After turning in my latest Lily Black book to my publisher, I needed a mental vacation somewhere light and airy and delightful. As it turned out, Susan Maupin Schmid’s middle grade fairy tale If the Magic Fits was just the thing! With the royal wedding this past weekend, it seemed the perfect time for a story featuring fancy dresses and wedding whispers, set against a magical castle.

This is the story of Darling Dimple, who was so named because her mother died on giving birth to her and the cook who picked her up had terrible eye sight. She is a lowly pot scrubber with a gift for wasting time day dreaming over soap bubbles, who is given the chance to have a real adventure of her own when she moves up in the world (and the castle) and in order to iron Princess Mariposa’s towels and handkerchiefs. This lofty job comes with all kinds of trouble, since it brings her in close proximity to the princess and the politics that swirl around her. More importantly, through this new position Darling discovers a nearly forgotten closet full of 100 magical dresses which no one ever wears!

The one hundred dresses are gorgeous, and once tried on temporarily disguise Darling as someone else. Number eleven, the first she tries on, transforms her into her old boss–the Head Scrubber! And so it goes. As the plot thickens, the need for more dresses and disguises becomes necessary, and Darling has to scramble to manage the different roles she takes on, figure out who she can trust, and solve the mystery of the magic she’s learning to use.

Initially I was a teensy bit disappointed that we didn’t get to see what more of the dresses did, and felt the pacing of the book didn’t allow for some of the world development I would have enjoyed. However, a quick search shows that two additional books are out or coming out, so I’m sure more of the world and dresses will be explored as the series continues. And despite the fact that this is a fairly light tale, there is quite a bit of world to explore! I liked the sense of history there was to the castle and its people, and that even though Princess Mariposa is in many ways everything an ideal princess should be, she still had a human side and was capable of making mistakes. She served a wonderful counterpoint to Darling’s well-intentioned blunders and good-hearted mistakes, and I liked seeing both girls grow in their individual roles. That went double for the more secondary characters of Darling’s friends, the other household servants, and the various princes vying for Princess Mariposa’s hand. I also really loved the symbolic use of butterflies, and the nature of the castle’s magic.

As a side note, I wasn’t able to do a book photography image with this book but invite you all to take a closer look at Lissy Marlin’s illustrations on the cover. These will give you a sense for the playful nature of this book, the rich descriptions of the gorgeous dresses, and the sweet, clean romp you’ll find within.

Now, let’s see what Apricot-kitty has to say:

“Can you believe the cheek of that little canary? I’m sure if you asked him, he believes himself the real master of that castle…and I find it no surprise at all he was in cahoots with a mouse! When are these princess-types going to learn that the first thing they must do if they want happy lives is bring in a cat, and clean up the vermin infesting their castles?”

Thank you, Apricot-kitty, for reminding me with her typical cat grumbles of the role the canary and very magical mouse play in the story. Suffice it to say that the novel pays homage in a unique and memorable way to the critters found in many a Disney fairy tale, and I don’t doubt that aspect will add to this story’s appeal for many young and not-so-young readers!

In a peek at what’s coming up and as a balance to this week’s more light-hearted spotlight, in my next post on June 4th I will be interviewing Cindy Baldwin, author of Where the Watermelons Grow!

Cindy’s book has been championed by #WeNeedDiverseBooks, and taps into her experiences living with Cystic Fibrosis. I think you’ll find this a real treat, and great way to kick the summer off. As an added bonus, Cindy has offered a signed copy of her book–to be sent after its launch on July 3rd –FREE for one lucky winner! Be sure to stop by on June 4th to read her interview and leave a comment so you can have a chance to win!

For this week’s roundup of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday interviews, spotlights, giveaways and reviews, stop by Greg Pattridge’s blog, and happy reading!

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