Loggia, W. (1998). Ever After: A Cinderella Story. New York, NY: Dell Books.
ISBN-10: 0440228158
•Plot Summary
Danielle de Barbarac is only eight when her father remarries the Baroness Rodmilla of Ghent, a social climber with two daughters near Danielle's own age. Father and daughter had developed a close bond after Danielle's mother died, and he often brought her back books from his trips. The last book he will bring back is Sir Thomas More's Utopia. It's a book for older people, but Danielle is excited, and it will become one of her most prized possessions when her father dies, only days later. Twelve years later, Danielle has been reduced to sleeping in front of the fireplace, and taking care of her step-mother and step-sisters. Pieces of the family's artwork and silver are beginning to go missing, and one of the older servants has already been sold to pay off a debt. Danielle is not the only one having trouble, however, and young Henry I of France is fighting with his father about being forced into an arranged marriage with someone he does not love. When he flees the castle, and steals a horse from the de Barbarac estate, Danielle knocks off him off with a few well-aimed apples. Not knowing at first who he is because of his cloak, Henry reveals himself, and says he will not kill Danielle if she will let him take the horse. She agrees, but Henry is foiled in his plan as he comes across a band of gypsies accosting an old man. The old man turns out to be Leonardo da Vinci, and the painting that Henry returns to him in a brass tube, is the Mona Lisa. Leonardo is coming to work at the court of Henry's father, and the guards find them both, forcing Henry to return. When Danielle finds out about the man sold into slavery, and bound for America, she uses coin that Henry gives her for the use of the horse to get the old man out. She is dressed as a courtier, but it takes Henry appearing with instructions for the man to be released, for her plan to work. Henry does not recognize Danielle as the girl from the incident with the horse, and when she chastises him using text from Utopia, he is fascinated. Not knowing what else to do, and a name demanded of her, Danielle gives her mother's name instead-Countess Nicole de Lancret. Henry has another fight with his father, but a conversation between King and da Vinci convinces the ruler that perhaps he has been too hard on his son, and the two strike a bargain. Henry has five days to find a woman to marry, or he will be forced into the planned arrangement with the Princess of Spain. Henry and Danielle meet again, and he takes her to a monastic library, after which he tells his father he wants to build the finest library in France. In the meantime, with the possibility of marriage to her oldest daughter present, Rodmilla schemes to place Marguerite under Henry's nose. She succeeds, and since a ball is planned, she wants only the best for her daughter. Her best is actually the real Nicole's dress and slippers, placed in a trunk to be Danielle's wedding dress, yet she tells Danielle she can attend the ball if she is on her best behavior until the day of the event. When she finds out that Danielle has been posing as a courtier, Rodmilla convinces the royal family that "Nicole" was engaged to a Belgian and has already left the country. Remembering during their last meeting that Nicole had tried to explain something to him, Henry reasons it must be this, and agrees to marry the Spanish princess. At the wedding, the princess is crying her eyes out, and he lets her go. She flees into the arms of an unknown bald gentleman from her own court, and Henry knows he was wrong to let Nicole go. Rodmilla locks Danielle away, and goes to the ball with her own daughters, the youngest (Jacqueline) of which has had enough of the treatment given both to her, and to Danielle. She has met the Captain of the Guard several times now, Laurent, and they have embarked on a possible relationship. Danielle's childhood friend, Gustav, is sent to find da Vinci as no one else can open the lock on the cellar door. Gustav is an aspiring painter, and terrified, but da Vinci comes immediately, freeing Danielle. Outfitting her in Nicole's dress, painting her face, and designing wings for her to wear, Danielle is taken to the ball. Henry sees her, only moments before his father announcing the identity of the woman to whom Henry will become engaged. Rodmilla rushes in, and tells Henry the truth, who then turns on Danielle with disgust. Danille runs away, losing her shoe, and da Vinci delivers it to Henry with the information that he's a fool for letting Danielle go. As punishment for what she's done, Rodmilla trades Danielle to Pierre le Pieu, a grotesque man that she's also been selling the household items to for coin. He returns the other objects, and Henry goes to rescue Danielle, finally placing the slipper on her foot. Rodmilla and Marguerite are called into the court, and rather than have them killed for lying to the Queen about Danielle marrying a Belgian, Danielle has them placed in the castle laundry room as servants. Danielle and Henry are then free to live...and you know the rest.
•Critical Evaluation
Somewhat overly sentimental account of the classical Cinderella fairytale, but the additions of da Vinci as a central character and Danielle's keen sense of philosophy keep it from being too insipid. Takes place in France, where the original tale was said to have originated as well, though the historical elements were not apparently well researched.
•Reader’s Annotation
Based on the screenplay and film of the same name. Lacks the beginning and ending seen in the film, where Danielle's great-granddaughter is supposedly telling the tale to the Brothers Grimm.
•Information about the author
Despite having authored over fifteen novels, mainly of a romantic nature for teen girls, there is no information available on this author beyond the titles of these novels, is the executive editor of Delacourte Press (a Random House imprint), and is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
•Genre
Historical Fiction, Romantic Fiction
•Curriculum Ties
Folktales
•Booktalking Ideas
Classic tales retold, fairytales made into film
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-10/Ages 14-15
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
Although it was sappy, I enjoyed the film version, and was impressed with the casting choices (including Drew Barrymore as Danielle, Anjelica Huston as Rodmilla, and Dougray Scott as Henry).
