Double Take - Cloaked by Alex Flinn

Published: Feb 2011

Published by: HarperCollins

Pages: 341

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

I'm not your average hero. I actually wasn't your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all.


It all started with a curse. And a frognapping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission.

There wasn't a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I've ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Everglades.

Don't believe me? I didn't believe it either. But you'll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got cloaked.

Review:
Christinabean = blue
Curlypow = black

I really enjoy fairytale retellings and when I think about the authors who do them best, I think of Alex Flinn.  Cloaked was much different from what I was expecting though.  I have to admit that the "written accents" in the book started to irk me after awhile.  At first I thought it was cute but then it just got on my nerves...
Here's where my experience was quite different from Christinabean's, because I listened to 'Cloaked',  I didn't read it.  For me, the story was absolutely hilarious.  The language, the accents, the characters, all painted a very vivid picture for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was a bit of a wild ride.  You never knew where the story was going to take you - from talking animals, to princesses to shoemaking, Cloaked certainly packed it all in! Definitely a wild ride.  I was never sure what was going to come next, and listening to it made it so much fun.  I loved that Johnny, our main protagonist, was such a nice guy, taking care of his mother and helping out people in need.  Meg was lovely as well - hiding her true self, but such a likeable character and so genuine. 

The storyline and language tended to be geared more towards a younger age but it reminded me of the Shrek movies in some ways where there would be little quips here and there just for adults.  Overall, it was a clean read without profanity and I would recommend it for middle school/pre-teens.  This might even make a great read for parents wanting to read WITH their kids. Ok, so the language was a little younger and nice and clean, but I think there were several nuances that would be missed by younger kids

Something I really loved was the nod given to so many different fairy tales.  I kept thinking to myself - that sounds as if it's could be  ?, or that's a nod to ?  In fact, at the end of the tape/book Ms Flinn lists the seven fairy tales that go into Cloaked.  They are: The Elves and the Shoemaker; The Frog Prince; Six Swans; Golden Bird (Firebird and the Grey Wolf); The Valiant Tailor; The Salad; and The Fisherman and his Wife. The only one I hadn't heard of was The Salad.  I'll have to go and find that one.
At the back of the novel there was also a list of the fairytales used throughout the book.  I think that Curlypow is more of an expert with the fairytales but I did pick out a few. 

Overall it was a fun read for me and I'd recommend it! 
Final verdict - for me it was a definite thumbs up.  Lots of fun and a great laugh.