Rating: 
Summary: a refreshing break from the original cinderella
Review: My 4th grade teacher reccomended Ella Enchanted to me almost three years ago. At first, I was a bit skeptical about it, but my teacher always knew what books I might like, so i gave it a try. I loved it! I was under it's spell by the time I had read that fool of a fairy Lucinda. It's about a more modern cinderella, who has a curse set on her when she couldn't stop crying at her birth. When tragedy strikes, she is shipped off to boarding school where she is under the thumb of her teachers and her future sepsisters. But, she escapes and is very nearly killed by a band of ogres, but is saved by her friend the prince. but she realises that she cannot marry him with her curse, so she writes a letter to make him hate her. To see what will become of her perdicament you must must must read this book. It's one of my all time favorites. I couldn't put it down. It's a great break from the original hoity toity cinderella, and PLEASE READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Cinderella Re-told
Review: This book was a wonderful retelling of the favorite classic, Cinderella. With magical ogres, fairies and elves, the story is dashed with exciting and lightening features. There is also a bit of romance to go along for the girl. There is still the evil step-sister and stepmother but there is a twist, a magical spell cast on Ella at birth with make it harder for her to mary her prince charming.
Rating:
Summary: Worth your time and money
Review: First of all, to the people that gave "Ella Enchanted" 1 star -- this is not a story for girls in second grade who have never read "real" fantasy. Girls are not the only people who enjoy this, I have read this to boys that I baby-sit, and they love it. Also, my mother and I are certainly NOT in second grade, and we both loved it. And, what is "real" fantasy? To me fantasy is a book or movie or idea that contains things things that are not seen in our world, where things such as magic exists and mythical creatures roam. "Ella Enchanted" has ogres, giants, elves, and gnomes in it, and I certainly don't see them walking down the street every day. Secondly, "Ella Enchanted" IS very similar to Cinderella, but is not exactly like. Although the ending of this book is almost the same as the ending of Cinderella, there are many other differences. For example, Cinderella did not have a curse that made her be obedient, Cinderella did not actually meet the prince until the ball, Cinderella did not have to go to finishing school, Cinderella did not have to put up with a father that didn't really love her, Cinderella never ran away, Cinderella did not meet giants, ogres, gnomes, or elves, Cinderella just sat on her pretty little bottom and cried in pity, where as Ella at least was clever and could get herself out of difficult situations, etc. Need I go on? This book makes you want to laugh out loud and also sympathize Ella at times. Also, when I offered this book to my sister, she was convinced that she would hate it. I actually had to bribe her to read it. In the end, she paid me double than what I had to pay for my copy, just so the book could transfer from my bookshelf to hers. This, along with the story itself, makes me recommend it for anyone who loves fairy tales. If you like this, you might also like "The Black Swan" and "The Fire Rose" by Mercedes Lackey, and almost anything by Donna Jo Napoli. --Ruby
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: This is an excellent, imaginative, well written, can-put-it-down book. The fantastic storyline will draw your attention from the first few lines, to the very last words. I couldn't put it down, it was so great! This fantasy book is about a girl who was cursed by a fairy at her birth. All throughout the book she tries and tries to undo the fairy's curse. She has a magical fair god-mother who helps her along the way. Ella's mother dies and her dad finds a new, evil wife. Like Cinderella, she has an evil stepmother and stepsisters who make her work all day and night. Of course, they stepmom and sisters go off to a ball to dance with the prince, but Ella was not able to go. She goes anyway with a mask on so they won't recognize her. The prince falls and love with her (she falls in love with him too) but he can't find her again because he only saw her in the mask. Eventually, they get married and live happily ever after. So...you're probably thinking this book is like Cinderella. Well...it isn't..but it is. It's more of a twisted..more fantasy, and more imaginative than the original Cinderella. Maybe it's called ELLA Enchanted from CinderELLA.... Anyway, I definitly recommend this book for anyone (even adults) who like pure fantasy!
Rating:
Summary: GO ELLA GO!
Review: What can I say? This book has it ALL! It has romance, sadness, adventure, and SO much more. Ella Enchanted is what i'd have to say the best book i've read in a long time! At first its really sad because her mother dies who she loves so very much and her awfully mean father has to take care of her which he doesn't do a very good job of either and she meets a prince and... well your gonna have to read it for yourself!
