The first clue that Filomena Jefferson-Cho finds that something is wrong is when the thirteenth book in her favorite series fails to arrive at the bookstore as promised. She is disappointed, to say the least. But when characters from the series start following her, she is downright scared. Does Filomena hold the key to finishing the thirteenth book and saving the kingdom of Never After?
My overall feelings are that this is a fun, light read for younger middle-grade readers who are into fantasy or fairy tales.
I think for the length of this book, I would have liked to see more elaborate world-building and more depth to the main characters. There was a lot of going back-and-forth between worlds and excessive, silly drama in Filomena's "real world" that felt like filler and did not add enough to the story. Never After could have been fleshed out a lot more and the main characters were pretty superficial.
What I loved the most was the wit and humor. For example, the popular kids at Filomena's school weren't just bullies. They were the Fettucini Alfredos -- the kids rich enough to order lunch daily from the fancy, Italian restaurant across the street. She later refers to them as the Linguini Losers, the Petulant Pasta Posse, the Rotten Rigatonis, and a variety of other pasta-related epithets.
I think younger readers will find this book really fun!
My overall feelings are that this is a fun, light read for younger middle-grade readers who are into fantasy or fairy tales.
I think for the length of this book, I would have liked to see more elaborate world-building and more depth to the main characters. There was a lot of going back-and-forth between worlds and excessive, silly drama in Filomena's "real world" that felt like filler and did not add enough to the story. Never After could have been fleshed out a lot more and the main characters were pretty superficial.
What I loved the most was the wit and humor. For example, the popular kids at Filomena's school weren't just bullies. They were the Fettucini Alfredos -- the kids rich enough to order lunch daily from the fancy, Italian restaurant across the street. She later refers to them as the Linguini Losers, the Petulant Pasta Posse, the Rotten Rigatonis, and a variety of other pasta-related epithets.
I think younger readers will find this book really fun!