Gail Carson Levine

This is one of those classic kids’ books that I never actually read when I was a kid, so I’m catching up now. A Wrinkle in Time and Bridge to Terabithia are also on my list.

But oh my gosh I wish I had read this as a kid? It’s so good! First of all, the premise is really interesting: Why was Cinderella such a pushover? Why did she do everything her stepfamily told her to? Because she was cursed to be obedient! And then it gives you a really strong, smart heroine who asserts her own show more autonomy any little way she can, and eventually breaks the curse with her own power of will. I also really like the theme of ‘big magic’ being dangerous because it can have unintended consequences, that sometimes actions you intend for good can end up hurting someone so you shouldn’t be careless.

I’m going to have to read more of Gail Carson Levine’s books for sure. show less

A kind sister and a cruel one. A charming prince. A spiteful fairy. A hundred-year snooze. A pea under a pile of mattresses. A kiss.

All the familiar ingredients, but why is the punished sister happy? Where did that extra prince come from, and what does a flock of balding sheep or a fleck of tuna in a chocolate cake have to do with anything?

Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over three well-known fairy tales, and presto! They are transformed - and sparklingly funny -in these show more delightful retellings.

Includes:
- The Fairy's Mistake
- The Princess Test
- Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep show less

That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift. When I cried inconsolably through my first hour of life, my tears were her inspiration. Shaking her head sympathetically at Mother, the fairy touched my nose. "My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying child."So begins this richly entertaining story of Ella of Frell who wants nothing more than to be free of Lucinda's gift and feel that she belongs to herself. For how can show more she truly belong to herself if she knows that at any time, anyone can order her to hop on one foot, 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 spirited account of her quest to break the curse is a funny, poignant, and enchanting tale about an unforgettable heroine who is determined to be herself. show less

Brief, but as dark as original fairy tales; in these poems, the cow chews down the beanstalk ("I think I'm worth more than five magic beans"), the witch lures Hansel and Gretel to their cannibalistic doom, and Red Riding Hood's grandmother abandons her to the wolf. Most poems have a fairy tale or nursery rhyme connection with a dark twist; in others, the author addresses the reader directly. The table of contents is purposefully useless ("This is Just to Say" over and over, except for the show more Introduction, which is buried on page 18). Funny for the right reader; appalling for the wrong one.

See also: Paul Janeczko's A Kick in the Head, A Poke in the I; Shel Silverstein

William Carlos Williams, "This is just to say" show less