Ella Enchanted

I listened to the audiobook, which was read by a grown woman doing a startling impression of a young girl. It really freaked me out at first, but then I got used to it and decided that she was actually quite good.
I enjoyed this sweet, spirited retelling of the Cinderella story. Great reccomendation for anyone who enjoys princess stories that don't follow the usual forumla.more

One of the best books I have ever had the privilege of reading; the movie does not compare. A singular cast of characters and plot that make Cinderella's story seem more plausible. Fun, fascinating read in a visionary fantasy world that keeps you guessing and turning the pages and reading it over and over again.more

An interesting take on the Cinderella fairy tale which Levine gives a few twists. I'm sure many a girl has wondered why in the world the traditional Cinderella let her step-family treat her like dirt; I mean, does the girl have no spine? Levine's Ella has plenty of spine, but explains her lack of options by adding a fairy gift (more like curse) of obedience to the tale - Ella must do whatever anyone commands her to do. How Ella breaks the curse and wins the heart of the prince makes for an entertaining ride. This would pair perfectly with Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, another fantasy tale with a plucky heroine.

Listened to the Listening Library CD edition narrated by Eden Riegel. Previously read.more

Cinderella with a twist, in this version Ella recieves what a fairy thinks is a gift and Ella finds to be a curse of obedience; causing her to obey any direct command she is given even if that command will cause harm. She has to use her wits and her will to work around the curse and make her own choices in spite of it all. A charming story very well told.more

Witty and brilliant retelling of Cinderella with an intriguing twist -- Ella must obey a direct order. This fairy tale redux is amusing but also slily subversive.more

Cute retelling of the Cinderella story. Found the made up languages of the ogres and elves to be a distraction and places in the story where I lost interest.more

Ella Enchanted is the story of a young girl with a curse: she has to obey any order she is given. She loses her mother and encounters all sorts of peril, ranging from jealous stepsisters to finishing school, to greasy, bloodthirsty ogres, to love. Will she find the strength within herself to break the curse?The book is a wonderful revival of the classic story of Cinderella. I found the characters to be fairly well developed but a tad hyperbolic. The writing is at times a bit sophomoric as well, but the plot is complex and witty. I enjoyed the book immensely as a child and still appreciate it as an adult. Definitely a good read for children 8-13.more

Ella was given "the gift" of obedience at birth by a fairy. But as Ella grows up, she realizes how much of a curse this is, anyone could order her to do anything! She decides to go on a quest to break the spell once and for all, and on the way, she begins finding out who she really is. This is a great book about a spunky young girl looking for independence!more

When Ella was born, she was given a gift by the fairy Lucinda. She was given the “gift” of obedience. She must obey any order or command given to her, which means people can often take control of her if she tells them about her curse. Ella is strong-willed and humorous. She does not submit to what the curse does to her, and often fights against it. She does not accept this as her fate. Ella goes on a journey coming across ogres, giants, elves, wicked stepsisters, fairy godmothers, and of course, the handsome prince. She is determined to break the curse, and in the end, she does.more

The book that most stands out from my childhood. Fantasy as if it were reality. I feel like it ripped my heart out every time but I loved this book.more

It seems like no matter how long it's been, how old I get, or how many Cinderella retellings I read, this remains the best. Ella has courage, intelligence, and a great voice; Char is a great Prince Charming (who manages to come off without looking idiotic, as often happens with Cinderella princes).more

SummaryElla is given the gift of obedience as a baby from a fairy, she must obey any and all orders - whether its little or dangerous that could end her life. After Ella's mother dies her father remarries and she has to deal with her horrible stepmothere and stepsisters Hattie and Olive and is sent off to finishing school. She runs away from finishing school to attend a giants wedding in hopes of finding the fairy to take back the gift. She is sent on an adventure meeting ogres, fairies, giants, and falling in love with Prince Charmont.My Thoughts.I truly enjoyed reading this book and could hardly put it down. The author did a really good job making the reader think this world could really exist and can relate to be in situations of bravery and dealing with people you may not care to be around. All in all I would recommend this book to young readers.Classroom Extension1)Ask students if they ever had to be obedient to orders that they did not want to obey and how that made them feel.2)Ask students to draw their favorite scene of the book and write a description on the bottom what is going on in the picture.more

I read this book when I was in 4th grade, many many many years ago. But I still remember the tale like it was yesterday. This was the first book that I absolutely, unequivocably fell in love with. I don't know how many times I went to my school library to check out this book but every single time, I cried and I cheered. This book is a wonderful WONDERFUL book for young girls and I would recommend it to any child.more

