Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

by Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: Harper Collins Publisher 1997 232 pages

Genre: Fairy tale, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic, and Humor

Reading Level: Ages 9 to 12

Summary:This book is about a girl named Ella who is given the curse of obedience at birth by the fairy Lucinda and is forced to obey every command that she is given or she becomes physically ill. This doesn’t stop her from trying to get around the commands she is given and she always tries to delay obeying as long as possible.

Her mother dies and gives her one of her seldom commands that she must never tell anyone about the curse since they might try and take advantage of her. Ella is sent away to finishing school with Hattie and Olive and soon excels at all subjects where the teachers are forever issuing commands. She also meets Arreida and they soon become friends. She runs away from finishing school and to try and find Lucinda and to get to take back her gift. She is unsuccessful, but on her journey she meets Prince Charmont and they become friends.

Her father soon thereafter marries Lady Olga, who is Hattie and Olive’s mother. Lucinda gives the couple the gift of eternal love, but Sir Peter, Ella’s father chooses to love his new wife from a distance and is gone for a great deal of the time. In his absence, Olga turns Ella into a servant and due to her curse of obedience, she must obey. She works alongside Mandy, the cook and Ella’s fairy godmother.

During this time, Ella and Char are writing to each other and over time, Ella begins to fall in love with him and when he proposes to her through a letter, Ella knows that she can’t accept or Char will fall under the curse as well, so sends him a letter in Hattie’s hand writing that she is married and Char believes it and is heartbroken.

The three balls are announced for the prince to choose his bride and Ella attends in disguise, through the aid of Mandy and Lucinda, who has learned her lesson concerning big magic after being tricked into turning herself into a squirrel and giving herself the gift of obedience. Ella is finally able to break the curse, through her love for Char and to protect him against Hattie. Ella and Char marry and live happily ever after.

Response: It's a wonderful fairy tale and it presents a very original twist to the Cinderella story.