Cinder

Meyer, Marissa. CINDER. 2012. New York: Feiwel and Friends. ISBN 9780312641894

Plot Summary:

Cinder is a 16 year-old cyborg. She is a human and yet much of her body is has wires. She is very skilled at repairing electronics and one day the prince (Kai) comes to her booth, wanting Cinder to fix his android. But before Cinder is able to complete the job, she is sent to a lab  for experimentation where the doctor is trying to find a cure for a deadly plague. But soon, it is discovered that Cinder is immune to this plague. Cinder wants to save her cousin and makes the doctor promise that the first antidote will be given to her cousin but it is too late. As Cinder cousin has died; so has Prince Kai's father and he (Kai) is being forced into a relationship with a queen who only wants  more power. Can Cinder help Prince Kai and save the people of New Beijing or will she die in prison?

Critical Analysis:

Marissa Meyer does a superb job with taking a classic fairy tale (Cinderella) and turning it into a science fiction fantasy. Cinder is the first book in the Lunar Chronicles series and it is what I had dubbed as a "fractured fairy tale" because the author chose to make a cute, sappy, girl story into something dark.  Upon initially reading Cinder, I found it to be a little slow and uninteresting. However, once I got further into reading the story, I became intrigued with what was going to happen to Cinder. Ms. Meyer writes with great detail; describing Cinder and how she is able to remove her foot due to the pain and discomfort; to how the people react at learning that someone has caught the plague. In a story that has a dystopia/fantasy setting: New Beijing and Eastern Commonwealth, the reader is able to decipher that the story is taking place in China.  Although Ms. Meyer has created a disease that is known as "letumosis", this reminds me of the Black Plague. Ms. Meyer keeps the story moving with the action of following Cinder as she navigates trying to save Peony; to learning that she is not a typical cyborg.  I can not find the right words to fully describe how Ms. Meyer has taken various literary elements and written a story that has the reader hoping for the "happy ending" that we look for in fairy tales but not offering full-on sappiness. She manages to provide intrigue, good versus evil, and even a few eclectic characters: Dr. Erland, Iko, and Peony. One day, I will make time to finish reading the other books in this series.

Review Excerpt(s):

The Guardian-"The story was interesting and had plenty of twists and turns to keep me entertained. I did guess the ‘big reveal’ right from the start but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. There was a good blend of action and mystery which was addictive; I always wanted to know what happened next." (theguardian.com. 15 November 2015. Accessed 14 November 2022)

Publishers Weekly-"First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer’s brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension. "

Connection(s):

Pass out copies of Cinderella to students and have them get into groups of four and read-aloud the story. Ask them a series of questions that relate to theme, setting, characters, and mood.

Show a few clips from Disney's Cinderella. Have the students create a Venn diagram (or other graphic organizer) on the similarities and differences of the story they read and what the clips showed.

For a creative writing assignment: have students rewrite the tale of Cinderella. It can be a story, poem, play, song, and/or a movie trailer.