Wednesday 11 October 2023

Spill the Beans - Sarah Mlynowski - Whatever After Book 13

Spill the Beans
Whatever After Book 13
Sarah Mlynowski
Scholastic
ISBN 9781338162998
eISBN 9781338162981
ASIN B07HPF16YD


This is the fifteenth different title I have read in this series. I have been reading these stories with my girls for over 8 years now. I read a few of these stories with my oldest starting in 2016. Now my youngest is reading them to me. Last year for Christmas her older brother even bought her the next 3 titles she needed because he enjoys listening to the stories. My youngest now insists we review everything that we read together, so this review from 2023 is part of that effort. My youngest has been writing her own reviews of the books she has finished for the last year and a half and is planning on starting her own book blog. Between reading with my oldest and youngest this is the twenty-first time I have read a book in this series. The stories have great staying power. Even as an adult I enjoy these books, not only the first time but rereading them again and again.

Mlynowski as always does a wonderful job with the story in this book, and all we have read in the series so far. The whole family loves these stories from a now 13 year old to 82 years old. For they have been read to grandma in the car on road trips by both the girls. This is another great read in a fantastic series. The stories are always fun and extremely entertaining, but they also have some valuable lessons and insight. 

My youngest daughter and I both give this story a solid 5/5 stars, she says this is a not as dark as the last few, but also much more interesting. She was surprised by the turns in this story. This story had a number of twists and turns that we had not guessed and took us by surprise. She was totally taken by what happened at the end. She also always wonders what the change in the jewellery box will be at the end of the story.

The description of this story is:

“The enchanting New York Times and USA Today bestselling series continues with installment number 13! The New York Times bestselling series! My brother Jonah's dream has come true. We have FINALLY landed in his favorite fairy Jack and the Beanstalk !It's a lot of fun meeting Jack. But then we accidentally mess up his story, which means Jack can't climb up the magic beanstalk to find the giant's riches. It's time to take matters into our own hands. Now we have Make a deal with a sneaky trader- Climb a beanstalk into the sky- Try not to get eaten by a giant - Find the goose that lays golden eggs. Otherwise, Jack won't get his treasure, and our troubles will be GIGANTIC . . .”

Most of the stories in this series take us by surprise at some point by the twist they contain, but this one ever more so. We had long been awaiting this story for in several of the other adventures Jonah keeps hoping for the story of Jack. But once they arrive they soon realized this is the other version of the Jack story. And soon Abby is having second thoughts about stealing from the Giants, and realizes that sometimes the win is not worth the cost. We both enjoyed this one very much. It was also interesting seeing Abby jealous, and Jonah admitting he always wanted a brother. Sarah normally pulls some twists and flips stories on their end, but did she ever pull a number with this one, for with our heads in the clouds we did not see how it would all tumble down or tumble out. 

As with all the other books in this series we always enjoy Mlynowski’s twists and takes on old tales. This is a great take on another familiar tale. The writing in these stories is excellent. My daughters and I love reading them together. My oldest outgrew the series, but my youngest insists we will read them all, no matter how old she gets. The retelling of this story is full of surprises and both of us and I am certain it will surprise you. It is another excellent book in a wonderful series.   


















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

Whatever After Special Editions:
Abby in Wonderland
Abby in Oz
…


Upside-Down Magic Series:
Upside-Down Magic #1
Sticks and Stones #2
Showing Off #3
...

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
...

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

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

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