A modern version of the Cinderella story where Cinderella makes a friend who stands up for her. She talks to the stepmother and her daughters about how awful they are being. And talks her out of wanting to marry a man she's never met at the ball. It's a great little tale about fairy tales in the view of modern women and girls.

This was absolutely adorable!I loved the artwork and I loved the story and I really really loved the message. I will definitely read it with my kids and them talk about it. The suggestions for discussion at the end of the book are a perfect addition and very helpful!

an adorable and modern retelling of the classic fairytale cinderella! with an admirable message, lovely eye-catching illustrations, amusing dialogue, and an extremely good message, this is a great book for youngsters!

Cinderella Speaks Up is a kind of silly retelling of Cinderella where she learns to speak up for herself. Kind of. I guess. I'm not sure who this was written for. I think it's for children but in my opinion it's more of a parody that only someone older may enjoy. I also wish there were more explanation for the 'book traveling'. I could easily see this being turned into a graphic novel series of retellings.

This is a cute, modern twist to a classic. Kaita ends up traveling to the past. She meets Ella aka Cinderella and changes her life. Ella stands up for Cinderella and addresses Ella family life, “free labor” issue and much more.

This is a great read for young readers

Ooookay, I loved this! We need more retelling of classics that encourage kindness, empathy, and friendship over competition.

Cinderella Speaks Up by Mari Bolte was a surprising joy to read! I grew up LOVING Cinderella and most variations of it, but I think Mari's modern approach made it so much more delightful. There were moments when I laughed out loud and others when I had admiration for the strength Kaita had in showing Cinderella how to stick for herself and question what she really wants. The graphics were beautiful and added to the story. I loved that there are "Write it Out" and "Talk it Out" sections at the end to encourage kids to develop more critical thinking skills.

Thank you to Capstone, Stone Arch Books for providing me with an ARC.

Omg! This book was awesome! The world needs way, way more books than this one!
A book that shows how, you know, kind of wrong all the old and traditional fairytales are. How they are filled with patriarchal nonsense and that women are in fact more than free labor. And all that was conveyed in a fun way, with beautiful drawings and witty text. Love it! thank you!

I love that there are graphic nobles for kids now they’re such a great way to make reading fun for those who are hesitant about it. It is also a way for readers to get more confident and the reading as the pictures help them understand what is going on as well as the words. I love that she stands up for what she believes in. I liked that even though it was a version of Cinderella it was different than the stereotype. I also liked that there were sections at the end to help start discussion about the book.

I think that this book was a very good modern version of Cinderella. It can teach kids to speak up for their needs and wants, especially when people are being rude/mean. It turned the story of Cinderella into a great message for not only kids but for people of all ages. This is a very different take of this very popular story, and was the first one I've ever read that had Cinderella actually defending herself.

This was a really sweet take on Cinderella. The moral of the story was nice, about standing up for yourself and others when being treated unfairly. And I like how the stepmother and stepsisters were given a chance to recognise their wrong and apologise.

The questions at the end of the book are great for young readers to get them to think and discuss bullying, in turn providing them with an invaluable lesson about life.

I’m definitely not the target audience for this (an almost 21 year old childless adult) but i would be lying if i said i didn’t enjoy it! I especially liked the art style and thought the concept was something i would’ve liked when i was a kid. I don’t know if kids really talk this way tho which is why my rating is 4 stars rather than 5.

I didn't expect this to be so funny and charming, the protagonist, Kaita got a vibrant personnality and just take everything under her responsability only to help the dear Cinderella - no Ella - to be happy again, with unique yet relatable solutions like... a family therapy ? Calling out Ella's daddy was a move I didn't expect and get me invest into the reading, Love the makeover too when Ella choose her gawn herself and talk to the prince.
Hope Kaita will talk to more (Disney) princesses, some of them NEED a bubbly caring outstanding friend like her ! The advice for writing and talking about mentalcare are also appreciated. A very good book ! Thank for the reading !

"Are you magic? Nope. I'm just modern, I guess." This was a really cute take on Cinderella. Everyone got a happily ever after, not just Ella. I liked that the stepmother and stepsisters actually were given the chance to apologize and change. The "Write It Out" and the "Talk It Out" sections had really good prompts, that will make the young readers think and allow them to be creative.

Not really any sort of build-up or explanation to the magical transportation or the family's changes of heart towards Cinderella in a way that I can tell would leave many children asking, "Why? ok but why? and also why?" until the end of time.

Definitely loved this graphic novel! It was so cool seeing her go into the story and modernize it! She said everything all of us are thinking when we see the story of Cinderella! Only reason I gave it 4 stars is because it was way to short! This l is one every kid should read to start understanding life!

This was a cute graphic novel, definitely handy for people who frequently interact with children who could benefit from a graphic novel like this.
The art style is charming!
My points of critique are that this graphic novel doesn't go into the same depths as the original fairytale and that it changed how some of the characters act drastically in favor of getting a message across on just a few pages.

This was a nice book about an alternative, and modern tale of Cinderella. I like the idea behind it - that we can speak up for ourselves and others when people aren't being treated right. It would definitely get a conversation going about how we can stand up for others and apologise when we are wrong, but a part of me really wonders how 'realistic' the book is in reality.
However, what I really liked about it is the lesson ideas at the end, on writing a letter to the characters, and discussing an alternative etc. These are good for schools, especially when we are discussing bullying and identity.

#Gifted I was gifted this book for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The illustration style was strong.
I felt the story was a little rushed but it does make a clear the emotional damage that these characters have and opens up a dialogue on mental health.
I like the confident main character.
Great selection of questions at the end for younger readers.

A really cute graphic novel for beginner readers that takes the traditional tale of Cinderella and pokes holes in it! I loved how the present-day character points out all the really obviously dumb aspects of this story and how we see a far improved version of how things could have gone. The art is expressive and fun, the story very short and simple. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital review copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