Cloaked is an amazing tale in which a poor teenaged boy fixing up shoes runs into princess Victoriana's who immediately tells him about how her brother has been turned into a frog by evil witch Sieglende and how he was the only one that could help to reverse the spell. In return if he did this favor she would marry him and all of his dreams would come true but there is a problem if he goes, Johnny may never return home again.I loved this book because it was a mix of intensity, with many power struggles but at the same time very powerful and sweet. This book made me want to yell at the characters when they took a wrong turn and made me eager to read more. At the end you could really feel for the character. I would strongly recommend this book. 1-67 Johnny is a poor cobbler who makes shoes and is 17 years old. His best friend is Meg and she works at a coffee shop. Ryan, a college guy, works as a lifeguard. The setting is in Miami, FL. A princess named Victoriana with long beach blonde hair and blue eyes is visiting Miami. She comes from Aloria and the people in magazines always get a photo of her drunk. Ryan and Johnny meet the princess when she catches them spying on her. Johnny thinks he sees Victoriana outside the shop, but dismisses it as a stupid idea. When he gets home, the power is out and his mom says they are low on the bills. He goes back to the shop and Victoriana is there asking him to fix her shoe and bring it personally to her room. She is acting drunk and gives him $200 dollars. The next day, she says she broke her shoe on purpose, so he would come visit her. Victoriana tells him she needs his help to find her brother. Victoriana said he is the heir to the throne and was cursed by a witch. The witch turned him into a frog. Her brother, Philipe, was sent to Miami, FL and the curse can only be broken by true love kiss. The witch that cast the spells was Sieglinde. Sieglinde will only reverse the spell if Victoriana marries Prince Wolfgang of Zalkenbourgia. The prince is evil. Victoriana says her brother was sent to the Keys. She will pay Johnny's mom money and if he finds Prince Philipe, the reward is she'll marry Johnny. Victoriana tells Johnny to make his decision on the quest to the Keys. She broke her other sandal and said to meet her tomorrow, and she payed him $10,000 dollars. When he shows his mom the money, she says he should look for the prince. His dad was lost at sea and no one ever found him. Johnny's mom believes that her husband is still alive. Meg is upset that Johnny kissed Victoriana. I think Meg likes Johnny. After he he gave the shoe to the princess's guard, Bruno, a chambermaid gave him the key to Penthouse B. Victoriana gives Johnny an earpiece that allows him to talk to once-humans now-animals. Then, she gave him a cloak that will transport him anywhere. The guard comes in and Johnny wishes he were home. Then he sees only darkness.67-148 Johnny is surprised the cloak worked. He takes the earpiece and talks to the swan. They say they'll help him look for the frog if he looks for their human sister in Key West. The only way for the swan siblings to be human again, is if their sister, Caroline, makes flower shirts for the. Johnny wishes himself home and startles his mom. The next day, Johnny tells Meg he is leaving, but doesn't tell her the real reason why. He thinks she doesn't believe his lie. She gives him an opal ring for luck. He lets her hold on to his shoe designs. Johnny finds a swan's white feather in the store's lock. Johnny meets with the swans again and he is going to the Miami Port. A guy on a motorcycle almost runs Johnny down. The swan takes him to speak with a rat. The rat says the frog prince was in town two weeks ago. Then, he was shipped to Key Largo near the Underwater hotel. The rat calls the animals that used to be humans used-to-bes. I think Johnny's dad is a used-to-be. The rat, Cornelius, said a fox named Todd may help him. As they come out of the port, Harry the swan is shot. The motorcycle guys is circling around the group. Johnny takes out the cloak and wishes to be back at the hotel with Harry. Meg helps Harry, and his bleeding almost stops. Johnny calls 911 to tell them a swan was shot. They thought it was a human. I think Meg may be a witch because Harry's bleeding stopped immediately. Johnny wishes to be in the Underwater Hotel. He goes a hotel that is literally underwater. So, Johnny wishes to be behind Sally's Bar that is next to the hotel. Todd, the fox, hears Johnny shouting for him. Todd says he'll tell him where the frog is, if Johnny spends the night in an unwelcoming hotel. When Johnny is about to walk in, he sees a frog hop by the other hotel, Emily's Butterfly House. He tries to leave the hotel, but can't because it pains him to do so. It is magic. He sleeps there, and the fox watches Johnny leave the hotel in the morning. Todd is giving him a second chance. But, this time Johnny has to sleep at the hotel and steal and bird. He has to transfer the bird from the golden cage to the wooden one. Then, Johnny has to bring it to the fox. Todd might be Johnny's dad because he asked what Johnny's mother's name was. Inside the motel, Johnny hears the same rumbling of a motorcycle. Johnny pays the motel's bartender to keep him hidden from the motorcycle guy. After he checks in, he sleeps. Then, a girl that looks like Victoriana knocks on his door with his dinner. The girl's name is Norina. He goes back to sleep when she leaves. Johnny wakes up at 4am and when he touches the bird's cage it squaks. When he stops touching the cage, it sleeps. The fox said not