How can a fairy’s blessing be such a curse?
At her birth, Ella of Frell was the unfortunate recipient of a foolish fairy’s gift — the “gift’ of obedience. Ella must obey any order given to her, whether it’s hopping on one foot for a day and a half, or chopping off her own head! But strong-willed Ella does not tamely accept her fate. Against a bold backdrop of princes, ogres, giants, wicked … wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella goes on a quest to break the curse — once and for all.
In this incredible debut novel comes the richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell, who at birth was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at anytime anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom’and she’ll have to obey? Against a bold tapestry of princes, ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, and fairy godmothers, Ella’s quest to break the curse once and for all and discover who she really is is as sharply funny as Catherine, Called Birdy and as richly poignant as Beauty, and has all the marks of a classic in the making.
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This book is 1.99 right now, and I adore it. Strong, smart heroine. Good female friendship. Nice love story. Um… hijinks? Balls? Curses? Go read!
And please ignore the movie adaptation, which, despite a fun cover of “Somebody to Love” by Queen and the delightfully weird Hugh Dancy as a prince, is not terribly good.
Ella Enchanted was one of my favourite books growing up. Ella is fun and brave and smart, and her adventures and romance are delightful. The twist on Cinderella is clever and original, and the book contains many references to the original tale while also creating something entirely new. It may be a childhood favourite, but it’s well worth a read at any age! (And it’s a very different story to the movie for anyone who’s seen that but never read the book.)
This a wonderful, funny read. Love Ella’s spirit and the magical world the author has created. I am looking forward to reading more of her books.
A book that I loved as a child is Ella Enchanted. This is a brilliant retelling of a fairy tale (Cinderella) where the passive protagonist is transformed into a strong, intelligent heroine who takes her fate into her own hands. This is the book I still pick up to read every time I visit my parents, and it never fails to make me smile.
Runner-up: Redwall!
I read this book at least once a year. I adore Ella and her journey to finding out strong she is really speaks to everyone. I recently read this with my kids for the first time and we enjoyed the wonderful World and fabulous characters together.
This was one my favorite books growing up and it still is today. Carson Levine does a beautiful job creating an amazing world where fairies, elves, ogres, and many other mythical creatures live alongside people. It is a Cinderella retelling, but Carson Levine made it so much her own that on my first read I didn’t realize until she ended up ‘acquiring’ her two (horrid!) stepsisters. From there, I was pleasantly surprised the rest of the way. I love Ella and her fiery spirit and the romance between her and Char is one of my all-time favorites. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that the film adaptation was nowhere near the same. What Hollywood did to this incredible story should be considered criminal. I would HIGHLY recommend this for all middle grade readers and Young Adult readers who love a good fairytale because that is what they will get. Well Done!
This is one of the best books of my childhood. One of the best retellings and reimaginings of the Cinderella fairy tale. I love everything about this book.
I’ve loved this book since the first time I read it as a young girl. It was one of the first books I can remember reading and feeling like I was REALLY a part of the story. And it continues to feel that way to this day. I have always loved that she has spunk despite her literal curse, and she works as hard as she possibly can to find her cure. She also has real strength of character in denying her heart’s desire when she knows the potential hazardous consequences of giving in. I love Char’s persistence too! I have read it to my two young daughters now, and they also love it.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine – If you’ve seen the movie, pretend it’s a totally different thing. It was the only way I could enjoy the movie especially the ending (I mean WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE PERFECTION??????). So can you tell this is my absolute favorite Cinderella? I could be a press agent for this book because I love it with my whole heart! I’m an extreme introvert who will absolutely talk to anyone about how lovely this book is. Pretty sure you will also fall in love with Char when he slides down the bannister! Happy Reading!
I absolutely LOVE this book! I believe this is my favorite book that I have ever read in my life, and I’ve read a lot of books 🙂 The way that I often rate books is if I can read it multiple times, and still love it, it deserves a 5-star rating all the way. If I could rate this book higher than 5 stars, I would in a heart beat.
Great story, that I have read many times throughout my middle school days and throughout my young adulthood. I highly recommend it to anyone who is into fairytales.
This has long been one of my favorite books. I adore all of Gail Carson Levine’s work, but this title in particular will always have a special place in my heart.
This is the story of Ella of Frell who was given a gift at birth – the gift that she will always be obedient. It was a gift from a foolish fairy. For Ella’s whole life, she has always had to do what people tell her to do, and if she doesn’t she gets physically ill. When she is nearly grown, she goes on a quest to find the fairy who gave her this curse.
This story is a silly one. It is definitely a book for 3rd-4th graders. It is a version of Cinderella – her mother dies, his father married an “evil stepmother” who comes with two daughters of her own, and she meets a prince that she falls for. The differences are great, though (no talking mice) but the premise is the same.
It is a cute book. Younger kids will love it.
I fell in love with this book as a child, this was back when I was confident that every book would have a HEA. I recently re-read this as an adult and HOLY CROW, I never realized how many adult themes are within this short book aimed at kids. Gail Carson Levine has managed to cover topics such as consent, free will, sacrifice, racism, sexism, etc. in easily digestible ways for for the younger audience but that perhaps affect adults in an even deeper way. This is one of the books I recommend the most to anyone who hasn’t read it before, or perhaps read it as a child but not yet as an adult.
I love this story! I have read this book more times then I can count and love it even more every time, this is truly a work of art. I would definitely encourage every and anyone to read this book when they get the chance.
This was a quick fun read. Ella tries to be strong, even given her curse.
I enjoyed the book, in spite of having already seen the movie and noting many differences. I liked some of the differences better than the way the story played out in the movie, though I still like the movie as well. I think the depth of characters is so much better in the book. We learn so much more about the kind of person Char is, as well as more into Hattie and Olive’s personalities beyond being the “evil” stepsisters. I enjoyed the aspects of the story that were missing from the movie…Ella’s trip to finishing school, her friendships she made along the way. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy fairy tale retellings, or stories in which the damsel is able to save herself.