Cinder and Ella 

   by Melissa Lemon

"If you drink water and breathe air, then you have heard the story of Cinderella. And, if you drink water and breathe air, you have heard it....wrong." 

  This mixed up fairy tale of adventure and love by Melissa Lemon, is about the family that lives in the cottage of Willow Top. Katrina, Beatrice, Cinder, Ella, their mother (Adela) and their father (Weston). One day, the evil Prince comes to visit and speaks words of deception to Weston, who shortly after goes crazy and abandons his family. This causes great sorrow to the rest of the family and changes them.
   Adela also goes insane and spends her day in the corner of the cottage spinning thread, never stopping for anything. Katrina becomes a stuck up brat obsessed with her appearance. Beatrice becomes spoiled rotten by Cinder, and can no longer function on her own. Cinder, is the only kind one left of the family, trying to hold everyone together. And Ella is all but forgotten. All the others ignore her, and forget she's even alive, except Cinder. The two become branded as one, Cinderella.
   When Cinder accepts a job in the castle, Ella is greatly saddened and runs away. She finally finds happiness when a knight, with order from the Prince, takes her away from it all.

"Sometimes, things come to you whether you go looking for them or not – danger, disaster… love.”  I'll let you figure out who she falls in love with (;

  I really enjoyed this book. Melissa Lemon is an amazing author. She explains everything so well, I felt like I was really there, experiencing everything just as Ella did. This book has just the right touch of adventure, danger, evil, and love. I would recommend this book to anyone (boy or girl) that likes fairy tales mixed in medieval times.