Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Publication
Disney-Hyperion (2016), Edition: Reprint, 400 pages
Description
Folklore. Young Adult Fiction. What if Aladdin had never found the lamp? This first book in the A Twisted Tale line will explore a dark and daring version of Disney's Aladdin. When Jafar steals the Genie's lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.
User reviews
LibraryThing member swingdancefan
A Whole New World
By Liz Braswell
Series: A Twisted Tale
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Disney Press (September 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 148470729X
ISBN-13: 978-1484707296
Age Range: 12 - 18 years
Grade Level: 7 – 12
Approximate Lexile: 720
Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!
“Welcome to a
This book started off just like the movie, until that pivotal moment. Then…I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I love the idea of alternate history, and examining “what-if”, but I’m not too sold on the way the author handled it.
First, there is very much a vibe of “Disney princesses need to get out of the mold of always having to be rescued.” I don’t necessarily object to that idea. I like “Jasmine-as-revolutionary-leader.” But it does have that feel of, “Let’s appease public opinion.”
I also have a quibble with some of the language used in the book. No, not that kind of language. Anachronisms. Remember, this is ancient Agrabah. So why are people saying “Okay” (originated in mid-19th century USA) and “down with that”? And don’t even get me started on baguettes….Am I being too picky?
Nitpicks aside, this is a cute story. I particularly enjoyed the way the character of the Genie evolves from what we saw in the movie. The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying.
Possible objectionable material: Violence, walking undead. A few chaste smooches.
Who would like this book: Disney fans, of course. Anyone who likes alternate versions of favorite stories. Those who like a bit of adventure. The suggested age range provided by the publisher is good, though I think it may skew a little younger, more like 10-16 and grades 5-9.
By Liz Braswell
Series: A Twisted Tale
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Disney Press (September 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 148470729X
ISBN-13: 978-1484707296
Age Range: 12 - 18 years
Grade Level: 7 – 12
Approximate Lexile: 720
Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you!
“Welcome to a
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new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar had found the lamp instead of Aladdin?”This book started off just like the movie, until that pivotal moment. Then…I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. I love the idea of alternate history, and examining “what-if”, but I’m not too sold on the way the author handled it.
First, there is very much a vibe of “Disney princesses need to get out of the mold of always having to be rescued.” I don’t necessarily object to that idea. I like “Jasmine-as-revolutionary-leader.” But it does have that feel of, “Let’s appease public opinion.”
I also have a quibble with some of the language used in the book. No, not that kind of language. Anachronisms. Remember, this is ancient Agrabah. So why are people saying “Okay” (originated in mid-19th century USA) and “down with that”? And don’t even get me started on baguettes….Am I being too picky?
Nitpicks aside, this is a cute story. I particularly enjoyed the way the character of the Genie evolves from what we saw in the movie. The ending was bittersweet, but satisfying.
Possible objectionable material: Violence, walking undead. A few chaste smooches.
Who would like this book: Disney fans, of course. Anyone who likes alternate versions of favorite stories. Those who like a bit of adventure. The suggested age range provided by the publisher is good, though I think it may skew a little younger, more like 10-16 and grades 5-9.
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LibraryThing member DanieXJ
The Media, movies, TV, books, etc. is in quite a fairy tale mood these days. From Maleficent, to Once Upon a Time and Grimm, to this and other books. If you like fairy tales as I do, it’s quite a time to be a reader/consumer of media.
Still, as many fairy tales/legends that I’ve read/seen this
It’s not just a novelization of the movie by a long shot either. According to its blurbs it’s the start of a series where each book takes a Disney movie and changes a key moment in it. That totally twists the story on its head.
This one starts about the same as the animated movie it’s based on. We meet Aladdin, the poor Street Rat with an apparent heart of gold, and Jasmine, the apparently spoiled Princess who is just as trapped as Aladdin just in a different way, and wants to see the world. I really, really liked how Braswell wrote all the characters, and the other action/descriptions as well. Perhaps it was because I’ve probably seen the movie too many times, but her words very easily evoked my memories of the movie and I was drawn into the story on a level I hadn’t anticipated.
And then, the twist came, and while it wasn’t a huge stunning departure from the movie plot, it had huge repercussions for the characters in the story, and made for a definitely different and mostly awesome re-imagining of the story.