to return without the bird. Then, Norina comes out, and is holding the bird. Norina saw him using the magic cloak and asks him to take her back home to South Carolina. I think she is really a witch and wants the cloak's magic. Victoriana warned Johnny to not let anyone else use the cloak. When the fox gets the bird, he says the frog hopped on a trailer that said McDougal Family. Norina and him put on the cloak and he just sees darkness. Johnny realizes Norina is actually the witch that cursed Philippe. The witch is Sieglinde and she wished to go to Zalkenbourg. Her son, Siegfried, is the guy that rides the motorcycle.149-232 Johnny finds the ring Meg gave him and puts it on. A few moments later, someone starts talking in the darkness. The voice sounds like Meg's. He thinks it's Sieglinde, but Meg proved it is her by saying one of their favorite book quotes. The ring is magical and its power makes the person who gave it to you go wherever you are. They find a trapdoor on the ceiling. Meg gets on his shoulders and gets out. He gives her her ring back and she leaves. After waiting a while, Sieglinde and Siegfried show up. Sieglinde says they will let him live if Johnny tells Victoriana to marry Prince Wolfgang. When he says no the witch starts choking him. Then, he is bathed in light and appears next to Meg. Meg had put the ring on and Johnny had the cloak. He put it on him and Meg and wishes to go to National Key Deer Refuge on Big Pine Key. They appear in a 40ft tree. Meg asks to help search for Victoriana's brother. When Johnny and Meg get to the ranger station, Wendell is there. Wendell, the ranger, is crying because all the key deer are dying. He has the frog, but won't set it free because he doesn't want to ruin the ecosystem. So, they tell him why they really need the frog. Wendell will give them the frog if they kill the Giants eating the deer. The ranger shows them the frog and Johnny talks to the prince with the earbuds. Philippe thinks Johnny is going to kill him. Johnny pitches the tent and the giants see him. He grabs the cloak, and wishes to be in the tree with Meg. They both disappear to Penn Station. They use the cloak to sight see while they wait and go to the Statue of Liberty's torch. Then, Johnny and Meg visit the Central Park zoo, eat New York pizza, and go to the Empire State Building. Johnny realizes how pretty Meg is and he wants to kiss her, but he doesn't. Johnny remembers when he went to the dance with her in 8th grade, so she could make another boy jealous. Meg admits that that boy had asked her before she asked Johnny. In time square, the light up signs say Victoriana is marrying Prince Wolfgang. Meg hears Johnny mumbling that the princess was supposed to marry him. He wishes them to be back in Florida. Meg is mad and Johnny goes to look for the frog. When he reaches into the tank, he is stung by a scorpion. Before he loses consciousness, he puts the ring on. When he wakes, Johnny is in the tent with Meg. She shows him a note Wendell left saying that Johnny couldn't have the frog until the Giants were killed. He could've sworn that his hand was worse, but it is almost back to normal and Meg insists he is fine. So, Johnny falls back to sleep. He wakes up at 8 am. They go to win Dixie and buy 5 turkeys, rope, and a bag of rocks. While they wait, they play 4 truths and 1 lie. Then, the Giants come. They eat 2 turkeys each and fight over the last one. The Giants end up hurting each other. Johnny ties them up and show Wendell. The scorpions were deadly to humans. The frog disappeared with Tessa Stephen, 16 years old, from Columbus, OH. They are going to key west, traveling in a minivan, and Tessa (daughter) had red hair. Hinny and Meg use the cloak to get to the southernmost point of key west.233-337 Jimmy realizes the swans were named after some stuff in key west ex: Jimmy Buffet, Ernest Hemingway, Margarita (Jimmy Buffet's song Margaritaville), Harry Truman, and Mallory Square. They look for Tessa at Mallory square. Meg and Johnny watch the sunset, but then Sieglinde shows up. So, he wishes them to be in the Key West cemetery. He scares Meg and they run to the entrance and see Caroline's restaurant. She is the swan's sister. Caroline opens the door and she says her father was called the King of Key west because of a legend that just happened to be true. She takes them inside and says that her father claimed to marry a beautiful witch. The couple hated each other and had Caroline. Her dad visited 6 swans. One day they were gone and he started crying. Caroline's dad died a year later and her mother disappeared. Johnny tells her the swans are her brothers and sisters. She doesn't believe him. Meg and Johnny spot a frog in the cemetery and run to it. Sieglinde and Siegfried show up. Sieglinde and Meg fight. Siegfried is only about fourteen, but really big. Meg gets free and wishes to be back in her bedroom just as Sieglinde rips the cloak in half.they are at Caroline's house. Meg kisses the frog. Philippe says that he will marry Meg. Caroline comes in and believes Johnny about the swans. She had made flower shirts for them as a tribute to her dad. Caroline agreed to drive Philippe, Meg, and Johnny to Miami if they showed her the swans. In the car Meg and Philippe are kissing. Johnny realizes he is in love with Meg. They get to Coral Reef (hotel) around 5am. The swans become human. Meg shows Johnny the shoes he designed are real. Her family has brownies that clean and make his shoes. He can't believe that Meg is leaving him for Philippe. Then, Johnny sees his mom. Cornelius, the rat, left him a note