Better than the movie, this book is a real "charmer"!

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	• Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks, 2004 - 240 pages average customer review:based on 1076 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Absolutely enchanting!

A couple of years ago, my daughter watched the movie "Ella Enchanted". She liked this spin of the Cinderella tale and I liked the fact that the while the young lady lived happily ever after in the end, she had to work a bit for that happiness. It seemed a bit more real life to me. I didn't know the movie was based on a Newberry Honor book.

A few weeks ago, my son saw the book on DVD at the local library and we checked it out. Right away I knew there was a lot more to the book than had been in the movie. I believe the movie runs about 1 1/2 hours. The book was listed as being 5 hours and 42 minutes long.

It was fantastic! We were enchanted from the beginning when we meet Ella and her mother and learn of the fairy curse which makes Ella be obedient to all who order her. We went through the sadness of Ella's mother dying and then we were taken on a magical journey complete with ogres, fairies, elves, handsome princes, centaurs and more. Ella tried time and time again to break her curse. She tracked down Lucinda who had given her this 'gift' but Lucinda only told her to be happy to be obedient. Ella made a huge sacrifice, but in the end it was her love and sacrifice that overcame the curse.

I was a little disappointed when Ella ended up with glass slippers, was attending three royal balls and had to be home before midnight when the coach would turn back into a pumpkin, but the ending overcame this well worn section and we were immensely satisfied with how things turned out. I recommend this book either to read yourself or to listen to. If you haven't seen the movie already, it is very, very different from the book and of the two stories, I like the book best.

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Fantastic!

I bought this because my students were reading the book. They usually like to read it themselves, but we only had one week to read it. They absolutely loved listening to the cds. The reader did a fantastic job of distinguishing the voices. The only disappointment my students had was that she was not Ella in the movie. They also hated the movie because the reader made the story so real to them, they actually asked me to turn off the movie because it ruined their memories! My highest recommendation!

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Better than the movie, this book is a real "charmer"!

This book is better than the recent movie. You weep, you laugh, you cheer! The characters have spunk, and the land in which they live is magical. Enough adventure to draw you in; enough injustice to make you angry; and enough self-reflection to make you grow. A good lesson about obedience, attitude, and giving.

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A spectacular retelling of Cinderella

Harry Potter turned me on to the world of young adult fiction and the more I read, the more I find that the best writers out there aren't writing for adults, they're writing for young people. This book has the excellent characterization typical of such high quality youth novels. The underlying themes about friendship, loyalty, and self sacrifice are lovely.

As the mother of a young daughter, it thrills me to find a book with such a clear depiction of a young woman believing in herself and using her brain to get her ahead. I've loved this book for years before I even had a daughter and it makes me very happy to know that it is one I will be able to gladly share with her. Truly a wonderful book.

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Easy read, escape is prime

The best thing about this novel is that you can read it through in about three-four hours if you have the time to do so. I first heard the book's story in audio form (I'd seen the movie), and wanted to go through it with my own eyes and mind. I liked reading it on my own mostly because there were details that I missed on my first escape into Kyrria (missed that in the movie, eh?) that I was finally able to fully appreciate.

(Cinder-)Ella's story in this book is a bit different from the movie version with Anne Hathaway. It really is more evident that this is a Cinderella re-telling when you read the novel. So, here are a few things to whet your appetite if you like.
--mini!SPOILERS--
1. Ella goes to boarding school with her stepsisters. This is where she meets Areida (they're roomies).
2. Ella is Char's penpal for a great while--this is how they get to know each other because she doesn't spend a lot of time travelling.
3. Ella is made into a servant in her own home.
4. There are three (count 'em, THREE) balls for Char, and Ella goes in masked disguise to each one.
5. Char's parents are alive.

So, if that doesn't set you in the mood to read it, I'm not sure what else I can tell you to convince you... unless you are under a curse of obedience like lovely Ella. If so, you simply must purchase this book if you haven't already.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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