This is what young adults should be reading! Not that trashy, empty stuff with main characters too pathetic to call heroines. This was an adorable book and a unique take on Cinderella. Ella was cursed at birth--she has to follow any orders given her. When people find out about the curse, they quickly learn to use it to their advantage. She's either rebellious by nature or because she needed to rebel against the curse to prevent feeling like a puppet, but her refreshing sass shines throughout the book. It had many of the elements that other YA fiction has these days: magic, adventure, and young love. But it contained so much that those other books don't: a coherent story, a creative world, actual character development, and a strong, willful heroine. Ella thinks for herself, she looks out for herself, and she cares about doing the right thing.This is a high caliber book written for high caliber young people.more

Ella of Frell has never really known her father. She and her mother are best friends living a happy life with their Cook, Mandy, for company. But Ella is not your typical girl. She was given the gift of obedience as a baby from a fairy who never gives good gifts, even when she has the best of intentions. This gift means Ella must obey any and all orders - whether it be to sweep the floor, hop like a rabbit, or cut off her own head!After Ella's mother dies, Ella must deal with her grief alone - for not only is her mother gone, but her father is sending her to finishing school with the two most horrid girls in the world - Hattie and Olive. She wishes she could stay in Frell, enjoying the menagerie and her new friend Prince Charmont, but her father, who knows nothing of her curse, has ordered her to go.But Ella is not one to shy from adventure, or to bend the rules of her obedience charm. Ogres, elves, stepsisters, and possible true love wait in her future. If only she could find the fairy who gave her the curse in the first place...___________________________________My thoughts -At first, it was hard not to compare this book to the movie, which I've seen about ten times. I still watch it every so often with my sisters to laugh and relive childhood memories, as silly as the movie is. I wanted the book to be different but...the same. Same characters, same order of events, same climax and turnout.I got something completely different, and was at first surprised by this. I wasn't sure how much I liked it - it lacked the action and intensity I was expecting.But I soon got over this and found myself in a fluffy, light, floating fairy-tale that involves more silly magic and character development than action. And then I was hit with the climax - and I went to my sister, who had already read the book, laughing and giggling and bursting about the story with her, while she tried to get me to stop hugging her with joy... ;)In any case, I was so happy, by the end, to find how different and how much better this was from the movie, which I don't know if I'll ever watch again. How could they have ruined such a beautiful story?!Character notes -I really loved all these characters. They were three-dimensional and full of life and so different from each other. I admired Ella (even though I thought she cried a lot), despised Hattie, and said, "Poar Olive" every once in a while to get a good laugh. (Yes, I meant "poar".)Prince Char, where to begin? He started as a boy, and grew into a man, lovable, tender, and loving. He lived up to my standards and definitely deserved this story's heroine!Story notes -Like I said before, I wasn't too happy with the lack of action and suspense...but it was hard to stay disappointed. I found myself enjoying the story just as much as I'd been hoping, just in a different way. It focused on Ella and how she came to be a woman, so whether this involved taming ogres or sewing for finishing school, it became an adventure. A few of the scenes weren't as well written or executed as the others, but the turnout of those scenes always made up for it.My favorite scenes involved the love letters. Love letters always add the most touching and tender side to a story. I'm so glad this story had many!!Summing it up -Lively - like skipping by a lake in the cool spring breeze. I'm so glad to have gotten to know Ella, her friends, and even her enemies. I want to read more of Levine's novels now!Nothing for the parents - 11+more

Though this book deals with the usual fairy tale characters, settings, and conflicts it does so in a truly original way. The characters are fleshed out and entertaining to read. I felt that the story took fresh turns and I actually found some surprises along the way. For a Young Adult book this was shocking. I also liked that this had a strong, female lead, and that in the end the girl did not need to be "rescued." She had enough inner strength to overcome the obstacles herself. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy empowered female characters and fairy tale adventures.more

I'm slightly disappointed with this book, and I'm quite sure the movie is to blame, because I read everywhere that it was a joke compared to the book, and even though I think it’s a cute movie, I also have to agree that it is kind of silly, my point being: I don't see it! Come on people, the movie isn't that bad when compared to the book because the book isn't that good; nonetheless I’ve always liked the premise: Cinderelish and yet rebel heroine is cursed to do whatever she is told to. And that’s what the story delivers, but something is amiss - I can’t quite put my finger on it, but that’s what I felt through the whole book. I guess I kept waiting for something utterly amazing to happen, and that was a mistake. My mistake. One thing that annoyed me to no end was when Ella lied to and deceived Char when he confessed his love to her – NOT COOL ELLA, you foolish, cold-hearted girl.more