with his mother saying to meet him at the port. Cornelius asks if the fox asked him to do anything strange. Johnny remembers the fox, Todd, asking him to kill him. So, he drives back to key largo. He cuts the foxes neck and out steps a man that sort of looks familiar. Todd was 25 when he was changed and had a wife. Johnny sees that Meg lied in the 4 truths 1 lie game. She didn't clean because the brownies did, so she was madly in love with him. The fox needed to tell him something, but Johnny left in a hurry. When he gets to the Coral Reef the brownies give him a note saying Sieglinde took Meg. Sieglinde opens the door to the lighthouse and says to bring her the princess. Then, Johnny can have Meg back. He put the ring on and Meg appears with her work clothes on. Sieglinde was just tricking him. Johnny tells Meg he loves her and she gets mad. They kiss and it's all lovey-dovey. Meg and Johnny get in the elevator at the hotel. Mallory, a former swan, is there and says margarita, Jimmy, Truman, and her got jobs at the hotel. She tells Princess Victoriana that Meg and Johnny are waiting outside her door. She lets them in and Johnny tells the princess he can't marry her because he loves Meg. Ryan, Meg and Johnny's friend, was hiding in the closet. The princess didn't want to marry anyone either. Philippe walks in and Meg says she doesn't want to marry him. The prince is relieved. The princess promised to wear some of Johnny's shoes back home. Bruno, Victoriana's guard, calls for the limo. When they get downstairs it isn't ready. Johnny realizes why the limo isn't there. Bruno called someone else instead of the limo driver. He was a spy. A group of people crowd around the princess. They part and Johnny sees that they did so because Meg is a witch. Victoriana, Philippe, and Ryan get in Ryan's car. Siegfried grabs Johnny and threatens to kill him if they leave. He demands the princess come to him. Johnny talks Siegfried out of kidnapping her. Victoriana escapes and leaves. Sieglinde is mad at Siegfried and disappears when the cops handcuff her. Meg is a healer witch. She said she couldn't rescue them from the Zalkenbourg dungeon because her family's magic is in their eyes. They have to have eye contact to work their magic. Meg says she didn't make Johnny like her because she wanted it to be real. Princess Victoriana shows Johnny's shoes on TV and the brand name is Gianni Marco. At dinner, a man is there standing over his mother. The man is Todd, the fox. He is Johnny's dad. Todd was turned into a fox after an argument with his wife and went fishing. He caught a magical fish that can grant wishes. He wished for a boat, mansion, and winning the lottery. The fish said he asked too much. Then, Todd threatened him. The next thing he knew, he was a fox. The family hug and are happy. Johnny opens and exclusive shoe shop. Princess Victoriana visits and paparazzi follow her. She is attending a college in the fall. Philippe's fiancée is an American actress. Mom gave the brownies clothing. When they are given clothes they leave. Carol Ellert from Saks Fifth Avenue calls and asks for a meeting. Saks is a famous shoe company. Then the book ends.
What do You think about Cloaked (2011)?
The book cloaked is about a boy named Johnny. The princess wants him to go on an adventure to find her brother that has been turned into a frog. When Johnny told his best friend Meg he told her that his mom has found his dad that has been missing johnny’s whole life and that Johnny was going to see him, because her just won the lottery in a state that dose not have a lottery so Meg know that he was lying so she gave him a ring and told him to put it on if he was in danger. A few days later he was off on adventure and found out that the swans in the lobby were once humans. He had to go to a fox to find out were to find out were the frog is and on the way to the frog he ran into a bad witch that trapped him so he put on the ring and next thing he knows Meg is standing right next to him, that is when he finds out that Meg is a witch too but a good witch and she uses her magic out off her eyes on there way to the frog they have to kill two giants ran away from the bad witch again then when they got the frog they found out that the curse can only be broken by someone with love in there heart and Meg knew that it would work if she kissed him, because she had love in her heart, because she loved jack and Johnny just found out that he loved her too. they recognized the princesses brother to her as a human.
—caffeinatedturtle
Cloaked, by Alex Flinn, is a modern spin on the classic fairytale The Princess and the Frog. The story starts off with Johnny Marco, who works in a shoe repair shop in a hotel. One day a princess comes to the hotel and asks him to help her find her brother who was turned into a frog. As the story unravels, Johnny must find the frog before he is captured by the witch who made him a frog in the first place.Alex Flinn carries the story very well with use of dialogue, action, and the thoughts of the characters. Her writing style is humorous, and she matches the characters’ personality with what they say very well. One thing that could be worked on is the diction used. While the use of show and tell was very common to describe characters, the words were repetitive and didn’t completely portray the characters to their full extent. This book is very similar to other books Alex Flinn has written, such as Beastly and A KIss in Time (both are also modern day fairy tales). I recommend this book to people enjoy reading fantasy, especially fairy tales.
—steph
