A Tale of Two Castles

By Gail Carson Levine

 

Elodie journeys to the town of Two Castles to become a mansioner—an actress—but the master of the troupe turns her away. Brilliant dragon Meenore takes her in, then sends her on a dangerous mission within an ogre’s castle. There, disguised as a kitchen maid, she plays the role of a lifetime, pitted against a foe intent on murder.
Black-and-White cats, a handsome cat trainer, a greedy king, a giddy princess, a shape-shifting ogre, a brilliant dragon…Elodie must discover which of them is kind, which is cruel, and, most of all, which is the one who deserves her trust.


This was another little gem in Levine's growing list of young adult fiction. Elodie, like all her heroines, is spunky, fun, and brave. Throwing a dragon in that happens to be just like Sherlock Holmes was pretty hilarous and wonderful. Elodie has to worry about who to trust; who exactly is the "whited seplechre" her mother warned her about when she left home? Elodie learns along the way that appearances aren't always what they seem, and beauty isn't always a sign of goodness. The only criticism I have, and really it's just my taste, is I was sad it didn't have a love story in it. Elodie was quite a bit too young though, so I forgive her.

3 out of 5

The Wish

By Gail Carson Levine

Ever since her two best friends moved away, eighth grader Wilma Stultz has felt invisible at her middle school, Claverford. So when an extraordinary old lady offers her a wish, Wilma asks to be the most popular kid at school. Suddenly, she has more friends than she can keep track of, forty dates to the Grad Night dance, and a secret admirer writing her love poetry. But then Wilma discovers there's a loophole in her wish...and realizes that her popularity might not last forever.

I really like Gail Carson Levine, but this is not her best book. It’s about a girl in middle school, but I think it’s not very applicable. It lacked interest and became a little flat for me. It’s all about ‘be careful what you wish for’. The story revolves around a teenage girl who is just different enough to not have many friends and wishes she was popular. She finds that she doesn’t ever know if people really like her or just the spell that made her popular. And when she realizes that the spell will wear off on graduation, she’s afraid she’ll lose everything she thought she cared about. This is a story about finding out what matters. It’s cute, but like I said, not my favorite.

Ella Enchanted

By Gail Carson Levine

When Ella was a baby she was visited by the well-meaning fairy Lucinda and given a ‘gift’. The gift was obedience-which turned out to be the curse of Ella’s life. Imagine having to do everything anyone told you whether you want to or not. When Ella’s mother suddenly dies she is left with a father who doesn’t care. But who does she meet other than Prince Charmonte himself? They become fast friends and correspondents as Ella’s life is flipped upside down by her father’s marriage to one of the most terrible women imaginable and her two dimwitted daughters.
When Ella starts having feelings for Char she realizes with a jolt of terror that she was the greatest liability to him. If someone told her to hurt him…she would be forced to do it. Join Ella in her quest to break the curse, an adventure full of laughs, Ogres, Princes, and two very awful stepsisters.

Ella Enchanted is the most awesome Cinderella-like story out there. The characters are downright wonderful and/or horrible, and their story sucks you in from page one. Ella is an enchanting young woman whom you can’t help but like, and you end up falling for Char right along with her. This is a spectacularly creative take on the famous fairy tale and will leave you laughing at Ella’s antics and Char’s humor. If you haven’t read it, please do, it will leave you smiling.