Review: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski

Title: Fairest of All 
Author: Sarah Mlynowski

Publisher:  Scholastic Inc 
Publishing Date: May 1st 2012

Pages: 176
Genre:  MG Fairytale Retelling

Series: Whatever After
Source:  Hardcover

  

A fresh, modern spin on a classic fairy tale--from bestselling author Sarah Mlynowski!
Mirror, mirror, on the basement wall . . .
Once upon a time my brother and I were normal kids. The next minute? The mirror in our basement slurped us up and magically transported us inside Snow White's fairy tale.
I know it sounds crazy, but it's true.
But hey -- we're heroes! We stopped Snow White from eating the poisoned apple. Hooray! Or not. If Snow White doesn't die, she won't get to meet her prince. And then she won't get her happy ending. Oops.
Now it's up to us to:
- Avoid getting poisoned
- Sneak into a castle
- Fix Snow White's story
And then, fingers crossed, find our way home.

This book grabbed my attention the moment I saw it. I loved Sarah Mlynowski's Magic in Manhattan books and I thought these sounded just as cute. I was right. I totally enjoyed this book. It was a sweet, fun, quirky, fast read that kept me smiling throughout the story.

Abby just moved to a new house in a new town and is struggling a bit with the new changes. She hasn't really made any friends at school and has an annoying little brother, Jonah, at home, which doesn't feel like her home. One night, after her parents are in bed, her little brother comes to her room wired about a mirror. Thinking he broke the mirror and better check it out, they climb to the basement to check it out. The mirror turns out to be magical and sucks them into another realm. A fairytale realm where Snow White lives. While figuring things out, where they are, how they got there, and how to go back, the two accidentally mess up Snow White's story. Now they have to figure out how to save Snow White's future before time runs out... oh and they still have to figure out how to get back home. 

My first initial thought when seeing this book was, it sounds cute, a simple read, fun. The cover relays exactly that. So I was excited to sit down and ready an easy, fun, light read. That's exactly what it was. A fairytale retelling, chic lit for the middle grade age. Although I enjoyed it just as much as they would. It was very cute and very simple. It was full of quirky characters, light humor, and a bit corny... but on the good side of corny. The writing style was very easy and very fast and had all the essentials to make a good story, a good plot and very likable characters. 

The story line was just silly but so entertaining. I thought it was well thought through and made Snow White's fairy tale a little less dark and gloomy. There were also changes that weren't important to the story but were great additions to the twist on the fairytale..... as in some of the seven dwarfs were girls. Never saw that one coming. So yes it was a bit wacky but so amusing. I just adored it. 

I like the two main characters, Abby and Jonah. They were a charming pair. I liked Abby, she was very likable. She seemed to stay true to herself and didn't spend so much time trying to fit in. She spent much of her time reading and loved libraries. What is not to like about that. She loved her family and had a need to do the right thing. I sure liked her. Jonah was pretty darn adorable. He sometimes seemed the smarter of the two too. He saw things from the eyes of child which in turn caused him to see things for what they were. He was a smart little cookie. 

Snow White was just plain out kooky. I loved her. She had all the qualities that made her Snow, a kind heart, innocent, and beautiful. What this book gave her was a bit of a sense of humor. She was a true delight. I also loved the dwarfs. They weren't a big in the story, it was mainly Snow, Abby, and Jonah... but what little they were there, they brought another sense of nuttiness that I enjoyed. There names alone cracked me up. 

So yes it was an absolute joy to read this book. It had just the right amount of sweetness, adventure, and laughter that I need for a couple hours of light and hearty time. 

It was a definitely time well spent for me. I can't wait to read the next book.