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My daughter has to read Newberry books for school. I found a few here on Amazon and this is by far her favorite ever.
It was *the* childhood novel that inspired me to become an avid historical romance reader (Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters) today. So if you have a little girl reading Ella Enchanted, let her watch Ever After. The fact that 12 years after reading this book at the age of 9, I have recently named my new dog Ella should be an indication as to how much I adored this book as a child. Not to mention, it had an excellent moral lesson on a traditional simplistic fairy tale; the Cinderella of this story isn't waiting to be rescued, she refuses to marry the prince in order to save *his* life and has to find the power and strength within herself to overcome her greatest obstacle.As an aside in comment to the film, I know Gail Carson Levine liked it, but when I saw it I was horrified. The illustration completely influenced how I imagined the novel, and the newer ones don't compare. I highly recommend this book to any little girl who is even remotely interested in fairies, princesses, classic fairy tales, or the Renaissance Festival :D Its story flowed naturally, and was entirely appropriate for my reading level at that time. When I saw Ever After as a child, a year after reading Ella Enchanted it was much more the beauty and loveliness that I imagined should be Ella Enchanted.
Also, if you can, I would get the original cover art of the novel. When I was a fourth grader, I read this book three times I loved it so much, and it holds a special place in my heart the same way reading Jane Eyre did when I was 18. I'm sure she would enjoy it. I was completely absorbed in the characters and the world of "Frell" that Gail Carson Levine created, and my imagination was along for the ride and could vividly picture each description and fantasy she incorporated. It was nothing like how I imagined Ella Enchanted, far too modern and corny. It is the version I still have, and I would stare at the little castle in the background for hours imagining that world. (Original cover is a painting/drawing of girl in a green dress, castle shown through the window, with the Newberry Honor award)
Overall: B for Adults/A+ for young adults Geared towards young readers, this is a wonderful reinvention of Cinderella--complete with glass slippers, fairy godmothers and a prince. Since the intended audience is fairly young (I'd say 9-12 though GoodReads puts it at 9-14), the text is uncomplicated but not too simplistic. She does voice intonation, though the different voices are not as clearly identifiable as other readers and some even sound quite similar to each other. At birth, she is afflicted with a curse that keeps her constantly obedient to anyone's demands. The first few times the music played, I kept looking around the room to see if one of my kids' toys was going off. Despite this, she manages to fight ogres, befriend a prince and keep her evil stepsisters at bay. That being said, Ella is far from the meek Cinderella. Audiobook Details: The reader, Eden Riegel, sounds quite young but does an above average job with the reading.
I loved that Ella is an updated role model for young girls; she presents an independent personality and the ending emphasizes how believing in and being yourself is incredibly valuable. This was a quick read (GoodReads says 240 pages in paperback) and it felt like the proper length. The reading contains some background music in parts and this is probably my least favorite feature since it reminded me of midi music from the mid-90's. Run time--5 hours, 34 minutes
I know the story wouldn't exist if if were that easy, but I just felt that should have been addressed somewhere. This is definitely one of my top ten recommended books.
This is one of my absolute favorite books. She really did.
I felt an even deeper appreciation for the depth of the character development and plot twists. I first read it as a kid when it came out, and fell in love, completely and totally.
Re-reading it today brought back so many memories. However, there is one nagging plot gap that's bothering me today: why doesn't Ella have someone order her not to follow anymore orders.
Other than that, this is the perfect childhood book that can be re-read for years to come.
I have no other way of describing it. Ella has been friends with the prince.( That's a big difference) And, of course, you know the last phrase.And they all live happily ever after.
The blessing is the wonderful gift of obedience. When her mother dies, her father sends her to finishing school with two horrid girls.
This book is much more than just a Cinderella retelling.Unlike the adapted movie, this is something that is classical yet with a quirky twist.Ella, the main character, has a blessing bestowed by the fairy Lucinda. Ella sneaks to the three balls held by the royal family.
Ella's father ends up marring the two girl's mother, making them Ella's stepsister. Mum-Olga,Ella's stepmother, makes her work.
And they do.This book is wonderful. I have read it 9 times.
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