A themed book tour through Prism Book Tours.
The Cinderella Theorem
(The Lily Sparrow Chronicles #1)
by Kristee Ravan
YA Urban Fantasy
Paperback, 367 pages
March 17th 2014
Fairy tales are naturally non-mathematical. That is a fact, and fifteen-year-old Lily Sparrow loves factual, mathematical logic. So when her mother confesses that Lily’s deceased father is (a) not dead, (b) coming to dinner, and (c) the ruler of a fairy tale kingdom accessible through the upstairs bathtub, Lily clings to her math to help her make sense of this new double life (1 life in the real world + 1 secret life in the fairy tale world = a double life).
Even though it’s not mathematical, Lily finds herself being pulled into a mystery involving an unhappy Cinderella, a greasy sycophant called Levi, and a slew of vanishing fairy tale characters. Racing against the clock, with a sound mathematical plan, Lily attempts to save her fairy tale friends while proving that normality = happiness.
YA Urban Fantasy
Paperback, 367 pages
March 17th 2014
Fairy tales are naturally non-mathematical. That is a fact, and fifteen-year-old Lily Sparrow loves factual, mathematical logic. So when her mother confesses that Lily’s deceased father is (a) not dead, (b) coming to dinner, and (c) the ruler of a fairy tale kingdom accessible through the upstairs bathtub, Lily clings to her math to help her make sense of this new double life (1 life in the real world + 1 secret life in the fairy tale world = a double life).
Even though it’s not mathematical, Lily finds herself being pulled into a mystery involving an unhappy Cinderella, a greasy sycophant called Levi, and a slew of vanishing fairy tale characters. Racing against the clock, with a sound mathematical plan, Lily attempts to save her fairy tale friends while proving that normality = happiness.
Here's An Excerpt!!
An Interview with a Princess
A deleted scene from The Cinderella Theorem
Mom hadn’t mentioned what I was supposed to wear for the interview, but then again, Mom hadn’t mentioned the interview either. There were a lot of things going unmentioned in the Sparrow family these days. Like my dad isn’t really dead, like I’m a princess, like I’m having a ball in my honor. So in the grand scheme of things unmentioned by my mother, what was one reporter, showing up unannounced, knocking on my bedroom door.
Bo Peep looked up from her notes. “This will be my first big story for the Flame.”
“The Flame?” I echoed.
She nodded, “The Fireland Flame. It’s the most widely read newspaper in the kingdom.” She paused. “It’s also the only one in the kingdom.”
I tried not to let anything sarcastic show on my face. “Cool.”
“What was it like seeing your dad for the first time?”
“Terrifying. He opened the shower curtain, while I was brushing my teeth and scared me. I didn’t know it was him, because I had no idea what he looked like.”
“Right.” She scribbled that down and tried to balance the notebook on her knee.
She didn’t seem very good at this. Her equation of reporting was shaping up to look a lot like her shepherding equation: they both equaled failure.
“What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?”
“Cherry Vanilla. Is that what people want to know about me?” Ice cream flavors? Really?
Bo Peep nodded. “Well, the book said to start with easy, warm-up questions before getting to the difficult, hard-hitting ones.”
“What book?”
She blushed. “The book on journalism I borrowed from the library.” Her eyes lit up. “I really want to write a great article. I want the paper to run it and then hire me as a regular reporter. I hate looking after those stupid sheep all the time. I got fired last week from the Pelo estate because I lost some of the sheep. If I don’t have a job at my Oral Asylum Review, I won’t be allowed to stay in the kingdom.” She started to cry.
I awkwardly patted her knee. “Hey, don’t cry.”
She sobbed harder. “You probably think I’m another stupid nursery rhyme, just taking up space and living off the charity of Smythian Citizens.”
“I don’t think any of that. Mostly because I don’t know what any of that is.”
“Nursery Rhymes aren’t really citizens. We can be here through Oral Asylum, which gives characters from the oral tradition a safe place to live and work. But we have to be employed or we have to get out.”
“Ok. But you don’t work for the paper, now?”
She shook her head. “I snuck in here to interview you. The press isn’t allowed to talk to you without the King’s permission, so if I can get a story for the paper, they’ll definitely hire me.”
“Won’t that get you into trouble with my dad?”
“They’d run it anonymously.”
I considered this a moment and took the time to shape it into an equation. My cooperation + Bo Peep’s article = a great interview that gets her employed. I’m pretty sure it’s my princessly duty to help my people and how better to help than by providing jobs? Aren’t people always talking about unemployment?
“Listen. Just pull it together and ask your questions. You can do this.”
She blew her nose one more time and nodded. “How did you feel that your mom had kept everything a secret from you?”
“Angry,” I answered. “I understand that because of the law I couldn’t know about the kingdom or see my dad, but why couldn’t she have said he was in prison or a spy or something. Why was ‘dead’ the best option?”
“Are you happy to be here now, though?”
I sighed. Not really, I’d like to answer. I like order and logic and normalness. This place is none of these things. “I’m still processing everything, but I think it would be unmathematical to waste a chance to explore a new world.”
“What’s your favorite fairy tale?’
“Um. I really can’t say.” Because I don’t even like fairy tales at all. I barely remember any of them from when Mom used to read me bedtime stories. I made her stop as soon as I could read on my own, because I wanted to start reading math books.
Bo Peep smiled. “Good answer. They royals never commit to a favorite tale. Imagine how jealous everyone would be if they had favorites.”
Well, at least I’d done something right.
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Tour-Wide Giveaway
5 copies of The Cinderella Theorem (print for US winners, ebook for international winners)
Ends August 31st
Thanks so much for sharing the excerpt and giveaway with us! Happy Monday! :)
ReplyDeleteOf course! Thanks for dropping by!
DeleteI love the deleted scene!
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