The Prince's Diary

Written by Renee Ting
Illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Shen's Books, 2005
Ages 7-12
3/5

Ting's version of Cinderella gives readers a peek into the Prince's diary so they can discover the fairy tale from his point of view.

Although this is an interesting concept, unfortunately it does not really work. The story is supposed to sound as though it has been written by the Prince, but the narrator's voice is stilted or formal and not at all like that of a mischievous boy/young man. Cinderella herself is a compelling character, but her personality is communicated through the illustrations, rather than the text itself. Finally, although I enjoyed hearing a male character's version of Cinderella (since the majority of characters in the traditional story are female), I felt the plot was clunky and unexciting - a retelling should add something new and exciting to a story everyone already knows.

Children who love Cinderella may want to read this, but probably no more than once.