A Whole New World

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Even before Disney took a hand in it, I’ve been a fan of the Aladdin story. It’s what led me to pick this book up. At first, though, A Whole New World seemed a pure retelling of the Disney version. While the description is strong, there are limitations to the written medium that meant the focus felt off. Certain types of interactions don’t translate well from the visual medium and would have done better to be replaced with scenes that drew on the qualities of a written version.

I saw enough strengths to keep going, but my expectations had been lowered.

Right about then, though, this story takes on a life of its own, first with small deviations and then a whole cloth rewrite that really show more works. It converts a story softened for small children with humor to replace intensity into one for older teens and young adults with tangible stakes and moral dilemmas all the way to a completely rewritten ending that makes sense and is true to the story. Though there are nods to the humor of the movie and the love story is at a similar level, the political, moral, economic, and social aspects are brought to life with sometimes horrifying detail.

The other aspect borrowed from the movie that didn’t translate well in my opinion is the way the text is peppered with oddly modern words and concepts. From the genie, they make him seem not bound to mortal time, which allows for humor, but doesn’t fit the rest of the story, and when these concepts come from other characters it broke a very strong illusion of a pre-industrial, magic-enhanced, Arabic world.

At the same time, the recognition of personhood in non-humans is beautifully done, first with pets and then both the genie and flying carpet. Real growth moments exist for Jasmine and Aladdin in the story, but she’s the one who goes through a lot of slaps in the face at first and even throughout the story as illusions born of isolation come crashing down. She has to consider the real people who are affected by decisions made in the palace.

There is no question about who is evil embodied, not with Jafar as a power hungry, insane wizard attempting to win by force what can only be earned. But there are many gray areas as well, with lessons to be learned among the community that comes together to oppose Jafar. This isn’t a strict hero/heroine story though Aladdin and Jasmine are the clear leads. They don’t win simply by out-talking Jafar as in the movie, nor is the effort to end his evil a magically simple one.

People die. Good people, bad people, and everyone in between. And those who don’t die must face harsh decisions between compliance and starvation while the costs of inflation are clearly illustrated from the perspectives of rich and poor alike.

Ultimately, community is the only hope for two people who have been alone, if for different reasons, most of their lives. Even Aladdin and Jasmine face choices where they must define where the lines are that cannot be crossed, and they don’t always choose well. They are not infallible, and struggle with both the costs and the reality of even their wise choices.

This is most definitely a mature version of the Disney story that, while providing a fun, intense, and evocative tale, also demands the reader choose sides and contemplate where those uncrossable lines lie for themselves. This makes the story deeper than at first appearance and well worth the read.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. show less

Fantastic version of the traditional Aladdin but with honesty between Jasmine & Aladdin from (nearly) the beginning & a more dark & realistic plot twist with Jafar controlling the genie & Agrabah. Jasmine's transformation from a naive, fed up girl to a brave soldier who isn't above helping to rescue her own kingdom is refreshing and had the girl power in me standing and cheering! This is a more mature Aladdin story that still addresses good v evil, with love and honesty trumping all, which 21st century readers can relate to & support- I think the Sultana Jasmine & Prince Ali Ababua himself would give this a big thumbs up!

What if Aladdin didn’t get the lamp from the cave of wonders? This book seeks to answer that question. More thoughtful and less gimmicky than I had expected, this was a decent read but not a book I’ll be reaching for again over the years. Purchased as part of a set from Target for our book club theme “classic stories with a twist”

A Whole New World
By Liz Braswell
Series: A Twisted Tale
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Disney Press (September 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 148470729X
ISBN-13: 978-1484707296
Age Range: 12 - 18 years
Grade Level: 7 – 12
Approximate Lexile: 720
Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!

“Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar had found the lamp instead of Aladdin?”

This book started off just like the movie, until that pivotal moment. Then…I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I love the idea of show more alternate history, and examining “what-if”, but I’m not too sold on the way the author handled it.

First, there is very much a vibe of “Disney princesses need to get out of the mold of always having to be rescued.” I don’t necessarily object to that idea. I like “Jasmine-as-revolutionary-leader.” But it does have that feel of, “Let’s appease public opinion.”

I also have a quibble with some of the language used in the book. No, not that kind of language. Anachronisms. Remember, this is ancient Agrabah. So why are people saying “Okay” (originated in mid-19th century USA) and “down with that”? And don’t even get me started on baguettes….Am I being too picky?

Nitpicks aside, this is a cute story. I particularly enjoyed the way the character of the Genie evolves from what we saw in the movie. The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying.

Possible objectionable material: Violence, walking undead. A few chaste smooches.

Who would like this book: Disney fans, of course. Anyone who likes alternate versions of favorite stories. Those who like a bit of adventure. The suggested age range provided by the publisher is good, though I think it may skew a little younger, more like 10-16 and grades 5-9. show less

Great idea, but not quite executed to its full potential. I love the concept of reinventing classic Disney fairy tales and I love the story of Aladdin. The first quarter of this book follows the movie very closely. After that, many parts are similar to the movie sequel. I did like a few of the additional characters not in the original, but most are the same.
This version may be best for younger audiences.

Net Galley Feedback

This retelling of my all time favorite Disney film is a real shock! To begin with it's very similar to the movie, even using some of the dialogue. But then it starts to get twisted. This alternative route is amazing! I cried when the Sultan gets murdered by Jafar and was amazed at home badassed Jasmine was. The Genie has a happy ending but not as we know it.

The Media, movies, TV, books, etc. is in quite a fairy tale mood these days. From Maleficent, to Once Upon a Time and Grimm, to this and other books. If you like fairy tales as I do, it’s quite a time to be a reader/consumer of media.

Still, as many fairy tales/legends that I’ve read/seen this wasn’t at all what I was expecting it to be. It’s based on the Disney animated movie Aladdin, but it definitely lives up to its age suggestion (7th Grade and up), and it’s not for little kids like the movie is.

It’s not just a novelization of the movie by a long shot either. According to its blurbs it’s the start of a series where each book takes a Disney movie and changes a key moment in it. That totally twists the story on its show more head.

This one starts about the same as the animated movie it’s based on. We meet Aladdin, the poor Street Rat with an apparent heart of gold, and Jasmine, the apparently spoiled Princess who is just as trapped as Aladdin just in a different way, and wants to see the world. I really, really liked how Braswell wrote all the characters, and the other action/descriptions as well. Perhaps it was because I’ve probably seen the movie too many times, but her words very easily evoked my memories of the movie and I was drawn into the story on a level I hadn’t anticipated.

And then, the twist came, and while it wasn’t a huge stunning departure from the movie plot, it had huge repercussions for the characters in the story, and made for a definitely different and mostly awesome re-imagining of the story.

The one thing that was a little annoying about the novel was that here and there the characters got a little preachy about social issues and social justice. I got the allusions to our modern life, I didn’t need to be beaten over the head with it (and I think neither would seventh graders).

Still, it was such an enjoyable novel, and while, yes, it’s definitely a book written for older kids/young teens, it was also enjoyable for this adult to read. I especially recommend it if you like different takes on fairy tales, or even just reliving the Disney movies of your youth.

I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Disney Press. show less