Review: Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist

Seeing Cinderella by Jenny Lundquist

Calliope Meadow Anderson wishes her life could be more of a fairy tale—just like the stories she writes. Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent's marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses.
But Callie soon learns they aren't just any glasses—they are magical and let her read people's thoughts. For the first time ever she's answering all the questions right in math class, and gets a glimpse of what goes through people's minds all day, including what Ellen—and her longtime crush—really think of her.
As if dealing with these crazy glasses weren't enough, Callie tries out for the lead in her school's production of Cinderella and actually gets the part. Instead, Callie chooses to let Ellen have the lead and be Ellen's understudy—just like she has done for their entire friendship.
Add in a new girl who has something to hide, a secret admirer, a best friend stealer who isn't what she seems, and Callie's year just went from ordinary to extraordinary.
Can this supporting actress learn to be a leading lady in her own life? Or is she destined to stay in the background forever—even with her super-freaky-magic glasses?

Publishes in US: March 20th 2012 by Aladdin Mix
Genre: MG paranormal
Source: traded
Series? No.

Buy it: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Dep.

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    I don't read a whole lot of middle grade, but to be honest when I read the synopsis, I didn't know it was, I knew I liked the premise though. Books about being able to know what others are thinking has always intrigued me and it sounded like a cute read that had the potential for some depth. 

    Seeing Cinderella did not disappoint. Callie is awkward and on this side of nerdy, which helped me to relate with her, being quiet but sometimes seen as stuck up is something that I feel could be a part of my life's story, so even though Callie is a little younger than my usual protagonist, I had no problem connecting with her. She goes through quite a bit of character growth throughout the novel as well as discovering a lot about other people and the way they think as well as discovering how she thinks and feels about things without censoring herself through her best friend. 

   There was always something going on and I appreciated the drama class, the teachers, Callie's mom, and the fleshed out secondary characters. Ana is one that I really enjoyed and wondered what was going on with her. I figured it out before the reveal (as with quite a few things in this book) but it didn't diminish my enjoyment. I also grew to like Stacy more than I thought I would. 

    Seeing Cinderella was a quick read for me, I read it all in two sittings, and enjoyed it. 

    It was funny at times, and had some emotional punch, all at the exact right timing to keep the story going and me interested. It captured middle school insecurities, and drama pretty well and made me smile, but never ever wish to live over again. 

    I liked how everything wrapped up and I felt like it left Callie and the other characters in a good place. 

Bottom Line: Quick and cute read with a quirky main character.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you wish you could know what others were thinking?