MMGM NW Authors: Once Upon A Toad by Heather Vogel Frederick

About The Book: Once upon a time, Cat Starr lived with her astronaut mom in Houston. But when her mother gets sent on a long-term mission, Cat has to move to a far away land—her dad’s house, halfway across the country—and share a room with her real-life evil stepsister, Olivia. Just when Cat can’t take it anymore, Great-Aunt Abyssinia comes to the rescue. And things go from bad to worse.
The next morning, Cat opens her mouth and a toad hops out! What’s more, when Olivia speaks, diamonds and flowers appear. How unfair isthat? Before you can say "happily ever after," the girls are on the run from jewel thieves and a government agency. Can Cat save the day—and get rid of all those toads?
This is an enchanting fractured fairy tale from acclaimed Mother-Daughter Book Club author Heather Vogel Frederick.—Goodreads

  

First Line: "Are we there yet?" My little brother pulled his index finger out of his mouth, sounding anxious.

What Others Are Saying: "The plot takes many twists, some more predictable than others, and the story is well written and paced. For fans of fantasy and fairy tales, this is a gem."—School Library Journal

  

"The slapstick nature of the story translates well to modern-day middle school ... Frederick plays up the physical comedy and focuses on the fun, as well as the gradually defrosting relationship between Cat and Olivia." — Publishers Weekly

What I Thought: This was a fun read. Using Cat's step-family as the backdrop Frederick artfully used a familiar fairytale to put her characters in extraordinary circumstances. It was funny, touching and exciting all at once. The twists and turns and quick pace makes the book hard to put down. 

About The Author: 

Heather Vogel Frederick

Website

Blog

Publisher

SCBWI Interview

Who: Heather Vogel Frederick was born in Peterborough, New Hampshire, into a family of bookworms, and spent most of her childhood holed up at the library. When Heather wasn’t reading, she was writing, and she wrote her first novel at summer camp when she was 12. Fortunately for her literary reputation, it was never published. Equally fortunately for her literary reputation, she was given the chance to hone her writing chops a few years later when she launched a career as a journalist, an occupation that kept her happily occupied for two decades. A former staff reporter and children’s book review editor for The Christian Science Monitor, Heather has also written for The New York Times,Family Life, Child, and Publishers Weekly, where she was a contributing editor for many years.

Heather's work spans many genres, from picture books (Hide and Squeak) to historical fiction (The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed), fantasy (the Spy Miceadventures), fractured fairy tales (Once Upon a Toad), and contemporary fiction (the Mother-Daughter Book Club series).

Today, Heather lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two sons, and the family’s beloved Shetland sheepdogs, Bonnie and Billie Holliday.—Children's Literature Network

Newest Book: #6 of the Mother Daughter Book Club Series.

There are some great reviews waiting for you at the other MMGM. You can find them in my sidebar.