She grows up struggling against the crushing constraints of her curse but relatively happy and beloved by her mother and cook.

Spoilers follow!Įlla of Frell is given a terrible 'gift' by a foolish fairy when she is a baby- she must always be obedient when given a command. There is pretty much no chance of objectivity with this one, but I think we'll all still have a good time with this review. I can't even tell you how many times I read this book when I was little - I adored absolutely everything about it, and if ever there was a comfort re-read, this was it for lil Char.

Welcome to the absolute PINNACLE of Charlotte's Intense Childhood Nostalgia. Ages 8-12.'And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after.' Although the pace of the story flags in spots, and the author never wholly engages a suspension of disbelief (Ella's escapes often come too easily-for example, when she tames ogres who want to make a meal of her), Levine provides a winning combination of memorable characters and an alluring fantasy realm that will leave readers with hopes of future tales of Ella and Prince Char. After a humorous and inventive re-enactment of Cinderella's three appearances at the royal ball, the action concludes with a slightly skewed but happy ending. Young readers will be charmed by the budding romance between Ella and her prince and touched by her crippling fear of hurting the prince via the curse. Levine ably creates tension between the good and evil characters, throwing in an assortment of ogres, elves and gnomes. Although Mandy won't use what she calls 'big magic,' she does give Ella a magical book that, through glimpses of other people's correspondence, lets her see what is going on in the lives of her new friend, Prince Charmont, her soon-to-be stepsisters and her greedy father. Before her death, Ella's mother commands her daughter to keep the curse a secret-only the cook, Mandy, who is also a fairy, knows the truth. Ella is burdened with a curse (she cannot disobey a command), bestowed at birth as a gift from an addled fairy and this-plus the loss of her beloved mother-causes all sorts of troubles.

Levine's artful debut novel features a spunky heroine whose trials, all faced with admirable steadiness, give new twists to the classic Cinderella story.

Ella enchanted magic book