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Tales of Virtuous Stepmothers

Georgina Warren

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Mar 17, 2025 Georgina Warren rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: fairy-tales, middle-grade, short-stories, juvenile, childrens, adventure, humor, family, fantasy, humor-and-comedy

Recommended for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) and above.

Great for any children old enough to enjoy the works of Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jill Murphy, Lemony Snicket and Rick Riordan. The stories in this collection offer many opportunities for young readers to expand their vocabulary and explore new ideas about the portrayal of stepmothers and blended families in folklore.

Adoption representation (Some of these stepmothers have stepchildren with biological and adopt Recommended for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) and above.

Great for any children old enough to enjoy the works of Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jill Murphy, Lemony Snicket and Rick Riordan. The stories in this collection offer many opportunities for young readers to expand their vocabulary and explore new ideas about the portrayal of stepmothers and blended families in folklore.

Adoption representation (Some of these stepmothers have stepchildren with biological and adoptive siblings)

Disability representation (Some stories feature characters with congenital limb differences, amputation, PTSD)

Healthy romantic relationships (Unlike the fathers from Cinderella and Snow White, these men are supportive and proactive when helping their wives and children. A few stories feature the stepmother rescuing her husband, in others, they work together as a team to face their challenges. In stories that feature the stepmother as an entrepreneur working in a job, the father raises the children at home or works in a second job as well. Some of the stories have themes about escaping from dysfunctional relationships)

Life goals (Wealth and status are not the only goals the characters strive to achieve; these stepmothers also attain their happy endings when they achieve justice, personal and financial security, acceptance, romance and prosperity for themselves and their families. Other characters achieve glory by attending school or starting new jobs that suit their interests and talents)

Challenges (While the stepmothers face mortal peril from predatory birds, natural disasters, enemy soldiers, corrupt bosses, plagues and mysterious creatures, they also experience a variety of realistic personal challenges like multi-tasking, perfectionism, emotional burnout, imposter syndrome, loyalty binds, manipulation, anxiety, and trauma in a fantasy setting. Their circumstances may be fictional, but their emotions resonate with people that experienced these challenges in reality. The stories also show creative ways for the characters to manage these challenges. A strong emphasis on self-care is present, it's hard to take care of people when you don't take care of yourself as well. Self-care is not selfish. In each story, the characters usually need to make hard choices when weighing personal good with the common good. Some choices are not black and white; there are different risks with each decision and the good characters must achieve a resolution when making imperfect choices. Sometimes the stepmother feels as though everything depends on her and she needs to face her problems alone; then her challenge is to connect with trustworthy allies to help her. So, the stories also celebrate friendship and teamwork in addition to romantic love and family love) ...more

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