School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Morrison returns to the land of Tyme (Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel) and continues the story with a few of the first novel's characters. Prince Dash Charming, no longer frozen in stone and free from his family's perennial curse of unhappiness in love, is now safely back home in Quintessential, the capital city of Blue Kingdom. But the return is far from joyful. His mother, Queen Maud, has disappeared; his father, the king, struggles to maintain his rule under pressure from prosperous citizens who want to topple the monarchy; and Prince Dash is forced to return to his elite school, where all the students eagerly anticipate his reentry. All except Elegant Coach (Ella), a smart, gifted seamstress from a poor, hardworking family who, for years, toiled in one of the kingdom's factories. Ella is at the school only because her widowed father married a wealthy businesswoman. She finds life unbearable there with classmates who consider her beneath them. When Prince Dash and Ella become partners on a business project, romance blossoms along with plenty of trials for both of them. Morrison has created another fast-moving and vibrant story filled with colorful descriptions of a magical place. Readers who enjoyed the first installment will relish the chance to learn more about Serge, the Blue Fairy, Prince Dash, and other characters from Tyme. New readers who like a fresh approach to traditional fairy tales will appreciate how the author blends themes of magic and modern-day economic justice. VERDICT A fine addition to most middle grade collections and a must-have for fans of the first in the series.-Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State University, NH © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Ella will do anything to revolutionize the unjust garment factories that worked her mother to death--even forming an unlikely alliance with a prince struggling to recover from a curse and a fairy godfather who's almost forgotten how to care. Morrison's second fairy-tale revisioning (Grounded), here of "Cinderella," is bursting with originality and emotionally complex characters in a richly developed, nuanced world. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Disenchanted perfectly describes Ella Coach, who laments her precarious place at Coterie Prep. She's lost among her rich, spoiled, and mean-spirited schoolmates at the exclusive academy. True to the classic Cinderella story, Ella suffers through her father's second marriage, though in this case, she wants nothing more than to return to her mother's birthplace, where she believes all of her problems will be solved. Meanwhile, Prince Dash is lost in a new world, finding himself no longer the victim of a centuries-long curse that forced him to break hearts. Unfortunately, it also forced him to be charming, and without the curse, he simply has no idea how to behave. Meanwhile, at the headquarters of all fairy godparents, executive godfather Serge is somehow sent to Ella while trying to train dramatic fairy Jasper. While not quite as snarkily funny as the companion novel Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel (2015), Morrison's magical descriptions illuminate more of the wide magical world that she's created in Tyme. Engrossing and delightful reading a can't-miss choice for middle-graders.--Comfort, Stacey Copyright 2016 Booklist
