Zombierella was longlisted for the UK Diverse Book Awards 2021, and with it being written by award-winning poet Joseph Coelho, and beautifully illustrated by Freya Hartas, I can absolutely understand why. When the town receives an unusual visitor in the guise of a prince whose culinary tastes are on the bloody side and whose bed is more wood and dirt than cushions and frame, Cinderella's life is about to take a dark turn. Yet whether life as a Zombie is as bad as it sounds is something for the reader to decide. I especially liked the amusing twists on the classic tale, like Zombierella leaving behind a foot instead of a glass slipper. The story starts with a mysterious librarian discovering a forgotten bookshelf with rotten books (like rotten fruits!) that are considered dangerous and forbidden. This bookshelf contained many well-known to us fairytales that went bad. The librarian chose to share a rotten story of Cinderella, that now is named Zombierella!

The Prince is smitten with Cinderella but every night at midnight she runs away. On the third night she leaves a part of her on the steps, but will the Prince ever find the woman he has fallen in love with? The book Zombierella didn’t only look wonderful from the outside, but the story inside was wonderful too, with all the peculiar twists and turns in the life (or death?) of Cinderella written in the most amusing and comical way. It was literally the best twisted version of Cinderella I HAD EVER READ.

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The first in a funny, deliciously dark, three-part series of twisted classics, written in verse by award-winning poet Joseph Coelho and illustrated by Freya Hartas. The three fake sisters chopping off their own feet, in an effort to convince the prince that the foot belongs to them, is very reminiscent of the original Brothers Grimm version of the tale, where the sisters chopped off toes and parts of their heels in an effort to make the slipper fit. I was unsure what I was going to make of the book as it opens with one of Cinderella’s pets who was old and infirm dying and her having to bury it. But then the book came alive. It was an exceptional read. Very funny and cleverly written keeping all the main parts of the original Cinderella and making them grim, put it this way it’s not her shoe that Cinderella leaves on the stairs for the Prince to find!!

The book is a little bit creepy and quite humorous at times too. It is a good length for a middle-grade reader and will keep them entertained for a while, yet, short enough that they could read it in one sitting if they so desired.

Reviews

Cinderella falls down the stairs one night and is killed whilst her ‘fake’ mother and step-sisters are at the mansion where a three-night ball is being held so that the new owner, the Prince, can find himself a bride. Ya saben que desde siempre he sido una niña más bien rarita, así que estoy totalmente fascinada por esta versión de un clásico, ¿por qué acaso hay algo mejor que los zombies? Obviamente la respuesta es no y eso queda claro en este pequeño libro que sin importara edad que tengan va a conquistarlos de principio a fin.