The Brothers Grimm

You may know the name Grimm from a book of fairy tales. What you may not know is how many of them were Jacob and Wilhelm's (The Brothers Grimm). What do you think of when somebody says Cinderella? Does The Brothers Grimm come to mind, probably not, you probably think Disney or Nick because of the movies. Well they weren't the ones who came up with it, The Brothers Grimm did. Actually they just wrote it down, it had existed long before they were born. The Brothers Grimm didn't actually create any stories, they just heard them from people and wrote them down.

When you think Rapunzel your mind probably goes to Tangled but guess what, The Brothers Grimm wrote that too! However, it has been changed quite a lot since the original. In the original The evil woman does not go out to the kingdom, Rapunzel's hair does not heal and the prince, yes prince not thief, gets his eyes poked out.

The Brothers Grimm lived in Germany their whole lives. The Brothers Grimm always loved stories, it didn't matter what it was about. One of their favorites though was one with princes and princesses wicked step sisters and balls- we call it "Cinderella".

When they lived Germany was many different kingdoms. All Germans had in common was their language. They didn't even think of themselves as Germans they thought of themselves as Prussians or Hessians.They wrote the fairy tales down not only for enjoyment but to help bring the country together. How can Stories bring a whole country together? Well the stories were something all Germans had in common it was something to be proud of. Neither man lived long enough to see their country united. However they brought joy to generations to follow.

Today adults and children all over the world still read The Brothers Grimm's fairy tale. If you would like to read it for yourself follow this link.

Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress

Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress, by Maya Gold originally published in April 1, 2010 is about Diana Donato, a thirteen year old amateur actress and Cat Portilla (pronounced like tortilla), a 18 year old girly-girl . One day Diana and Cat  find two tickets to the play "Angel" and the after party in somebody's coat at work. Diana and Cat have to be ready to leave from the party in the limo at 12:00 sharp instead of the traditional magic wearing off at 12:00.


Diana and Cat work at Cinderella Cleaners by the counter. Cat works at the register while Diana pushes the dirty clothes cart. Cinderella Cleaners was founded by Diana's grandfather and is run by her father. Because it is a family business, some people treat her differently than they do the rest. It is a salmon colored building with a big neon crown on the roof and a sign that says Have You Swiped Today??? hanging over a coffee machine by the employee entrance.

Characters 

• Diana Donato: main character and friend to Cat
• Cat Portilla: friend to Diana and second main character
• Elise: friend to Cat and Diana
• Jess: Diana's best friend
• Nelson: Cat's friend who works as a tailor

I liked Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress because it was like the original yet modern at the same time. Though it doesn't have mice or a prince charming like the original it was still a good book. Cinderella Cleaners Change of a Dress is the beginning of the Cinderella Cleaners series. I recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction.

Gold "Maya Gold is the author of the spin-off novel Harriet the Spy, Double Agent.  She grew up on the Jersey side of the Hudson river and now lives in upstate New York with her fashion-forward teenage daughter. In her spare time Maya  coaches a high school drama club. Cinderella Cleaners is her first series for young readers."(back cover of Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress)

Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress links

Cinderella Cleaners official website
Cinderella Cleaners on Scholastic
Cinderella Cleaners: Change of a Dress on Google Books