Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a retelling of the Cinderella story complete with wicked stepmother and stepsisters, a fairy godmother, and a lost glass slipper. The twist that makes it not like the Cinderella story we are used to is that at birth Ella was given the “gift” of obedience from a fairy. This “gift” makes it so she must obey every command (though she can ignore it if it is phrased as a request and sometimes the difference isn’t extremely obvious). If she fights obeying she gets physically sick.
Ella Enchanted is the typical fairy tale. Ella was not born poor (though bad business deals by her father do make her end up poor) and at her mother’s funeral she meets the prince. They fall in love, but her “gift” stands in the way of happiness. Ultimately, there is a happily ever after for Ella, but getting there isn’t easy. It’s a fun, sweet read, even for an adult (and, as is typical, the book is WAY better than the movie!).
5 (out of 5) Stars
Book Number: 4
Pages Read: 997
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks (more book reviews!)
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Filed under Children, Fairy Tale
Tagged as 5 Stars
Mama Reader 