Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wacky alt-fairy tale stars tween mini-giant and genie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME in the world where the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story changed everything, 12-year-old Lena is a giant with a problem: She's human size, which is bad in a world where giants hate humans thanks to Jack. Refusing to accept this rejection, she and her giant cat Rufus are soon off on a quest that will take them to the human world (where she has a number of friends, all fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters). Meanwhile Jin, a young genie, is being held captive by King Midas and forced to wreak assorted havoc on the king's rivals, and is determined to escape, whatever it takes. Very little goes according to plan, as a wild ride and a shaky friendship develop.
Is It Any Good?
James Riley's zany series start once again puts reinvented fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters in increasingly wild situations with lots of snarky commentary. Featuring the adventures of a 12-year-old mini-giant and a tween genie, Once Upon Another Time is set in the world of the author's Half Upon a Time series, and frequently promotes it, to the point where both characters and readers are advised to read it first. It's a fun read with a cliffhanger ending setting up further adventures and suggesting new possibilities.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Once Upon Another Time takes a well-known fairy tale and turns it and its characters into something completely different. What other stories do you know that do this well? What do you like about their version?
Have you ever had people refuse to take you seriously because of the way you looked? How did you deal with it?
Why do you think genies -- and their wish-granting abilities -- are such a popular storytelling theme? What stories do you know where it all goes well? What happens when people don't choose wisely?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Book Characters , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Aladdin
- Publication date : April 5, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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