Book Description
"It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her stepsisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .
This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.” https://www.kalynnbayron.com/pre
Where It's Banned
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron has been banned in school districts in the following states: Tennessee, Texas, Florida, & Iowa (2021-2024 school years). https://pen.org/book-bans/pen-america-index-of-school-book-bans-2023-2024/
Why It's Banned
This novel depicts a queer teen in love with another girl and Conservative officials, like Republican Texas state Rep. Matt Krause, claims that it teaches/promotes Critical Race Theory. In reality, their objections are clearly based in homophobia and racism as this book’s cast is Black, the lead is a lesbian, & the storyline is feminist.
Why I Recommend This Book
When I read this book, I found it powerful! Like many popular heroines in Fantasy, Sophia does not accept her fate and her society’s compliance with a damaging & controlling law. Instead, she seeks to find her own answers & reveal the truth to her people in order to save them all. Of course, in our current state of disorder and suppression, this message of defiance, especially from a girl, is not welcomed by Republicans and their Conservative constituents. I recommend this book & all books by Kalynn Bayron to anyone 14 & up for discussion as well as empowerment.
If you want to add Cinderella is Dead to your book discussions, check out this guide from New York Public Library!
How to Access This Book
This is one of my most used apps on my phone because I can add e-cards from my local library, state library, AND the Queer Liberation Library to check out e-books and e-audiobooks. It is available on browsers, Apple's app store, Google Play, and the Amazon app store.
Similar to Libby, I can access e-books and e-audiobooks from my library on here but I can also access films, comics, and music. On Hoopla, we also don't have to wait until another person is done with the book before we borrow it! It is available on browsers, Apple's app store, Google Play, and the Amazon app store.
Books Unbanned is a resource is meant to help those who are struggling to access banned books in their states! Brooklyn Public Library founded Books Unbanned in 2022 and now, you can get access through multiple library systems as residents of the US.
The Banned Book Club, launched by Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) makes digital versions of banned books available to readers nationwide. The ebooks are available to all readers across the country for free via the Palace e-reader app.
More Resources
Book Résumés help teachers, librarians, parents, and community members defend books from censorship. They detail each title’s significance and educational value and are easy to share with administrators, book review committees, elected officials, and board members.