Rating: 
Summary: An Old Tale Put In A New Light
Review: Imagine what it would be like if you had to do anything and everything anybody ever told you to do. No matter how silly and no matter how much you might not want to. Ella of Frell is in just such a predicament in "Ella Enchanted". She was the recipient of the "gift" of obedience, irresistable and unquestioning obedience, from the foolish fairy Lucinda when she was a baby. Such a curse would be a burden even in benevolent surroundings and if kept secret, but after Ella's mother dies, her father sends her off to finishing school. Can she keep her secret from Hattie and Olive, the two disagreeable daughters of her father's friend, Dame Olga? If they discovered her secret, life could become miserable. And it's not an easy secret to keep in a boarding school. Worse yet, suppose her father decided to marry Dame Olga, making Hattie and Olive her stepsisters. Is there any way for Ella to escape such a mess and to avoid hurting her dearest friend, Prince Charmont? Gail Carson Levine has taken the old Cinderella fairy tale and given it a whole new depth and dimension. Cinderella becomes Ella, a very real young women with some serious issues to resolve. She also has to deal with giants, elves, and some hungry ogres who would love to have her for lunch. In the course of dealing with all this, Ella shows real courage, resilience, wit, and more than a little determination. This engaging book has won a bunch of awards, and deservedly so. Neither my daughter or I found it as engrossing as Harry Potter (our joint standard for five stars in this genre), but "Ella Enchanted" is still a very good story for most older children and young teens. We rate it 4+ stars and definitely recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: I cannot believe that this didn't get the Newberry....
Review: This was an amazing book that I enjoyed to the last page. Gail Carson Levine has a gift for writing believable fractured fairy tales. I cannot understand how this did not receize the full Newberry Award (it only got an "honor" whatever that is supposed to mean) Simply brilliant, an excellent read. Ella has lived a good life with her mother and the family cook (also fairy god-mother, though that is not known to ella), with the exception of the curse that was laid upon her by an ignorant fairy while she was an infant. Unfortunately, the curse implys that whenever she gets an order, she must obey. So when her mother dies of a fever, Ella is sent to a finishing school by her cold merchant-father who doesn't want her under foot, accompanied by two selish girls who use her curse to their advantage...Ella struggles with her bad fortune and as unconventional as the rest of the book is, this, like the old fairy tales, ends with a happily ever after
Rating:
Summary: Ella Enchanted
Review: Wonderful story overall!!! I'm sure everyone who likes the Harry Potter series will like this book because it contains magical things. It's about a girl named Ella who has the spell of obedience cast on her at birth. If she's orderd to chop her on head off she'll do it! It's a very exciting adventure and I hope lot's of other people will read it.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for all ages to enjoy!
Review: My sister brought this book home from the library one day from my summer reading list a couple of years back and told me to give it a try. I wasn't into books at that time and started reading it with a notion thinking I wouldn't like it. Boy was I wrong! When I started it I couldn't stop reading it. In fact I kept on renewing the book untill I read the book at least ten times. Then, afraid I would wear out the library's copy, I wanted to order my own copy in hardcover so I could read it another twenty times. Finally my sister came home with another book for me to read. I was so into 'Elle Enchanted' I didn't want to leave it behind to start a new book. But I tryed Patrica C. Wrede's 'Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, Talking to Dragons- Enchanrted forest chronicles' anyhow. I loved these ones also! So if your stuck on what books to read after this one I highly reccomend these ones! Anyways, back to the subject. All I want to say is this is a wonderfully done novel. Gail Carson Levine adds a new and exciting twist to the Cinderella story. If you are a YA reader don't be discouraged by the 9-12 age level. I know tons of teens and adults who read and liked this book. If you treasured this book check out Gail Carson Levine's 'The Princess Tales Series' and her latest book 'The Two Princesses of Bammare'. This is a must read for any fantasy books fan!
Rating:
Summary: The best version of Cinderella!
Review: Before I read this book I read The two Princesses of Bamarre, and that one convinced me to read Ella Enchanted, and I don't regret it(what I should regret is not reading it), when I begun reading this book I could not force me to put is down is incrtedible, This the third time I read and I don't get tired of it. Besides, the curse explains her slavery and it also makes funnier the story. Mrs.Levine explains it all so well it makes you hate Hattie and love prince Charmont! I really recomend this book!
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