Ella Enchanted
Ella Enchanted
By: Gail Carson Levine
Newbery Honor Book 1998
Ella was given a gift by the Fairy Lucinda when she was born. She has been given the gift of obedience, which may sound like a lovely gift, but for Ella, it's a way of life. If someone tells her to clean her room, she must. If she's told to give a valuable necklace to a girl that orders her to, she must. Life for Ella is difficult - if she truly doesn't want to do something and fights it, she begins to feel illl and her legs start to give out. Her mother and the cook, Mandy, are the only ones who know her secret. Her father's always gone on business, and when he is home, well, he won't be winning and father-of-the-year awards, to put it nicely.
When Ella's mother dies her life takes a drastic turn. Ordered to go to boarding school, Ella soon excells in most subjects because of the orders the teachers give her. (They don't realize her 'problem'.) Too bad her new wicked stepsister figred out Ella's 'gift' and has been using it to her advantage - not realizing that Ella is circumventing her in any way that she can.
When Ella learns that Lucinda will probably be at a giants wedding, she decides that she can run away from school since she was never told she couldn't. Her adventures in the forest are a little scary, but exciting and heartwarming as well. All Ella wants is for the curse to be broken, but things don't go as planned.
When Ella is faced with an extremely difficult decision - should she say 'yes' and marry the man she loves and live happily ever after, or should she say 'no' and protect him from harm and cause herself pain - her choice will affect her life, and the lives of those around her forever.
All-in-all, this is a fun new twist on the always classic 'Cinderella' story. Things are tweaked and changed a bit here and there, but expect to find a new and witty version of Cinderella in Ella. (Please tell me you've already caught the -ella in Cinderella.....)
Note: if you have seen the movie and were utterly horrified by what they did with it, then we will get along fabulously. I remember making a friend of mine watch it with me and we were so captivatingly horrified we watched the whole thing. (I think she may still be angry about that waste of time). And no, I am not knocking Anne Hathaway in any way, shape or form (I actually liked The Princess Diaries - the movie, haven't gotten to the book yet, and yes, that goes against my general policy, but it's my rule and I can break it if necessary) but the book (Ella Enchanged) and movie are quite different and the movie would probably satisfy the smallest of children, but it did nothing but horrify me.
Recommended For:
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Read it to your 'little princess' as a bedtime story
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Read it for yourself (the big-kid princess)
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Fans of fairytale rewrites
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Everyone