By Kennedy E, Arundel High School
A Whole New World did not disappoint readers looking for darker themes from their childhood movies. The plot of this book revolves around the "What If?" trope. What If Aladdin never kept the lamp? Instead of Aladdin keeping the lamp, and going on a romantic journey, the lamp ends up in Jafar’s hands as he intended. Explore darker themes of greed while taking a closer look at the Kingdom of Agrabah with its economic disparity and street rat gang. This book has more of a dystopian revolution vibe to it, matching the energy of the Hunger Games books. The author also adds new characters to an already outstanding plot. Aladdin, Jasmine, and the citizens of Agrabah must find a way to prevail against evil and stop Jafar from abusing the genie’s powers and using dark magic. My favorite aspects of the book were the backstory for already existing characters and places. For example, the lower parts of Agrabah, Aladdin, and the Genie all had depth added to them with a few pages. Not only that, but the story keeps its original Disney magic, yet matures it for older fans. This book is part of a series called the Twisted Tales Series, but you won’t need to check out those books to enjoy this one. I recommend 100 percent!