Title Page

Copyright

Adapted in part from the Disney film Cinderella.

Copyright © 2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by Disney • Hyperion, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, Inc. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address Disney • Hyperion, 77 West 66th Street, New York, New York 10023.

Designed by Phil T. Buchanan

Cover Illustration by Jeffrey Thomas

ISBN 978-1-368-07447-6

Dedication

Dedicated to Rich Thomas: Without your encouragement and guidance, and that of the many other talented people I have worked with at Disney over the years, I would have never written this series. You will always have my heartfelt gratitude.

Chapter I: The Book of Fairy Tales

The Tremaines

Not too long ago and rather far away, but still within the Many Kingdoms, there was a moldering old château. This château had two distinguishing attributes: the first and most remarkable was that Cinderella, the queen of her land, once called this strange, foreboding place her home. The second was that it was the subject of wild rumors—that it was haunted by Lady Tremaine and her two daughters.

The lady’s daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, were said to roam the château in white dresses, and the specter of the lady was said to have been seen talking with the ghost of her beloved cat, Lucifer, as she lamented the loss of her one true love.

The rumors told a tragic ghost tale, filled with misery and deception. But the truth was far more interesting. The fact was, the lady and her daughters were very much alive, despite their wraithlike appearance, and they were indeed trapped within the old crumbling château with no hope of escape. You see, unlike Cinderella, the Tremaine sisters did not have a fairy godmother to look after them.

We probably don’t have to tell you about Cinderella’s past, before she became queen, back when she lived with the Tremaines. If you picked up this book, then you are already well acquainted with Cinderella’s story, but just in case you’ve been living outside the Many Kingdoms, and you have somehow managed to go a lifetime without hearing Cinderella’s story, I suppose it best I tell you a little bit about her family.