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Book Review of Change of a Dress (Cinderella Cleaners, Bk 1)

Change of a Dress (Cinderella Cleaners, Bk 1)
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Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com

Diana Donato is not happy. Though she has been in every drama production since elementary school, her rival, Kayleigh Carell, is going to get the part of Emily in the middle school production of Our Town, a part that should be Diana's.

But that's life when you have a wicked step-mother who thinks you are old enough to take on some responsibility and give up everything that is fun in life. So, instead of going to tryouts, Diana has to tackle her first day of work at Cinderella Cleaners, the family dry-cleaning business.

Though hesitant to admit it, because Fay could never be right, Diana begins to enjoy her time at work. If nothing else, she has a chance to work in fashion - at least in a way - and might get dibs on something great that has been left in the "rack" after two months of not being claimed. Cat and Elise, two high school girls who work at Cinderella Cleaners, are kind of cool, too.

Diana also learns a few necessary life lessons along the way, including knowing when to admit she knows something and when it's okay to keep it quiet. Her main dilemma happens when she finds a pair of tickets to a sold-out Broadway production. After learning that the client will be out of town on the night of the show, Diana is tempted to use the tickets herself.

The first novel in a new series, this story challenges the way people justify doing something they know is wrong. What will happen if Diana uses those tickets? Who will know if she has shirked her responsibilities and gone on the experience of a lifetime? Who will it hurt?

Gold asks (and answers) these questions as Diana makes choices about what she should do and then has to deal with consequences that are beyond her imagination.