Fashion Kitty by Charise Mericle Harper, Charise Mericle Harper (Illustrator), Charise Mericle Harper (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

What if things had worked out a little differently for Cinderella? What if the evil stepmom wasn't exactly horrible and the step sisters weren't entirely evil? If all those things were true, would there still be a prince who falls for the lonely and sad maiden? For Lucy, the answer seems to be a resounding.no. When her father remarries, Lucy's old life is turned upside down. She moves from her West Coast home to a suburb on Long Island and feels like a total outcast. With no friends in her future, a blank social calendar, and a huge crush on the prince of the varsity basketball team, Lucy's life doesn't seem to have the makings of "happily ever after." But Lucy soon finds out that happy endings do happen-just not scripted as she had planned.

Publishers Weekly

Harper's (The Monster Show) skimpy, silly graphic novel introduces the Kittie family, "unusual" for three reasons: the family has a pet mouse (they're vegetarians); Mother Kittie lets her daughters Kiki and Lana pick out all their own clothes; and the family members know the secret identity of the titular whiskered superhero. Fashion Kitty's brain "can mix and match hundreds of outfits in a second" and her ears "hear the distress call of someone in need of fashion help." Learning that Kiki "has a natural flair for fashion" (unlike Lana, who is a "fashion nightmare" and wears her underwear on the outside), readers will have a good idea about the identity of the title chic feline. Pulling her sister's pantyhose over her head as a mask, Fashion Kitty flies off "to fight for free fashion!" She first convinces a young cat to ignore the fashion directives of a mean-spirited classmate and then sets up the wicked feline to embarrass herself at school the next day. Featuring a limited palette dominated by pinks, Harper's rudimentary art, like her sketchy story line, falls short of achieving its comic aspirations. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

She's a kitty, she's a vegetarian with a pet mouse, she has her own sense of style, she's . . . Fashion Kitty! Harper brings her comedic sense and flat, droll cartoons together in a graphic novel for young girls ("because many boys don't give two hoots about fashion"). Lana and Kiki, two sisters, might look a lot like their literary cousin, Rotten Ralph, but they are not rotten at all. These kitty-girls live in the world of stripes, flowers and polka dots, but each has her own distinct style. Lana prefers her rebellious clothing style, complete with underwear on the outside and stockings used as scarves. Kiki revels in repeated patterns, cute bobbles and an eclectic style that everyone loves. During an accident on Kiki's eighth birthday, fashion magazines fall on her head and she wakes, transformed into Fashion Kitty, with superpowers that allow her to help with fashion emergencies, even the ability to see a fashion faux pas in the making. A marvelous girly-girl response to the Captain Underpants books-with none of the embarrassing potty humor. (Fiction. 7-11)

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