Cinderella Smith: The Super Secret Mystery

Stephanie Barden has created a great role model for tweens. Cinderella Smith is confident, smart, and very real. Fans of Junie B. Jones and Clementine will love watching Cinderella conquer the problems of third-grade life, and parents will appreciate the vocabulary-enhancing words Stephanie Barden sprinkles through the story.

In The Super-Secret Mystery, third in the Cinderella Smith chapter-book series, Cinderella is excited to write a report on an endangered species. She can’t wait to investigate this important environmental issue. But every book she needs to do her research has disappeared from the library! That won’t stop Cinderella. She won’t be stopped by the mean-girl bullies and will follow every clue until she solves the mystery of the missing books.

Illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Diane Goode add to the appeal of Cinderella’s story.

What happens when the school library becomes a crime scene?

• Third Grade Problems: A big report on endangered species is due, but every single library book on the topic has vanished!
• Friendship and Teamwork: Cinderella and her best friend Erin team up to follow the clues and crack the case together.
• Dealing with Bullies: Can Cinderella outsmart the mean-girl bullies who always seem to be one step ahead of her?
• Vocabulary Building Fun: Parents and teachers will love the clever new words sprinkled throughout the story, perfect for young readers.

Cinderella Smith wants to shock and amaze her class with her report on endangered species. So when the books she needs go missing from the library, she teams up with her best friend, Erin, to solve the mystery. But time is running out! Then she gets a totally weird note:

Don't tell anyone!
I'll get in big trouble!
Look behind
E

Missing books and "Look behind E" . . . What in the world could it mean? Just as all seems lost, Cinderella is struck with a capital A-H-A AHA! moment that could blow this case wide open. Someone's in cahoots, that's for sure, and Cinderella Smith won't give up until she solves the mystery!

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: “Cinderella’s bouncy energy, captured expertly in Goode’s emotive line drawings, is infectious…It’s hard to leave Cinderella behind.” - Horn Book Magazine

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: “Cinderella’s narration carries this early chapter book, and her upper-elementary woes are perfectly captured in her eager and personable voice… Goode’s energetic sketchwork adds to the spirited narrative.” - The Bulletin of the Center for Children The Bulletin of the Center for Children

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: “Her name may come from a fairy tale, but Cinderella Smith is a contemporary tap-dancing girl with a fresh, funny voice and a creative approach to life’s ups and downs. She may lose a lot of shoes but Cinderella is sure to win the hearts of young readers, as she did mine. As Cinderella would say, “the more the merrier!” - Betty G. Birney, author of award-winning According to Humphrey series

Fans of this series will appreciate the subtle changes that happen in these sunny stories. The boys and girls are growing up and noticing each other in different ways-they solve problems and forgive each other. Goode’s black-and-white illustrations add humor and emotion to the story. - Kirkus Reviews

“Cinderella continues to charm with her positive ways of making peace in her third-grade classroom.” - Seattle Times

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: “Funny and clever! Readers will love this modern day Cinderella. It’s a delight…with the most satisfying ending.” - Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor winner and author of best-selling Polk Street School series

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: THE MORE THE MERRIER: “Goode’s appealing line drawings keep things light and help readers cheer for Cinderella. The invented words, the spelling bee and Cinderella’s voice, which is maturing and becoming more likable, make this a great offering for youngsters who are figuring out the confusing social terrain of third grade.” - Kirkus Reviews

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: THE MORE THE MERRIER: “Cinderella is back and as irrepressible as ever. A simple joy of a book, Barden’s story has given third-graders their very own hero whose final decision of inclusiveness is warming.” - ALA Booklist

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: THE MORE THE MERRIER: “The plucky heroine is right at home beside Judy Moody, Clementine, and Ramona. Her experiences are true to life and she remains comfortable in her own skin. Cinderella is an ally to the kids in her class, and might inspire some readers to speak up themselves.” - School Library Journal

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: THE MORE THE MERRIER: “The sweet first-person narrator [and] black-line illustrations by Diane Goode add to the charm.” - Seattle Times

praise for CINDERELLA SMITH: Fans of Clementine and Ramona will enjoy good-natured Cinderella’s triumph over mean girls and her success at a tap-dance recital, all embellished by Diane Goode’s simple black-line illustrations. - Seattle Times