The one thing that was a little annoying about the novel was that here and there the characters got a little preachy about social issues and social justice. I got the allusions to our modern life, I didn’t need to be beaten over the head with it (and I think neither would seventh graders).
Still, it was such an enjoyable novel, and while, yes, it’s definitely a book written for older kids/young teens, it was also enjoyable for this adult to read. I especially recommend it if you like different takes on fairy tales, or even just reliving the Disney movies of your youth.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Disney Press.
Still, as many fairy tales/legends that I’ve read/seen this
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wasn’t at all what I was expecting it to be. It’s based on the Disney animated movie Aladdin, but it definitely lives up to its age suggestion (7th Grade and up), and it’s not for little kids like the movie is.It’s not just a novelization of the movie by a long shot either. According to its blurbs it’s the start of a series where each book takes a Disney movie and changes a key moment in it. That totally twists the story on its head.
This one starts about the same as the animated movie it’s based on. We meet Aladdin, the poor Street Rat with an apparent heart of gold, and Jasmine, the apparently spoiled Princess who is just as trapped as Aladdin just in a different way, and wants to see the world. I really, really liked how Braswell wrote all the characters, and the other action/descriptions as well. Perhaps it was because I’ve probably seen the movie too many times, but her words very easily evoked my memories of the movie and I was drawn into the story on a level I hadn’t anticipated.
And then, the twist came, and while it wasn’t a huge stunning departure from the movie plot, it had huge repercussions for the characters in the story, and made for a definitely different and mostly awesome re-imagining of the story.
The one thing that was a little annoying about the novel was that here and there the characters got a little preachy about social issues and social justice. I got the allusions to our modern life, I didn’t need to be beaten over the head with it (and I think neither would seventh graders).
Still, it was such an enjoyable novel, and while, yes, it’s definitely a book written for older kids/young teens, it was also enjoyable for this adult to read. I especially recommend it if you like different takes on fairy tales, or even just reliving the Disney movies of your youth.
I got this advanced galley through Netgalley on behalf of Disney Press.
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LibraryThing member LibStaff2
Great idea, but not quite executed to its full potential. I love the concept of reinventing classic Disney fairy tales and I love the story of Aladdin. The first quarter of this book follows the movie very closely. After that, many parts are similar to the movie sequel. I did like a few of the
This version may be best for younger audiences.
Net Galley Feedback
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additional characters not in the original, but most are the same.This version may be best for younger audiences.
Net Galley Feedback
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LibraryThing member thebumblegirl
A magical novelization of one of Disney's most loved movies, Aladdin! Full of what we love and expect from Disney - characters we love, surprising twists and giving us exactly what we want...
As, I believe, that the majority of us has seen the movie, Aladdin, I am not going to go into a detailed
Jafar is seriously dark and twisted, just like all of Disney's villains, this guy has some serious issues. He is such an intricate character. I'm really glad to have been able to see more of him, and get a better feel as to why Jafar is such a terrible person... if you didn't like him before, you'll despise him even more after what he does in this book.
As I have come to know and love, Disney's movies and books are heavy on visualization and world-building, I found the details amazing and capturing. But if I had just one wish, it would be that they would have given the secondary characters more depth. There were a few new characters, and a few cameos - I would have liked a few more pages with each and every one of them...
A Whole New World is exactly what I expected, and enjoyed it so much!... However, I do feel that the book reads for a younger audience. Even with its darker notes, it's not intimidating or frightening.
A definite quick and enjoyable read for all Disney lovers! The ending is perfection!
You will not be disappointed!
As, I believe, that the majority of us has seen the movie, Aladdin, I am not going to go into a detailed
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summary of the book. The first part of the story reads just like the movie - I got reaquainted with Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. But once the twist of the story happens, it's all new territory. Cryptic, grim and unsuspecting. We get to see a different side to Aladdin, which I truly enjoyed.Jafar is seriously dark and twisted, just like all of Disney's villains, this guy has some serious issues. He is such an intricate character. I'm really glad to have been able to see more of him, and get a better feel as to why Jafar is such a terrible person... if you didn't like him before, you'll despise him even more after what he does in this book.
As I have come to know and love, Disney's movies and books are heavy on visualization and world-building, I found the details amazing and capturing. But if I had just one wish, it would be that they would have given the secondary characters more depth. There were a few new characters, and a few cameos - I would have liked a few more pages with each and every one of them...
