Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy

by Melissa de la Cruz

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This first book in a new fantasy series by bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz is a book lover’s dream. When Filomena Jefferson-Cho arrives at her local bookstore only to find out that the last book in her favorite series is nowhere to be found, she soon finds herself pulled into the fairytale world – complete with magic, fairies and Jack Stalker, one of the book’s heroes. This sweet adventure tale is perfect for fans of The Land of Stories.

Real life and fairy tales collide in The Thirteenth Fairy, book one in the new middle-grade Never After series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz.

Nothing ever happens in Cara Jefferson-Cho’s sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there’s no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Cara is walking home on her own, something strange happens.

Cara is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent—he’s real, the stories are real, and Cara must come with him at once!

Soon, Cara is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Cara must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250311214
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	12/01/2020
Series:	The Chronicles of Never After , #1
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	33,896
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly internationally bestselling author of many critically acclaimed books for readers of all ages, including the Alex & Eliza trilogy and Disney's Descendants novels. Visit her at melissa-delacruz.com

Editorial Reviews

10/26/2020

Filomena Jefferson-Cho, 12, is a huge fan of epic fairy tale mash-up series Never After, and she’s anticipating the release of the 13th and final volume—until she learns that the long-deceased author apparently never wrote it. When the saga’s hero, Jack the Giant Stalker, appears in her quiet hometown of North Pasadena, pursued by an ogre, she discovers that everything described in the books is true. Inadvertently accompanying Jack back to the lands of Never After, Filomena is swept up in a struggle between good and evil occurring in both worlds. The adopted daughter of interracial parents who has “curly dark hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, and skin the color of maple syrup,” Filomena suffers bullying at school, making “escaping her world... one of her favorite pastimes.” In this fantasy series opener, de la Cruz (Gotham High) plays with familiar fairy tale elements—riddles, quests, fantastical characters—while throwing in a heavy dose of wish fulfillment. The story stumbles somewhat where the two worlds overlap, and though late developments truncate their own emotional heft, it’s a fast-paced fantasy that Land of Stories fans will enjoy. Ages 10–14. Agent: Richard Abate, 3Arts Entertainment. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/01/2020

Gr 4–7—"Once upon a time in the days of old, eleven fairies gathered at court before a child to hold. Only eleven, for the twelfth was dead and the thirteenth was missing." At the christening of Princess Eliana, members of the court speculate why the 13th fairy, Princess Carabosse, is missing. While the Kingdom assumes the baby has been born to King Vladimir and evil Queen Olga, the baby's actual mother is the newly dead Queen Rosanna. This series opener is broken into parts that tie the fairy tale to modern times. Part One begins with Filomena Jefferson-Cho embarking on an unexpected adventure. Filomena is a sixth grader in North Pasadena, CA, with overprotective adoptive author parents who are always telling her stories of fairies that steal kids. At school, Filomena is bullied and teased for being smart, adopted, and of mixed heritage (she is Black, Asian, and white), which propels her towards her love of reading and the "Never After" series. She, like many other die-hard fans, has eagerly awaited the 13th and final installment, only to be crushed to find out that the author mysteriously disappeared without completing the series. On her way home from the bookstore, she is followed by a boy who turns out to be the books' dashing hero, Jack the Giant Stalker. He claims the books are an actual history of the fairy tribes. Author de la Cruz injects humor into the fantastical adventure among the heavier topics, such as bullying. Jack and Alistair come to Filomena's aid, and the trio go through a portal into the real Never After. Filomena learns she may be the key to the missing Princess, and she and her new friends embark on a treacherous journey rife with dragons, ogres, and evil Queens. VERDICT This series debut has something for most readers—a complex female heroine, middle school angst, plenty of action, and magic—which will leave them eagerly turning the pages—Michele Shaw, formerly at Quail Run Elem. Sch., San Ramon, CA

School Library Journal

2020-09-29
Twelve-year-old Filomena Jefferson-Cho finds herself inside the magical world of her favorite fantasy series.

Filomena lives in North Pasadena, California, with her mother, father, and their family pets. She is the beloved daughter of two neurotic writers who take overprotectiveness to a new level. While Filomena is just your average sixth grader who loves fairy tales—albeit one taking eighth grade algebra—unfortunately, she is also the victim of school bullying. Her life takes a turn for the fantastical when she meets Jack the Giant Stalker from her beloved Never After series; what Filomena thought were just stories turn out to be real. With her intimate knowledge of the books, Filomena travels to Never After in hopes of helping to defeat an evil queen. Equal parts whimsical and adventure-packed, Filomena’s journey will entrance readers and have them rooting for the young, witty heroine. Filomena forges new friendships, confronts her bullies, and learns the truth about where she came from and who she really is. Though the villains are a bit one-dimensional, Filomena’s character growth in combination with the highly entertaining delivery of her story will have readers eagerly awaiting the sequel. Filomena is described as ethnically ambiguous with curly dark hair, brown eyes, and brown skin; she was adopted by a Korean/Filipino father and British mother.

A refreshing twist on well-known fairy tales. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy:
Finalist in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards!
A New York Times Bestseller

"Equal parts whimsical and adventure-packed, Filomena’s journey will entrance readers and have them rooting for the young, witty heroine... A refreshing twist on well-known fairy tales." - Kirkus

"A fast-paced fantasy that Land of Stories fans will enjoy." - Publishers Weekly

"Fans of fantasy and fairy tales of all kinds will delight in catching all the references to classics from "Little Miss Muffet" to Lord of the Rings, and the twist-filled plot moves along quickly with plenty of action and snappy banter." - Booklist

"This series debut has something for most readers—a complex female heroine, middle school angst, plenty of action, and magic—which will leave them eagerly turning the pages." - School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher