A review by squinch
Junior Novel by Kate Howard, Scholastic, Inc

5.0

"Complete story retelling?" That's a joke. This book was NOTHING like the movie, and honestly? It made it a lot better. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. It was alright in a, this-is-a-fun-kids-movie kinda way. But this book? Is a COMPLETELY different story all together. And it's not like there are a few new lines of dialogue or more characterization, no, THERE ARE LITERAL SCENES AND CHARACTERS THAT DO NOT EXIST IN THE FILM. Not only that, but most if not all of the characters are different than what they were from the movie. And it was pretty engaging for the most part. If they would have made this book into a movie rather than what's in theaters now, it would have made even more entertaining and creative. Seriously, this book is so different from the movie it's almost like the studio put a stop to this project and made the animators start from scratch with only a month of preparation rather than the years it would have taken before.
I'm giving this book 5/5 because it reminds me of what could have been: an engaging story about family and believing in yourself. The characters are more likable, the plot is cohesive, and it's overall just a better story.
What I really want to know is how this got published under the studios radar?
And how did no one say anything about it before? Once kids start to read this they're going to be confused because of how NOT similar it is to the movie.
It's still a nice easy read and the kids will like it. I know I did.
With love and brutal honesty -Babs