A Whole New World is exactly what I expected, and enjoyed it so much!... However, I do feel that the book reads for a younger audience. Even with its darker notes, it's not intimidating or frightening.
A definite quick and enjoyable read for all Disney lovers! The ending is perfection!
You will not be disappointed!
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LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An Aladdin retelling with a darker twist.
Opening Sentence: A high white moon cast its light on the city below as brightly as the sun was said to shine in northern countries.
The Review:
I adore retellings and A Whole New World was certainly an action
“…Rats, I was completely alone. Before I ran away, my closest friend was a tiger.”
Aladdin laughed softly. “Before I met you, my closest friend was a monkey.” He kissed her on the forehead. “We’re quite a pair.”
At first I wondered why I was continuing to read the story since I could guess almost every scene. There wasn’t anything spectacularly original, which left me feeling disappointed. I have found that other retellings refer to the original story, with general likenesses of main characters, but there is always something to set the tale apart. For most of A Whole New World, this wasn’t the case.
Despite this obvious problem, the story was entertaining and a quick read. It helped that I hadn’t read the original Aladdin for some time so it was a refreshing reminder of a childhood favourite.
Morgiana was only bleeding a little and carried a short sword in each hand – plus an extra scimitar in her right.
“Took you long enough,” Aladdin said accusingly.
“You said ‘no killing,’” she said, shrugging. “Stuff like that takes time.”
I enjoyed the focus on the ‘street rats’, especially Morgiana because of her laughable comments. The characters were well developed and pretty much exactly how I remembered them. I would have preferred a greater focus on my favourite, the genie, but alas that was another downside to this story.
Jasmine tilted her head, looking at him. “How are you holding up?” she asked gently.
“Oh, as well as can be expected,” he said, waving his hand. “Considering I’m, like, the last of my race, enslaved to an insane, power hungry, evil-did I say evil?-dictator with delusions of godhood…who won’t even make his final insane third wish and let me off the hook from all this. Maybe my next master will be someone nicer. Like the sadistic tyrant of a kingdom of vampires. Or something.”
Jaffar is the evil villain we all love to hate. He stayed true to that in this story and yes, he was definitely beyond cruel as well as crazy. With his powers as a sorcerer and the genie at his side, he was virtually indestructible!
I liked the romance too; Aladdin and Jasmine have the immediate chemistry that is seen in the classic tale. I loved Jasmine’s fierceness and fight for change. There is that element of darkness to everything but I liked that, it made the story at least a little different!
The girl looked horrified.
“They’re all just pretending to be poor?”
Aladdin chuckled wryly. “No, they’re not pretending. They’re not pretending to be poor, or shoeless, or homeless, or starving. All of that is very, very real. But sometimes it takes costumes and makeup and playacting for people to see the truth that is right under their noses.”
Overall, I’m afraid that A Whole New World felt a lot like a reminder of an old, well-known world.
Notable Scene:
“Don’t let life’s unfairness, don’t let how poor you are decide who you are. You choose who you will be, Aladdin. Will you be a hero who looks after the weak and powerless? Will you be a thief? Will you be a beggar – or worse? It’s up to you, not the things – or people – around you. You can choose to be something more.”
He nodded, lip trembling. He was too old to cry. He was.
FTC Advisory: Disney Press provided me with a copy of A Whole New World. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: An Aladdin retelling with a darker twist.
Opening Sentence: A high white moon cast its light on the city below as brightly as the sun was said to shine in northern countries.
The Review:
I adore retellings and A Whole New World was certainly an action
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packed and entertaining read but with a darker perspective. BUT I couldn’t ignore the feeling that there was something missing. Although I haven’t watched or read Disney’s Aladdin for many, many years, the first half of this book felt like an almost exact remake. I expected there to be something massively different to set it apart but the differences only emerged about halfway through.“…Rats, I was completely alone. Before I ran away, my closest friend was a tiger.”
Aladdin laughed softly. “Before I met you, my closest friend was a monkey.” He kissed her on the forehead. “We’re quite a pair.”
At first I wondered why I was continuing to read the story since I could guess almost every scene. There wasn’t anything spectacularly original, which left me feeling disappointed. I have found that other retellings refer to the original story, with general likenesses of main characters, but there is always something to set the tale apart. For most of A Whole New World, this wasn’t the case.
Despite this obvious problem, the story was entertaining and a quick read. It helped that I hadn’t read the original Aladdin for some time so it was a refreshing reminder of a childhood favourite.
