Bad Hair Day - Sarah Mlynowski - Whatever After Book 5

Bad Hair Day
Whatever After Book 5
Sarah Mlynowski
Scholastic
ISBN 9780545627283

eISBN 9780545627320

ASIN B00G5N4RKK

I have been reading these stories with my girls for over 6 years now. I read a few of these stories with my oldest starting in 2016. Now my youngest is reading them to me, and her sister has handed down the first several stories in the series. We had started reading them in 2016 but my oldest skipped around a bit and read a couple of volumes to her Aunt and Grandma while on a road trip. So this was my first time encountering this specific story. My youngest insists we review everything that we read together, so this review from 2022 is part of that effort. Between reading with my oldest and youngest this is the fourteenth time I have read a book in this series. The stories have great staying power. Even as an adult I can enjoy these books, not only the first time but rereading them again and again.

Mlynowski has done a wonderful job with this book and the whole series so far. My oldest was a reluctant reader. Back then when we read, I would read two pages for every page she read to me. The whole family loves these stories from 8-years old to 80 years old. It is a great series. The stories are fun and entertaining, but also have some valuable lessons and insight. My mother in law recalls my oldest reading this to her on the road trip and enjoying the story greatly.

My youngest daughter and I give this story a solid 4/5 stars, and she really wanted to give it 4.5 stars (which is not far off the 4.28 average of over 3000 Good Reads reviews). She would have given it 5 but she really did not like part of the story where Rapunzel went back to the safety and comfort of the tower. She was concerned that Jonah and Prince were going to be permanently blue, and that they might never get out of the story and back home. Oh and the trouble those soccer cleats cause, oh my.

We always enjoy Mlynowski’s twists on old tales. In this one there were some great lessons. Not only for Rapunzel but also for Abby and Jonah. This story is another great take on a familiar tale. The writing in these stories is excellent. My daughters and I love reading them together. And the retelling of this story surprised both of us at several different points. It is a great book in an excellent series. 

Books by Sarah Mlynowski:
Magic in Manhattan Series:
Bras & Broomsticks
Frogs & French Kisses
Spells & Sleeping Bags
Parties & Potions

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Whatever After Series:
Fairest of All
If the Shoe Fits
Sink or Swim
Dream On
Bad Hair Day
Cold As Ice
Beauty Queen
Once Upon a Frog
Genie in a Bottle
Sugar and Spice

Two Peas in a Pod
Seeing Red
Spill the Beans

Good as Gold

Just Dance 

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Whatever After Special Editions:
Abby in Wonderland
Abby in Oz
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Upside-Down Magic Series:
Upside-Down Magic #1
Sticks and Stones #2
Showing Off #3

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Other Books by Sarah:
Milkrun
Fishbowl
Monkey Business
As Seen on TV
Me Vs. Me
Gimme a Call
Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have)
Don't Even Think About It
Think Twice
Know It All
A Nice Fling is Hard to Find
A Little Bit Broken
Cruisin'
Party Girls
The Two-Month Itch

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Books Coauthored:
See Jane Write (with Farrin Jacobs)
How to Be Bad (with E. Lockhart and Lauren Myracle)

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Books Contributed To:
Girls' Night In
Girls Night Out
American Girls About Town
Fireworks
Vacations from Hell

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