Seeing Red

Abby and Jonah’s Nana is visiting, and they’re ready for a week of relaxed rules and non-stop fun. Nothing could be more fun than spending time alone with Nana…except making friendship bracelets with Abby’s best friends, even if it’s at Abby’s number one enemy Penny’s house. When her Nana says Abby is not allowed to go with her friends, Abby is determined to sneak out after her Nana goes to sleep, and the magic mirror in her basement seems like the perfect way to get there. When Abby asks Maryrose, the fairy who lets Abby and Jonah travel through the mirror into fairy tales that they often change for the better, to transport her to Penny’s house, the portal is opened, but Abby’s little brother Jonah is skeptical. Abby orders him to go back to bed, but, like many little brothers, Jonah doesn’t listen and follows her through the mirror. When they land on, and knock unconscious, a woodsman, Abby is happy her little brother didn’t listen.

As they try to work out what fairy tale they’ve landed in this time, a girl in a red cape with a hood walking through the woods gives them a good hint. It must be Little Red Riding Hood, and they know they need to get to Grandma’s house before the wolf eats Grandma (Dadi) and Little Red Riding Hood whose real name is Lali (‘little red’ in Hindi). When they arrive at Dadi’s, it’s worse than even their overactive imaginations could dream up: Dadi’s meaner than the human-eating wolves roaming the woods. She belittles Lali and all her efforts to make Dadi happy. Abby and Jonah can’t believe a grandmother could be so mean, and Dadi appears to be the only evil character they can’t conquer. Luckily, some very unexpected backup arrives: Maryrose used to transport Nana into fairy tales when Nana was a child, and Maryrose allows Nana to pass through as an adult when it becomes clear Abby and Jonah could use a little grown-up help.

Abby and Jonah see a side of their Nana they’ve never seen before. Nana scolds Dadi and helps her to realize her behavior hurts Lali’s feelings, and that grandmothers are supposed to be loving, not critical and outright mean. Nana wows everyone by turning Dadi’s attitude around and putting the wolves in their place.

Another fantastic addition to the “Whatever After” series, Seeing Red brings all the adventure readers expect along with important messages about bullying, respect, and why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Abby and Jonah realize their Nana is even more awesome than they thought. She knows Marybell who helps transport her to fairy tales when she was Abby and Jonah’s age, an ability that skips a generation, and she has a tough side her grandchildren never see. Nana is proud of her grandchildren for being brave enough to change fairy tales for the better, something she was too scared to do at their age. When Nana stands up to Dadi and confronts her about how she treats Lali, Abby and Jonah are proud of her for her bravery, too.

Seeing Red also brings diversity to the story of Little Red Riding Hood with Lali and Dadi who are of Indian descent. While it’s usually Abby and Jonah changing fairy tales for the better, Mlynowski changes the original Little Red Riding Hood for the better by adding characters of colour to a story typically told with an all-white cast. With lessons on standing up for people, the difference between tough love and unkindness, and that you don’t need to be perfect to be a good person, Seeing Red is another exceptional page-turner that will leave readers eager to join Abby and Jonah on their next adventure.