Morgiana was only bleeding a little and carried a short sword in each hand – plus an extra scimitar in her right.
“Took you long enough,” Aladdin said accusingly.
“You said ‘no killing,’” she said, shrugging. “Stuff like that takes time.”
I enjoyed the focus on the ‘street rats’, especially Morgiana because of her laughable comments. The characters were well developed and pretty much exactly how I remembered them. I would have preferred a greater focus on my favourite, the genie, but alas that was another downside to this story.
Jasmine tilted her head, looking at him. “How are you holding up?” she asked gently.
“Oh, as well as can be expected,” he said, waving his hand. “Considering I’m, like, the last of my race, enslaved to an insane, power hungry, evil-did I say evil?-dictator with delusions of godhood…who won’t even make his final insane third wish and let me off the hook from all this. Maybe my next master will be someone nicer. Like the sadistic tyrant of a kingdom of vampires. Or something.”
Jaffar is the evil villain we all love to hate. He stayed true to that in this story and yes, he was definitely beyond cruel as well as crazy. With his powers as a sorcerer and the genie at his side, he was virtually indestructible!
I liked the romance too; Aladdin and Jasmine have the immediate chemistry that is seen in the classic tale. I loved Jasmine’s fierceness and fight for change. There is that element of darkness to everything but I liked that, it made the story at least a little different!
The girl looked horrified.
“They’re all just pretending to be poor?”
Aladdin chuckled wryly. “No, they’re not pretending. They’re not pretending to be poor, or shoeless, or homeless, or starving. All of that is very, very real. But sometimes it takes costumes and makeup and playacting for people to see the truth that is right under their noses.”
Overall, I’m afraid that A Whole New World felt a lot like a reminder of an old, well-known world.
Notable Scene:
“Don’t let life’s unfairness, don’t let how poor you are decide who you are. You choose who you will be, Aladdin. Will you be a hero who looks after the weak and powerless? Will you be a thief? Will you be a beggar – or worse? It’s up to you, not the things – or people – around you. You can choose to be something more.”
He nodded, lip trembling. He was too old to cry. He was.
FTC Advisory: Disney Press provided me with a copy of A Whole New World. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
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LibraryThing member rebekahdinm
Forget everything you know about the Disney version of this Middle Eastern tale. This isn't the Aladdin you think you know. This fun re-telling keeps some of the familiar pieces of the animated classic (think, clothes, monkeys, and the adorably short sultan) while spinning a new twist on the story.
The echoes of the voices of beloved characters comes through in this re-telling to make familiar characters like Jafar and Genie come to life. The descriptions of the city of Agrabah are cinematic in detail and scope, and offer a more in depth description of the streets Aladdin has lived on his whole life. The reason for the four stars is the extreme over-use of italicized words (try going a page without seeing one) and the fact that some of the writing seemed underdeveloped. All in all I really enjoyed returning to a world near and dear to my heart, and the voice of the Genie came through to remind me how well Robin Williams developed the character. I liked the twists, and the addition of some new original characters in the story.
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What would happen if instead of finding the genie and using his wishes to "get the girl", Aladdin had lost the lamp to the evil Jafar, who used the wishes to take over Agrabah? Together with a band of misfit street rats, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine must find a way to rescue the city they love from Jafar.The echoes of the voices of beloved characters comes through in this re-telling to make familiar characters like Jafar and Genie come to life. The descriptions of the city of Agrabah are cinematic in detail and scope, and offer a more in depth description of the streets Aladdin has lived on his whole life. The reason for the four stars is the extreme over-use of italicized words (try going a page without seeing one) and the fact that some of the writing seemed underdeveloped. All in all I really enjoyed returning to a world near and dear to my heart, and the voice of the Genie came through to remind me how well Robin Williams developed the character. I liked the twists, and the addition of some new original characters in the story.
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LibraryThing member Jessika.C
Doesn’t everyone that has seen Disney’s Aladdin know the whole story? Boy gets hired to find a lamp, boy takes lamp and accidentally releases the genie from his thousand year slumber. Turns out the genie is a really cool guy and helps the boy try to get the girl. And other adventures. But in
Thoughts from the first five chapters (not really but I can’t be bothered to go back and double check): I like the background for Aladdin. Uh oh, she used the same names as the movie. This is literally like the movie. Ok, so I’m basically reading the movie…oh no. Why am I reading this when I can just go and watch the movie? HO HO HO THIS JUST TOOK A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE PREMISE FOR THE WHOLE TWISTED TALE THING. Me likey.
