Just Ella facts for kids
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| Author | Margaret Peterson Haddix |
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| Cover artist | Rene Milot |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Romance, Speculative fiction |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
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Publication date
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1999 |
| Media type | Print Hardback and Paperback |
| ISBN | 0-689-82186-7 |
| OCLC | 39335853 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H1164 Ou 1999 |
Just Ella is a novel written by Margaret Peterson Haddix and published in 1999 by Simon & Schuster. The story is a retelling of Cinderella with a feminist twist and a different version of the happily-ever-after ending. The plot revolves around Ella, a beautiful girl struggling to find the true meaning of happiness. A companion novel, Palace of Mirrors, was released in 2008.
Characters
- Ella Brown (also called Princess Cynthiana Eleanora or Cinders-Ella) - 15-year-old protagonist of the story. She is a form of Cinderella. Ella is described as being very beautiful, free-spirited, witty, and kind.
- Jedidiah "Jed" Reston - The son of Lord Reston, and next in line to become the official castle priest. He first appears when taking over Ella's history lesson after his father has a stroke. Jed is very philosophical and often ponders life. He also falls in love with Ella. Like the Prince, he finds Ella very beautiful, but he can see her humor, courage, intelligence, and perseverance.
- Mary - 10- or 11-year-old castle servant. Mary ran for help when Lord Reston fell ill during Ella’s history lesson. She and Ella become good friends and Mary assists Ella in escaping the castle. Also, Mary is a very loyal friend who always tells Ella the truth, except when she is asked about the death of her father. Mary states that he was killed in a tournament.
- Prince Charming - Handsome, selfish prince of Fridesia. Ella is chosen as his wife because of her beauty. Mary describes him as so stupid that he couldn't get out of bed without having someone there to tell him which foot to put down first. When Ella falls out of love with him, he acts violently toward her. At the end of the book he is married to Ella’s stepsister, Corimunde.
- Lucille - Ella’s selfish, cruel, and demeaning stepmother. She tricks Ella's father into thinking she loves his hobby; books. However, her true nature is revealed after their marriage, which breaks his heart. After Ella’s father dies, she immediately becomes hostile toward Ella and makes Ella her personal slave. She made Ella a slave once she got rid of the maids and other services around the house pleading they were not needed. When Ella is proposed to by the prince, Lucille tries unsuccessfully to flatter her. She has two daughters, Corimunde (who later marries the Prince) and Griselda. Both girls are exact versions of Lucille, only much heavier and not clever or sly at all. If Ella does something wrong she is sent to bed without dinner by Lucille.
- Ella's Father - Ella's father. He taught Ella to read and he himself is a huge fan of books. He travels to many places to find various types of books. Ella's father was killed before the book started by trying to cross the Sualan border for books and was mistaken for a spy.
- Madame Bisset - Madame Bisset tries to train Ella to become an elegant princess, but struggles in her training due to Ella's free spirit. She sees anyone who is not nobility as beneath her and secretly views Ella as another dirty commoner. She also has a strict adherence to palace decorum and etiquette, but also has a great amount of influence in the royal family and is a shrewd tactician despite appearing delicate and feminine. Her true colors show when she throws Ella in the dungeon to make sure she goes through with the wedding. She tells Ella that she had to work her way up into nobility and do terrible things without any regret while she is trapped there, but refuses to divulge more.
- Quog - Quog is an ugly, burly character who guards Ella while she is in the dungeon.
- Simprianna- Simprianna is one of Ella's ladies-in-waiting until she becomes Coruminde's lady-in-waiting soon after Ella escapes the Dungeon.
Palace of Mirrors
Palace of Mirrors, also authored by Margaret Peterson Haddix, was published in 2008 by Simon & Schuster is the second book of The Palace Chronicles.
The plot revolves around Cecelia, a girl who believes she is the true princess of Suala, and her quest to claim the throne. However, Cecelia discovers that the pretender princess Desmia is only one of many - Cecelia, Desmia, and eleven other girls were raised individually by royal knights who all believed they were protecting the "true princess" in secret. In truth, after the king died, the queen had adopted thirteen orphaned girls after her own daughter was a stillborn. The girls were separated shortly before the queen's death, entrusted to the royal knights. Desmia's guardian learned the truth early on and placed Desmia on the throne while holding power for himself; he turned on his former comrades when Cecelia and the other girls attempted to claim the throne. Once the conspiracy is exposed, the thirteen girls rule Suala together, each focusing on her specialty. Ella makes a brief appearance in the book as she accompanies Jed to peace talks between Suala and Fridesia.
Palace of Lies
Palace of Lies is the third book in The Palace Chronicles published in 2015 by Simon & Schuster.
