A fun and irreverent re-telling of the classic fairytale, Cinderella.

Once upon a time, there was a prince who was looking for some excitement. Something thrilling. The kind of life found in fairy tales. He decides he needs to find his princess, so that he can have his happily ever after. Attending a series of balls in Limerick, he finally meets Limerella! The prince is certain he's found the love of his life, but Limerella's not so sure...

About the Author
Grainne O'Brien is the children's buyer for O'Mahony's Booksellers, a job she has proudly held for almost a decade. She is the founder of Rontu Literary Service, a service dedicated to supporting writers of fiction for children as they seek publication of their manuscripts and one of the founders of Silver Apples Magazine, an online literary magazine entering its tenth year. She completed the MA in Creative Writing from the University of Limerick in 2018 and received an Irish Arts Council Agility Award in 2021 and 2022. She is a member of the Irish Booksellers Association committee and was named a Bookshop Hero by The Bookseller Magazine in 2022. She is a Co. Clare native and lives in Limerick with her soon-to-be husband and two cats.

Reviews

a modern-day twist on the classic tale, Cinderella. In King John's castle lives Prince Hugo who is hell-bent on finding his princess to make his fairytale fantasy come true and live happily ever after. He thinks he has found his perfect match when he meets Limerella, but he soon gets a reality check when his plan goes awry. O'Brien's re-telling of the famous Disney fantasy portrays a far more relatable female protagonist and gives the antiquated convention of single women in fairytales a much needed resurgence ... Illustrated beautifully by Stawowy, all the famous Limerick landmarks such as Thomand Park, Milk Market, Adare Manor, and many more make this a charming read for any little Shannonsiders

-- Irish Examiner

fabulous, colourful, quirky illustrations dance across the pages, bringing even more light and laughter to an already great story. Fun, hilarious, well-written and lively; this acts as a great travel guide to Limerick, as well. Just brilliant!

-- Fallen Star Stories

Perfect for readers who love a tale with a twist, with fabulous illustrations showcasing some of Limerick's most famous spots

-- Children's Books Ireland in the Irish Examiner

A fun retelling of the Cinderella tale with bright, cartoon-style illustrations and a Limerick twist

-- Irish Independent

funny, wry, mischievous and uplifting

-- Joseph O'Connor, Irish Times

a modern-day feminist take on the classic

-- Sunday Times

a modern twist on Cinderella with all our favourite parts but DIFFERENT! ... We loved the story and the way the characters were portrayed. We thought Limerella represented strong girls doing it their way and like the story of Cinderella, not everything is always straight forward ... We loved the modern take on the story and how the girl was such a strong character. We loved the illustrations of Limerick city and the city was portrayed stunningly. We recently visited Limerick city for Riverfest so all the beautiful sites were fresh in our mind. We think this book is suitable for children aged from 3-8 years old. We read it in a class setting and at home (quite a few times, as it was requested over and over) and they all loved it. The children scored the book ranging around 8 or 9 out of ten which is a great score. As a muinteoir, I think this could be used in literacy when learning about fairytales and twists. It could also be used to show characters and character traits. It could also be used as part of learning about medieval cities and to introduce readers to different parts of Limerick before learning about the castle and its location. My Tipperary children suggested that every hotel in Tipperary, Limerick and Clare should have a copy of this for children staying to get them excited about seeing all these cool places in Limerick on their holidays. We thoroughly enjoyed the book and would absolutely recommend it - Kathrine Maher (teacher / mammy), James (aged 8) and Ellie (aged 5), Co. Tipperary

-- Seomra Ranga

Limerella proves to be a sensible woman and the only romance going on here is Grainne O'Brien's love for Limerick, the city where she works as a children's buyer for O'Mahony's bookshop. The bookshop, along with the Milk Market and Hunt Museum, is among many familiar locations in Limerick city and county featured in O'Brien's wryly humorous liberation from the gender stereotyping inherent in the traditional Cinderella story

-- The Echo

the appeal is not just the fairytale elements but the local detail ... Illustrator Lena Stawowy has fun with the juxtaposition of the traditional attire of the royals and the more modern clothing everyone else wears at the different events, and the chaos of the scenes with the guards is vividly rendered. Playful and charming

-- Claire Hennessy on childrensbooksireland.ie

In this playful and charming, fairy-tale retelling, with lots of local detail, illustrator Lena Stawowy has fun vividly rendering the sights of Limerick

-- Children's Books Ireland's Annual Reading Guide 2023



Book Information
ISBN 9781788493741
Author Grainne O'Brien
Format Hardback
Page Count 32
Imprint O'Brien Press Ltd
Publisher O'Brien Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 420g
Dimensions(mm) 260mm * 215mm * 10mm