In a faraway kingdom, there lives an Emperor who prizes fancy clothes above all else. He buys suit after suit made of the most expensive materials instead of tending to his threadbare kingdom. Then, one day, two traveling merchants offer to make the Emperor a special suit that has magical powers. The merchants, however, are not who they claim to be, and the suit has one major flaw no one can see it! In this comic-book retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, the emperor cares more about his clothes than anything else, spending money on new suits rather than on his kingdom, until a couple of swindlers take advantage of his obsession and claim to be able to make a suit out of magical cloth. Artist Timmins uses a muted color palette and clown-style makeup on all the red-nosed characters to emphasize the humor. This book in the Graphic Spin series includes a brief glossary and a short biography of Andersen as well as discussion questions and writing prompts. --"Booklist" Publishers learned a long time ago that they can make a quick buck off cheaply made retellings of classic (i.e.: out-of-copyright) fairy tales. As a result, librarians are automatically wary of a publisher who releases a spate of new fairy tale adaptations. Well, you don't have to be wary of these books. Stone Arch has put its best foot forward with this new line of graphic novel adaptations of fairy tales, books that succeed on every front. The ones I've listed above are my particular favorites, but I haven't seen a bad book in this new line. Cenicienta, a Spanish-language retelling of the familiar Cinderella story, is a fine example. The book is bound in a sturdy yet attractive library edition, and the high-quality paper makes the painted colors leap off the page, as for example in a panel featuring the brilliant glow from within a magical coach headed toward a certain legendary ball. The translations are also strong, with natural word choice and dialogue that pays attention to the nuances of class as the poor and the wealthy speak to one another. With these stylish new fairy tale adaptations, Stone Arch has reset the standard --"Teacher Librarian Magazine" The Emperor's New Clothes. With this leveled title as well as The Jungle Book, The Princess and The Pea, and a version of The Ugly Duckling well suited to the Nickelodeon crowd, Stone Arch has added new energy and artistry to the business of adapting classics for young readers (although at fewer than 30 story pages, it's a stretch to call them graphic "novels"). The backmatter includes discussion questions and writing prompts. --"Good Comics for Kids Blog, School Library Journal" Stephanie True Peters has been writing books for young readers for more than 25 years. Among her most recent titles are Sleeping Beauty: Magic Master and Johnny Slimeseed, both for Capstone's Far-Out Fairy Tale/Folk Tale series. An avid reader, workout enthusiast, and beach wanderer, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her children, Jackson and Chloe, her husband Dan, and the family's two cats and two rabbits. She lives and works in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Stephanie True Peters has been writing books for young readers for more than 25 years. Among her most recent titles are Sleeping Beauty: Magic Master and Johnny Slimeseed, both for Capstone's Far-Out Fairy Tale/Folk Tale series. An avid reader, workout enthusiast, and beach wanderer, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her children, Jackson and Chloe, her husband Dan, and the family's two cats and two rabbits. She lives and works in Mansfield, Massachusetts.