For Judith —D. U.

  To Mike, who turns stars into constellations —M. H.

  Text copyright © 2015 by Deborah Underwood.

  Illustrations copyright © 2015 by Meg Hunt.

  Performance copyright ℗ 2015 by Chronicle Books LLC.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

  in any form without written permission from the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

  Underwood, Deborah, author.

  Interstellar Cinderella / by Deborah Underwood ; illustrations by Meg Hunt.

  pages cm

  Summary: In this outer space adaptation of the fairy tale in rhyme,

  Cinderella dreams of becoming a spaceship mechanic.

  ISBN 978-1-4521-2532-9 (Hardcover)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-3782-7 (epub 2)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-3783-4 (mobi)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-3784-1 (epub 3)

  ISBN 978-1-4521-3785-8 (epib)

  1. Cinderella (Legendary character)--Juvenile fiction.

  2. Cinderella (Tale)--Adaptations. 3. Stories in rhyme.

  4. Outer space--Juvenile fiction. [1. Stories in rhyme. 2. Fairy tales.

  3. Mechanics--Fiction. 4. Sex role--Fiction. 5. Outer space--Fiction.]

  I. Hunt, Meg, illustrator. II. Title.

  PZ8.3.U562In 2015

  [E]--dc23

  2014001505

  Design by Kristine Brogno.

  Typeset in Geom Graphic.

  The illustrations in this book were rendered with gouache,

  brush and ink, graphite, rubylith, and digital process.

  Chronicle Books LLC

  680 Second Street

  San Francisco, California 94107

  Chronicle Books—we see things differently.

  Become part of our community at www.chroniclekids.com.

  Once upon a planetoid,

  amid her tools and sprockets,

  a girl named Cinderella dreamed

  of fixing fancy rockets.

  She fixed the robot dishwashers

  and zoombrooms in her care,

  but late each night she snuck away

  to study ship repair.

  One day her wicked stepsisters

  came dashing in, excited.

  “The Prince’s Royal Space Parade!

  Our family’s invited!”

  “I wish that you could come, my dear.

  Alas, no room! Although . . .

  why don’t you fix that broken ship

  and fly it to the show?”

  “My toolbox!” Cinderella cried.

  “We’re stranded here, I guess.”

  But Murgatroyd the mouse sent out

  a cosmic SOS.

  “I’m here—your fairy godrobot!

  I’ll make you brand-new tools.

  You’ll need a space suit, too, of course:

  Atomic blue! With jewels!

  This power gem will speed your ship

  across the starry sky.

  It only lasts till midnight—

  after that, your ship won’t fly.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Cinderella said.

  She quickly fixed the rocket,

  then tucked the sonic socket wrench

  inside her space-suit pocket.

  She zoomed past stars and nebulae,

  and parked beside a moon.

  The space parade was glorious!

  Each starship made her swoon.

  At last the royal ship approached.

  Her heart was filled with yearning.

  The ship of Cinderella’s dreams!

  But heavens! What was burning?

  The prince’s spaceship jerked and hissed

  and spewed a cloud of grit.

  The prince hopped out. “Oh blast! What now?

  My chief mechanic quit!”

  But Interstellar Cinderella

  knew just what to do.

  She zipzapped with her socket wrench—

  the ship was good as new!

  The prince invited her aboard.

  Last stop? Galactic Hall!

  He said, “I hope you’ll join me

  for the Gravity-Free Ball.”

  They talked for hours of rocket ships.

  The time went whizzing by.

  Then Cinderella saw the clock

  and said, “I have to fly!”

  “But wait!” the prince called after her.

  “Please tell me how to find—”

  The girl was gone—but she had left

  her socket wrench behind.

  The prince sent a transmission

  to the farthest edge of space.

  “I’ll search the cosmos for her.

  How I wish I’d seen her face!”

  “The prince’s ship!” Grisilla screeched.

  Her sister squealed in fear.

  “The prince won’t marry one of us

  if Cinderella’s here!”

  Their mother said, “Don’t worry.

  He won’t find her in this house!

  I’ve trapped her in the attic

  with that useless robot mouse.”

  The prince’s cargo door revealed

  a broken craft within.

  “The girl I seek can fix a ship.

  So—who’d like to begin?”

  He gave the sonic socket wrench

  to one, then to the other.

  Alas, they couldn’t fix the ship

  (and neither could their mother).

  Cinderella struggled,

  but the space rope held her tight,

  till Murgatroyd’s robotic teeth

  cut through it with one bite.

  “The ship! It’s leaving! Wait—what’s

  this?” She made a fast repair,

  then strapped the rusty jet pack on

  and blasted through the air.

  She landed right beside the prince.

  “That wrench is mine!” she cried.

  She quickly fixed the ailing ship.

  The prince said, “Be my bride!”

  She thought this over carefully.

  Her family watched in panic.

  “I’m far too young for marriage,

  but I’ll be your chief mechanic!”

  Amid her fleet of sparkling ships,

  and friends both old and new,

  a joyful Cinderella cried,

  “My stars! Dreams do come true!”

  DEBORAH UNDERWOOD is the author of the New York Times bestseller and one of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of 2010, The Quiet Book, and many others. When she’s not writing, you might find her singing in a chamber choir, playing a ukulele (very badly), walking around in Golden Gate Park, baking vegan cookies, or petting any dogs, cats, pigs, or turkeys that happen to be nearby.

  Find out more about Deborah at

  www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com.

  MEG HUNT is an illustrator, printmaker, educator, and all-around maker of things. Ever since she was little, she’s been fascinated by the wonders of the universe and adventures big and small. She has worked for clients like Disney, DreamWorks Animation, Cartoon Network, Scholastic, Storey Publishing, Oxford University Press, and Plansponsor. Originally from a little seaside city in Connecticut, Meg now lives and works in Portland, Oregon. This is her first picture book.

  Find out more about Meg at

  www.meghunt.com.

 

 

  Deborah Underwood, Interstellar Cinderella

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