/surprise, and I'm not sure how this will play out. The fairy in the mirror intrigues me. I want to meet her! What is her plan for Abbey and Jonah?

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Bad Hair Day

Goodreads Synopsis:    After a tough day at school, I am NOT in a good mood. The perfect pick-me-up? A trip through our magic mirror! When my brother and I -- plus our new dog -- end up in the story of Rapunzel, we can't resist climbing her hair. Oh no! Her smooth locks suddenly look like they've been attacked by a cheese grater. Maybe a trim will help...Snip, snip. SNIP. Oops. Now Rapunzel's hair is too short and we're trapped!

So we have to:
-Find the tower's secret door
-Avoid getting swallowed by a giant spider
-Locate Pickles (aka the prince)
-Reunite Rapunzel with her parents

If we don't untangle this knotty tale soon, we could be stuck in this mess for good!

My Thoughts:

-    I thought it was funny that Abbey kept messing things up. Usually Jonah is the trouble maker, and he did a couple dumb things, but Abbey is the one who really screws up in this one.

-    Abbey is a little bossy for a 10 year old. It bugs me sometimes, but on the flip side, she gets things done.

-    Maryrose intrigues me. I wonder what she has in store for Abbey and Jonah.

-    I like the twist on Rapunzel for this one, especially since Abbey and Jonah ruin Rapunzel's hair. I thought that was hilarious. I also think Rapunzel and Pickles' happy ending is awesome.

-    I still think these are cute, but I'm getting a little burnt out on them. I think i need to take a break from the fluff reads.

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