School Library Journal (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Gr 2-3 In a market glutted with fairy-tale retellings, one might feel justified in saying, "Absolutely no more Cinderella variations!" However, this accessible early reader about a kindhearted mutt with sorrowful eyes, her wicked stepfamily, and a princess who wants a dog more than anything else in the world is sweet, thoughtfully written, and appealing in its readability. Boelts avoids obvious arch doggy-puns in favor of a story that reveals the universal longing for companionship and compassion over material wealth and extra-fluffy tails. Wu's color illustrations complement the text with gentle humor. Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Mercer Island Library, WA

Horn Book (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Juliet Bradshaw's brother, a guerrilla Confederate fighter, is the only family she has left. Incarcerated with other sisters and wives of soldiers, Juliet survives her prison building's collapse, which kills almost everyone. Rinaldi's impassioned characters will sustain readers' interest, though some of the portrayals are sanitized or overly sentimentalized. An author's note explains the real events on which the story is based. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

In this version of the Cinderella story, the familiar structure is cleverly reworked to fit the mid-level early-reader format. An adorable pug puppy appears as Cinderella in Wu's illustrations, while the stepmother is a haughty, white poodle and the stepsisters are an unfriendly chow and an aloof Afghan. Rather than a prince searching for a bride, a pampered princess named Bea wants a puppy for her seventh birthday. Her parents decide to have a ball for all the dogs in the kingdom so that Bea can choose her favorite as her pet. A purple-haired Fairy Dogmother helps Dogerella, providing a sparkly collar spelling out the dog's name as well as a mini-van to get to the ball. The collar is left behind at the ball as the parallel element to the glass slipper and is of course a perfect fit for Dogerella in the conclusion. The combination of dozens of dogs, an earnest princess and a touch of magic add up to a charming whole. (Early reader. 5-7)