Charmed, I'm Sure

July 25, 2016
In this playful update of a classic fairy tale, Rosamunde White Charming, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming (who now run a website called Charming Lifestyles), would “be happy to swear off romance forever if I weren’t Rosie Charming with a family legacy to uphold.” Rosie is desperate for a date to her Manhattan middle school dance, but she takes all the wrong advice to reach her goal. When Rosie’s mother gives her an expensive makeover and a bejeweled, talking compact, the formerly kind and low-key teen starts to change, taking her lead from the mirror’s dark source. Focused on being “the fairest in the land,” Rosie loses sight of who she really is, hurting her friends and her chances for the right date. Readers will enjoy Littman’s (Backlash) riffs on and jabs at the original story (on how Rosie’s parents met: “Every time I imagine being totally passed out and waking up to find some strange guy kissing me, all I think is, ‘Eww, nope! Nope! Nope!’ ”) and take heart in the underlying message about being true to oneself. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.

June 15, 2016
Rosie White Charming is an ordinary eighth-grader in New York City--who happens to be the beloved daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White Charming. The white girl's parents have thoroughly embraced modern life, building a very successful web-based business, Charming Lifestyles, that includes advice and their own product line. At least until now, Rosie has remained very much her own person, wearing sneakers and thrift store clothing and having fun with her friends. But she is dateless for the upcoming school dance and reluctantly asks her mom for help. A huge makeover, involving hairstyle, clothing, makeup, and the gift of a mirrored compact changes not only her appearance, but how she is seen by her peers and how she sees herself. Like the magic mirror in her parents' story, the compact's mirror speaks to her, goading her into behaviors that are against her own nature and reminding her of the wicked queen. Somehow she manages to take control, regain her true self, learn an important life lesson, and go to the dance with a really nice boy, also white. (Rosie's New York City is not a particularly diverse one.) There are many moments of laugh-out-loud fun in Littman's mishmash of fairy tale and quirky reality, including appearances by Rosie's "height disadvantaged 'uncles.' " Rosie is loving and compassionate, and she narrates her tale with wit, humor, and just the right amount of middle school angst. Inventive and, yes, charming. (Fantasy. 9-14)

July 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-When your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, stars of one of the most romantic tales of all time, the pressure to find a date to the Fall Festive dance can be pretty intense. So Rosie decides to ask her mom, who has parlayed the tale of how she and her prince met into CharmingIndustries.com, for help. Her mother writes articles like "You Too Can Meet Your Prince Charming: 12 Easy Steps To Make It Happen" and tries to solve Rosie's problem through a makeover and the gift of a magic mirror compact. At first, Rosie's unsure that she needs a makeover at all-she's a self-assured and confident seventh grader who doesn't buy into the idea that she needs to change to make a boy like her. But the magic mirror begins to convince her that becoming the "fairest of them all" is the only way to get a date to the dance. Will Rosie follow the mirror's advice, get the date, and live happily ever after? And will she still feel good about herself if that happens? Littman has crafted a fun, if somewhat predictable, twist on the standard middle-schooler-needs-a-date story by adding fairy-tale references, including the seven dwarfs acting as Rosie's "uncles" (and providing terrible advice). She also mixes in pop culture references and current slang ("rando," "amirite"). However, these additions may be at the expense of secondary characters like Rosie's friends, who don't feel fully realized. VERDICT Purchase for libraries where modern takes on fairy tales and light friendship/dating dramas are popular.-Mary Kuehner, Denver Public Library

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