Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lively fairy tale romp explores adoption, bullying, magic.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Following a brief prologue set in the past, in which THE THIRTEENTH FAIRY realizes she's going to have to take extraordinary measures to protect her infant niece from a horrible fate, the story shifts to the happy, peaceful real-life Southern California suburb of North Pasadena, where 12-year old Filomena Jefferson-Cho lives with her adoptive parents. Her dad is Filipino Korean, Mum is British. Filomena is brown-skinned, curly-haired, and knows nothing of her birth parents. Her parents -- both writers -- are way overprotective, which doesn't keep Filomena from getting bullied -- physically, mentally, and online-- by the school clique she calls the Fettucine Alfredos (after their preferred takeout lunch), for whom her onetime BFF has ditched her. Her main joy in life is the series of fairy tale books set in the kingdom of Never After, whose much-anticipated 13th and final volume is the reason her parents, who never let her go anywhere alone, agreed to let her go to the bookstore after a truly awful day at school. But she arrives there only to learn the worst--there is no 13th book. The author has vanished, and the publisher has been stringing the audience along for 12 volumes now in the vain hope she'll reappear. Stunned by the news, Filomena starts to make her way home (whistle and personal alarm at the ready), when she notices a guy following her, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Jack Stalker, lead character in the Never After series. For unknown reasons, he knocks her to the ground just before thunderbolts start wrecking the surrounding buildings. What is he even doing there, what's with the thunderbolts, and what do the Fettucine Alfredos have to do with it? Much is revealed as Filomena finds herself actually in Never After, feeling very at home in some ways and in others, definitely not.
Is It Any Good?
Melissa de la Cruz's lively, heart-filled tale of a bookish, bullied suburban tween who lands in the world of her beloved fairy tale series will resonate with readers young and old. If you've ever wanted to live in your favorite fictional world and hang out with its characters instead of being stuck with the day-to-day hassles of the one you're actually in, you'll love to be along for the ride as Filomena Jefferson-Cho finds herself doing exactly that in The Thirteenth Fairy, first installment in the Chronicles of Never After. In her suburban middle school, Filomena's abused, physically and otherwise, by school bullies. In Never After, she and her new friends --a ll characters in the books -- are in a sometimes deadly struggle against a villain who's already killed many of their families.
Leavening the violence are a number of sweet moments and a good deal of humor, including a lot of in-jokes for local kids about Southern California landmarks and their unsuspected connection with Never After. This clever series start it sets up promising adventures to come.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy plays with the familiar "Sleeping Beauty" legend. Why do you think creating a "true" version of something is such a popular theme in fiction? What other stories do you know that claim to be the real version of what happened in a fairy tale? How do you think The Thirteenth Fairy compares with them?
Like, Filomena, lots of heroes grow up with adoptive parents -- and make life-changing discoveries involving their birth parents. What others can you think of? Why do you think storytellers enjoy exploring this theme?
Have you ever wanted to just go live with your favorite book characters instead of.being stuck where you are? Where would you go if you could?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Roaring Brook Press
- Publication date : December 1, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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