Throughout her career, Madonna has continued to reinvent herself – from the Material Girl to sex kitten to
Kabbalah queen.
She has kept the public guessing about who she will be or what she will do next. Now that this pop star is the mother of two
children, Lola and Rocco, Madonna has ventured into the world of children’s book writing. The English Roses are four girls named Nicole, Amy, Charlotte, and Grace, who go to the same school, live in the same neighborhood and like the same things. And hate the same things – like another girl named Binah. Binah is beautiful. Binah is kind. Binah is smart (hmmm....all good reasons to “hate” someone). But Binah has no friends, and the English Roses go out of their way to be unfriendly toward her. At a sleepover, Nicole’s mother tries unsuccessfully to convince them to be nice to Binah. When that doesn’t work, a “very jolly looking” fairy godmother swoops in, sprinkles a little fairy dust, and magically shows them just how tough life really is for Binah (a little like the ghosts did with Scrooge in the movie A Christmas Carol). The girls watch in shock as poor, poor Binah scrubs the floors, irons the clothes and cooks dinner a la Cinderella style. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens between “beautiful” Binah and the Roses. Madonna employs a rather distracting technique where an unseen narrator talks directly to the reader, like:
“Haven’t you ever been green with envy? If you say no, you are telling a big, fat fib, and I am going to tell your mother. Now, stop interrupting me.” Madonna's writing abilities improve with practice, as her subsequent ventures into the children's book publishing world are more enjoyable (see list to follow).
About Madonna: This book is the first of five total children's books that Madonna calls “Stories for Children of All Ages (Even Grown-Up Ones).
The English Roses, was released in more than 100 countries around the world. The second book is
Mr. Peabody's Apples, a thought-provoking story inspired by Madonna's
Kabbalah teacher (click on the Shvoong link below to read my review about it). The other books are
Yakov and the Seven Thieves,
The Adventures of Abdi, and
Lotsa De Casha. In addition, Madonna penned a total of eleven books in her popular
The English Roses series.
Madonna has recorded 16 albums and appeared in 18 movies, including
Desperately Seeking Susan and
Evita. To find out more about her music, her movies, and her personal life, read my Shvoong review about her biography (see link below).