As long as you can get past the whole ripped from the screen pages of writing then the rest will be very enjoyable. Here are some other points that may or may not entice you to read: CLASSIC villain- not misunderstood, unredeemable, wants to be loved because he has power. Instalove for days but not the main focus. Political systems aren’t really fleshed out because I felt like there was a ton of reliance on movie canon to just explain away some things. The magical system got straight to the point at first but then was bent a little making the villain seem a little too powerful. The rebellion was started really fast but I thought Princess Jasmine was a little too basic to be the leader.
And to conclude:one of my earliest childhood nightmares was of Jasmine kissing Jafar. I don’t care if it was to distract him from Aladdin trying to one up him it still grossed me out. To this day I still gag and get a horrified look on my face.
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*this* book Aladdin gets Jafar his lamp and causes a war.Thoughts from the first five chapters (not really but I can’t be bothered to go back and double check): I like the background for Aladdin. Uh oh, she used the same names as the movie. This is literally like the movie. Ok, so I’m basically reading the movie…oh no. Why am I reading this when I can just go and watch the movie? HO HO HO THIS JUST TOOK A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS EVEN THOUGH IT’S THE PREMISE FOR THE WHOLE TWISTED TALE THING. Me likey.
As long as you can get past the whole ripped from the screen pages of writing then the rest will be very enjoyable. Here are some other points that may or may not entice you to read: CLASSIC villain- not misunderstood, unredeemable, wants to be loved because he has power. Instalove for days but not the main focus. Political systems aren’t really fleshed out because I felt like there was a ton of reliance on movie canon to just explain away some things. The magical system got straight to the point at first but then was bent a little making the villain seem a little too powerful. The rebellion was started really fast but I thought Princess Jasmine was a little too basic to be the leader.
And to conclude:
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LibraryThing member seriesousbooks
I should have read the reviews before I picked this up. But my love of Aladdin kept me invested. This book isn't bad; it just isn't the greatest "retelling" ever. It's not really a retelling though, more of an alternative story featuring characters you already know. I found myself bored in the
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latter half because we weren't getting much character or plot development. It just didn't impress me nor entertain me. Show Less
LibraryThing member SBoren
I purchased this book from Half Priced Books to read and #buddyread with my bestie @mycornerforbooksand. All opinions are my own. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Whole New World by Liz Braswell. Everyone loves Once upon a time and Happily Ever After but what makes it great is the story in the middle of
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those two lines. In A Whole New World all of the characters from the Disney movie Aladdin are here, but the twist comes when Aladdin doesn't find the lamp. What will happen to Jasmine? The genie? Agrabah? with all the power shifted? An amazing twist on a fairytale we all love so much with just a little more evil than would be expected. This edge of your seat, twisted tale will have you turning pages faster than you think. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com Show Less
LibraryThing member DJLunchlady91404
I'm very glad that I did not read these books in the order they were written because if I had I probably would have stopped after reading this one. It was not horrible but it seemed to follow the Disney version far to closely. By closely I mean the first 40% of the story was pretty much an exact
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narrative of the movie. After that it was pretty interesting and I was able to enjoy it but it is definitely not my favorite book in the series. I will say that it is a good stepping stone into the series because you are able to get a feel for the stories you grew up watching change Show Less
LibraryThing member the1butterfly
I started this book some time ago, wasn't that into it, and kind of left it sitting around until I determined that I had to pick it back up, read it, or decide not to. I did read it, and I'm glad I did. It was an engaging take on the story, using the old Disney characters, and imagining a different
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outcome. It was a lot deeper than the movie, though it followed almost the same path as the movie had up until Aladdin doesn't get out of the Cave of Wonders. The characters all get an opportunity to grow in ways they don't in the movie, because the story is more in-depth and they face more challenges. The ending is harder but also more meaningful. Show Less
LibraryThing member Amzzz
What if Aladdin didn’t get the lamp from the cave of wonders? This book seeks to answer that question. More thoughtful and less gimmicky than I had expected, this was a decent read but not a book I’ll be reaching for again over the years. Purchased as part of a set from Target for our book club
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theme “classic stories with a twist” Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-09-01
Physical description
8.25 inches
ISBN
1423159128 / 9781423159124