Fashion Kitty

What if things had worked out a little differently for Cinderella? What if the evil stepmom wasn't exactly horrible and the step sisters weren't entirely evil? If all those things were true, would there still be a prince who falls for the lonely and sad maiden? For Lucy, the answer seems to be a resounding…no. When her father remarries, Lucy's old life is turned upside down. She moves from her West Coast home to a suburb on Long Island and feels like a total outcast. With no friends in her future, a blank social calendar, and a huge crush on the prince of the varsity basketball team, Lucy's life doesn't seem to have the makings of "happily ever after." But Lucy soon finds out that happy endings do happen-just not scripted as she had planned.

Publishers Weekly

Harper's (The Monster Show) skimpy, silly graphic novel introduces the Kittie family, "unusual" for three reasons: the family has a pet mouse (they're vegetarians); Mother Kittie lets her daughters Kiki and Lana pick out all their own clothes; and the family members know the secret identity of the titular whiskered superhero. Fashion Kitty's brain "can mix and match hundreds of outfits in a second" and her ears "hear the distress call of someone in need of fashion help." Learning that Kiki "has a natural flair for fashion" (unlike Lana, who is a "fashion nightmare" and wears her underwear on the outside), readers will have a good idea about the identity of the title chic feline. Pulling her sister's pantyhose over her head as a mask, Fashion Kitty flies off "to fight for free fashion!" She first convinces a young cat to ignore the fashion directives of a mean-spirited classmate and then sets up the wicked feline to embarrass herself at school the next day. Featuring a limited palette dominated by pinks, Harper's rudimentary art, like her sketchy story line, falls short of achieving its comic aspirations. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Charise Mericle Harper is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the Just Grace series. In a starred review, Booklist called Just Grace "hilarious" and said, "The kids come alive in the story, and Harper enhances the comical goings-on with sparkling cartoon sketches. Give this to . . . anyone looking for a funny book." Charise lives in New York City.