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Unabridged Digital Audiobook
Runtime: 3 hours, 28 minutes
Read by Emily Eiden
Ever since they moved to their house in Smithville, 10-year-old Abby and 7-year-old Jonah have been secretly traveling through a magic mirror in their basement into fairy tales in Sarah Mlynowski’s Whatever After books. But when something goes wrong in the fourteenth book, Good as Gold, there’s a change in the story, too.
The story finds the adventurous siblings in a panic when Jonah accidentally rides his skateboard into the magic mirror and ends up putting a crack in it. Desperate to talk to the mirror’s fairy, Maryrose, they visit at midnight, only to end up being pulled into a new story. It’s not long before they find themselves in the home of three talking bears with a clever little thief named Goldilocks. When they hear why she’s been forced to steal, they decide to help her—and they’re shocked when their mission leads them to another fairy tale character from another story.
The adventure once again takes these lovable young characters through another fairy tale land, making new fairy tale friends and altering their stories along the way. This time, they don’t necessarily make a mess of the Goldilocks story, but they do try their best to come up with clever ways to help their new friends—whether that means helping a family in need or helping a lonely character meet some new friends. And they do it all with a fun mix of adventure, laughter, and charm.
While the fractured fairy tales alone always make these stories fun, the author keeps the series feeling fresh and new by throwing in new twists—like the crack in the mirror causing Abby and Jonah to venture into two fairy tales at once. It’s definitely an unexpected change—one that will keep readers guessing.
Meanwhile, outside the fairy tale, Abby has another important lesson to learn, and she finds creative ways to fix her own problems. Still, the fairy tale’s application feels a little more like an afterthought this time. Instead, more focus is on the broken mirror—and what it means for Maryrose. So while the story may not teach young readers a whole lot of valuable life lessons, it does build up some suspense for the next adventure.
Even 14 books in, the Whatever After series hasn’t lost its magic. While Good as Gold isn’t necessarily one of the most thrilling books in the series, it’s still entertaining and lovable and surprising, too. Fans and newcomers alike will enjoy the siblings’ latest adventure.
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