Interstellar Cinderella

In this retelling, Cinderella dreams of being a mechanic and "fixing fancy rockets." She impresses the Prince not with her beauty but with her mechanical skills. He doesn't even know what she looks like when he goes on his quest to find her. The ending was a breath of fresh air and an excellent example for young readers who might also want to follow their dreams above all else. Bonus points for the ethnic diversity of the Prince. And Cinderella is a ginger, not blonde!

5 stars

Fairy-tale meets space opera in this delightful picture-book, with rhyming text and colorful artwork combining with marvelous effect. In this telling, Cinderella is mechanically inclined, and dreams of repairing space ships. When her stepmother and sisters leave her behind on the day of the Prince's Royal Space Parade, Cinderella's fairy godrobot appears to save the day, providing her with the sonic socket wrench needed to repair her ship and get to the parade. Once there, she makes a big impression, fixing the prince's spaceship as well - a skill the prince will use to identify her again, when he must search for his fleeing love. But does this Cinderella want to be a bride, or does she have other dreams…?

As someone who enjoys both show more Star Trek-style science fiction, and fairy-tale fare of all kind, I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy Interstellar Cinderella, which I found charming. I found the colorful artwork appealing, and think the rhyming text would make for an excellent read-aloud. The re-invention here of the eponymous character as a mechanic, rather than a maid, felt both natural and inspired, and I particularly appreciated the conclusion, in which Cinderella declares that she is too young to marry, but would love to become the prince's mechanic! Recommended to all fairy-tale lovers, particularly those who enjoy fractured retellings. show less

I've always been a fan of Deborah Underwood, and this book doesn't disappoint -- funny, rhyming, Cinderella without the saccharine, and most pleasing to me, subverts the marriage bit at the end – “I’m far too young to marry, but I’ll be your chief mechanic!” Marvelous, especially for encouraging STEM/ young engineers. Marissa Meyer started something wonderful with Cinder, and I’m so glad to see it spreading out as a literary theme.

I liked the book, "Interstellar Cinderella" for two reasons because of the message and the writing. The message of the book is about young girl empowerment, and showing how girls do not always have to marry a prince at the end of a book, or be the one who is "saved" by a prince. Cinderella can be a strong, powerful individual who can fix the prince's ship. This book breaks stereotypes, and has Cinderella as the one not in a dress, but in pants fixing the spaceship. She is independent and has the strength to fix anything. Cinderella says to the prince, "I'm far too young for marriage, but I'll be your chief mechanic." In addition, the writing of the children's book rhymes throughout the entire text. The book states, "Once upon a show more planetoid, amid her tools and sprockets, a girl named Cinderella dreamed of fixing fancy rockets." The rhyme scheme adds an energetic, playful, and humorous side to the written text and illustrations. The rhyme scheme demonstrates the twist to Cinderella not being a traditional princess, but an individual who has the strength to accomplish anything. The rhyme keeps the traditional side of fairy tales to Cinderella, but the fairy tale twist and ending makes readers think about how endings can be different and not always the same. Cinderella doesn't always have to be in distress with a prince to find her, she can overcome her own obstacles, and be strong and independent on her own. show less

YEEEEEESSSSSSS! There have been several really great contenders for this year's Goodreads Choice category, but I didn't think anything would be able to steal my vote from The Princess and the Pony. I was wrong. And you know what? I think Kate Beaton would vote for this book, too. Because Cinderella wears PANTS and FIXES SPACESHIPS and DOESN'T GET MARRIED BUT BECOMES THE PRINCE'S CHIEF MECHANIC. I especially liked that Underwood gave the prince an actual reason to not be able to recognize the girl he's supposedly fallen in love with (stupid fairy tales, seriously)—in this case, she was wearing a space suit and goggles, so he couldn't see her face. The rhyming is actually excellent, and the illustrations are great, and Cinderella is show more white but the prince is brown. This is the only version of Cinderella I ever need to read ever again. show less

This book follows the plot of Cinderella but with a strong woman twist. Instead of dreaming about a prince, Cinderella dreams about fixing rockets. The Prince's ship breaks down on the way to the ball and Cinderella saves him by fixing it. In true Cinderella fashion, she leaves before the prince is able to get her name. When he comes looking for her, instead of a glass slipper he has her socket wrench that she left behind. She is able to fix the broken test ship and confirm to the prince that she is the girl he is looking for. He then asks her to marry him to which Cinderella says that she is too young for marriage but she would be his chief mechanic. I love this story because it is the prince that is in distress and Cinderella comes to show more his rescue. Also, I love that she doesn't accept his proposal and pursues her dream of being a rocket ship mechanic. This is a fun rhyming book that provides science and a positive message to both girls and boys. show less

I liked Interstellar Cinderella because of the characters. The main character, Cinderella is not your traditional damsel in distress. Instead, she is a star space ship mechanic and she travels across the galaxy to save her prince's ship and go to the ball. I love how the story keeps the original characters in the fairy tale like the evil stepsisters, the prince, a fairy god “robot,” and a little mouse friend. I also like Cinderella because she is a modern role model for children and puts a fun twist on a well-known fairy tale. When the prince asks her to be his bride she says, “I’m far too young for marriage, but ill be your chief mechanic!” Cinderella is a strong, independent female who thinks for herself. The big picture in show more the story is to break gender barriers and change a traditional story in a powerful way. show less