Hamster Princess: Whiskerella by Ursula Vernon, the fifth book in the series, is a retelling of Cinderella. Harriet is stuck at home due to the arrival of the Bat Ambassador. With a foreign dignitary on hand the Queen feels compelled to host a ball (or three).
Harriet and Wilbur, always on the lookout for trouble, see a party crasher. She's a stunningly beautiful stranger in glass slippers. No one is naturally that beautiful and Harriet suspects a curse is afoot.
Helping Harriet and Wilbur this time is a stable boy named Ralph who happens to know quail better than anyone. He can even speak quail (but not enchanted quail). It's an opportunity to hear things from Mumford's point of view.
Like previous stories in the series, this retelling examines the price of a fairy gift. Ella, who didn't need rescuing despite having a step mother and step sister, is now forced to attend every single ball and dance in uncomfortable shoes until a prince sweeps her off her feet. The problem is: the local selection of princes (beyond Wilbur) is dire. They're all dumb and self absorbed. Harriet, though, with some help, comes up with a clever way to reinterpret the situation so that curse can play its course without forcing Ella into an unwanted marriage.
Five stars
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