Ella Enchanted The story is a retelling of Cinderella featuring various mythical creatures including fairies, elves, ogres, gnomes, and giants. While all the familiar plot elements of the Cinderalla story are still present in this retelling, they are given a different significance. In particular, in Levine's version Cinderella/Ella and the Prince have known each other all along and had already long since fallen in love, but are debarred until the end from consummating that love. The Two Princesses of Bamarre The story revolves around the lives of two sisters who are very close, but as different as night and day. When one of them falls victim to a deadly disease sweeping the kingdom, the other must find her inner strength and bravery to discover the cure, and save her elder sister. Fairest It uses some plot elements of the classic Snow White and is set in the same world as Ella Enchanted. The kingdom of Ayortha, the setting of the story, is the neighboring kingdom of Kyrria, where Ella Enchanted was set and the story makes several allusions to the previous work.
Author
Just letting you all know: I'm only going to review books I love. There's enough negative criticism without me piling on. A book is too hard to write. Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a 1790 farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.
