A Review: Just Ella

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

 





 

 

What happens when happily ever after is actually not very happy? Ella is a Cinderella who won the Prince by accident and is living in the castle, relieved not to have to scrub her stepmother's floors, waiting to marry the handsome Prince.

 

But with each passing day, the castle feels more like a prison, and Ella doesn't fit in with the daintiness and restrictions pressed on her.

 

Ella soon realizes the life she thought she wanted may not be in a beautiful castle married to a wonderful Prince, but escaping her engagement proves more dangerous and exciting than she first thought.

 

 

 

This was one of my favorite novels when I was younger. It's a fast, easy read, and though it's aimed for middle-schoolers, I still love jumping back into Ella's world. Although I don't like it as much as Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted and Two Princesses of Bimarre, it is an interesting, unique twist on the old Cinderella tale.  

 

Margaret Peterson Haddix is the author of the Among the Hidden series. You can check out more about her and her books on her website here. 

 

What interesting books have you guys been reading lately? And it's almost Christmas!! What books, if any, are on your wish list? Mine is the Matched series by Ally Condie; I'm so excited to read them all!

Gobble Gobble!

Happy early Thanksgiving!! I don't know if I'll be able to post before Thursday, so I am doing it now. Thanksgiving is such a great time to praise God for things you are grateful for, that you usually don't think about. So here are 20 things I praise my Savior for (in no particular order):

1. Being able to go home for Thanksgiving
2. My family
3. Christ's tortuous death and glorious resurrection!
4. Warm showers (especially after being without them for several weeks in Mongolia)
5. Friends
6. Laughter
7. Imagination
8. God's forgiveness and love (does this count as two?)
9. Books that keep you thinking about them long afterwards
10. My job
11. Mountains
12. Yummy, home-cooked food
13. Tears (or else I would just explode...)
14. Chai, esp. on a cold, rainy day
15. Stories
16. The Church Body
17. Biking
18. Autumn colors
19. Music
20. God's love letters to his people

Move D.C!

So, I'm in this group on campus called Bella Joy. They work with woman in sex trafficking, but also help with other organizations. One group they help is called Invisible Children, which is connected with the Kony 2012 campaign. Anyone heard of it?

Kony 2012 and Invisible Children is a group started a few years ago to raise awareness about the children in Africa (mostly Uganda) who are forced to fight in a war commanded by General Kony. The war has been going on for many years, and the children in Kony's army are brainwashed and forced to kill innocent people. The children who live in the country or small towns walk to the village every night to sleep in order not to be taken to fight.

Move. D.C is an event Invisible Children is putting together November 17th to raise greater awareness for this horrible problem in Africa and enlist the help of the nation's leaders. On the 17th, thousands of people in support of Invisible Children will walk around the capital in D.C, lobbying for those who cannot speak up. What an awesome opportunity to speak up for justice and truth! The event is free, and the Kony 2012 website has a lot of information on where to stay, eat, and how to get to D.C on their website. Check it out!

Some people from our club our going, and I wish I could, but it's right before Thanksgiving break. Keep this event in your thoughts and prayers though, and rememer the children in Africa who are forced to kill their loved ones and are living in a kind of Hell. What can you do, where you are, to stand up for truth and justice? Not only for these children, but for other people too?

Who will shine Christ's love in his life of death and despair?