This story incorporates a variety of known fairy tales. Ella is cursed with obedience. She must obey everyone until she can find a loophole. This curse causes her to almost kill the prince with whom she falls in love, but looking in the mirror, she is able to tell herself to no longer obey. This story is a great one to tell about empowerment and free will.more

A good fairy tale for older readers. Very clever and well written. Strong female character.more

A young adult novel that is a spin on most fairy tales. Ella is a beautiful princess that was given the foolish gift by a fairy to be obedient. Ella's goal throughout the whole story is to find a way to break the gift that has turned out to be a terrible curse. A great story to use with your class when teaching fairy tales, or morals.more

This fun and fiesty take off on the classic children's tale is wonderfully paced and funny. The title character is a girl with a terrible curse, the "gift" of obedience. She manages to make her life her own and her adventure is great for children and adults alike. The moral of the story is a life lesson for everyone!more

What a delightful book! It was like nothing we have ever read. It was tragic, suspenseful, funny, mushy, familiar and unexpected all at the same time. We adored this book and can't wait to pick up something else by this author!more

Sweet and enjoyable! A fast, easy, cute read! It's worth the time to read it because it's completely different from the movie (which is also awesome by the way!)! :)more

First Line: "That fool a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me." Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books! I first read it in the seventh grade and I finished it in one day. I just couldn't set it down. I even brought it with me to the dinner table! That was the first time I ever did that. Ella and Char's relationship was so sweet (I love Char! He was one of my first book crushes.) The magic and fantasy creatures described in this book were amazing, especially the ogres. I loved how the magical creatures were in the book more than in the movie. Levine could write a book revolving around each and every one of them. And just FYI: The movie is very, very different from the book, but still great.more

A delightful and humorous retelling of an old classic. In this case too much description of the book would be a spoiler. Read and enjoy, part of the fun is the unveiling of which classic.more

I would reccommend this book to any intermediate aged girl. It is a wonderful book about a young woman who is given the "gift" of obediance as a baby. A spin-off of Cinderella, the young woman has to endure her father's death, step-mother and siblings, as well as her "Prince Charming" not being able to know about her curse.more

Ella Enchanted is an absolutely spellbinding book!Could you handle doing EVERY single thing somebody tells you to do? Well, Ella, as a baby, was "blessed" with the gift of obedience by her fairy godmother, Lucinda. This means Ella must do exactly everything she is told! If she doesn't perform her task, she will feel extremely sick.Ella, is a smart, vivacious, intelligent young girl who uses good sense and courage to get through some tough real-life events such as losing her mother, her jealous and dysfunctional step family, and the confusion that comes from having a selfish dad. All of these real life things that are difficult to walk through are set in a beautiful scenery of imagination, where Ella battles ogres, falls in love with Prince Charmont (better known as Prince Char), and dances in glass slippers. As you can see, Ella is an adventurous, lively and admiring character.Levine adds great character development when describing Ella and her sad curse. He really gives great detail for the reader to imagine what terrible things Ella is going through, but adds some comic relief. Ella's everyday-life difficulties really get to the reader, especially me. When Levine adds the comic relief, though, it reminds me that if I have a problem, I can fix it, dilegently, just like when Ella overcomes her situations caused by her horrific curse. All in all, Ella Enchanted is, yes, in fact, enchanting and is a great modernized fairy tale twist of Cinderella. Tara(:more

I think this is my favorite spin on a fairy tale ever. I had almost as much fun spending time with Ella and Char as they did with each other. I'm glad I ignored my dislike of the movie trailer and listened to all of the good recommendations.more

When Ella was born she was given a gift.. a gift of obedience. This gift ended up being a curse only her mother and MAndy knewof the gift. She was given the order to kill her love, but she did not and fought the curse and she eneded up breaking it. This is a book that students could use in comparing a book and a movie.more

A charming twist on the familiar tale of Cinderella. Ella is cursed from birth to obey any command anyone gives her. Using her own ingenuity, she overcomes hungry ogres, careless fairies, and wicked stepsisters in her journey to break the spell and find true love. All the standard components are here - a fairy godmother, glass slippers, a pumpkin turned into a carriage - but reimagined in a clever way. Rather than sitting around waiting to be saved from her life of servitude like the classic Cinderella, this Ella is her own savior, and an excellent role-model to boot. I wish this book could have been part of my own childhood. It's marvelous.more