Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted
By: Gail Carson Levine
Copyright: 1997
Pages: 240
Reading Level: 9-12

"I want to be your forever and beyond, but you write that you are too young to marry or too old or too short or too hungry- until I crumple your letter up in despair, only to smooth them out again for the twelfth reading, hunting for hidden meanings."

Ella Enchanted is a story of a baby blessed with a curse. The Blessing of Obedience. As a young girl her mother passes away, leaving her with the one command to never tell anyone of the curse. At her mothers funeral she meets Prince Char and there friendship begins. Ella's father is a merchant and is rarely home, so him and Ella don't really have any sort of relationship. Ella's cook, Mandy soon tells her that she is a fairy, but can only do little magic. Which doesn't involve bringing her mother back to life, no matter how Ella pleads. Ella is soon sent to Finishing School. Where she meets Areida, who has an Ayorthian accent. The soon become good friends, and Areida even teaches Ella Ayorthian. Ella easily picks up languages, and knows how to say several things in many languages.
The trouble with Ella's curse starts when she meets Hattie, who is Dame Olga's daughter along with Olive. Hattie discovers that Ella must do anything she commands, but doesn't know why. As she is shipped of to Finishing School with these two, Hattie makes her life often miserable. And the final straw is when she commands Ella to never be friends with Areida ever again.
Ella devises a plan to run away when she sees that Lucinda and her father might be at a Giants wedding. She escapes in the middle of the night, taking Hattie's wig with her. On her journey she has two very pleasant day but then runs into Ogres and they read her thoughts and know she must be obedient. So they take her with them till they can find more food, to make the meal complete. At night she tries to run away, but after being commanded to stay she is overwhelmed by the curse and cannot leave. Knowing how persuasive Ogres can be she learns there language. In the morning she is able to charm them back to sleep convincing them they are to full to eat her as well.
The Prince soon rides up, and they capture the sleeping Ogres.
Prince Char sends Ella with an escort to Giant Ville for the wedding. She makes it in time and finds Lucinda. However she becomes very frightened when hearing how she is constantly turning those who reject her gift into squirrels. So she pretends to only speak and understand Ayorthiana. Lucinda commands Ella to be happy about her gift, and so Ella becomes ecstatic to follow orders. And is even thrilled when her father reports that she will have to marry a wealthy man, to solve there money problems.
However when the Wealthy Man appears to have lost everything, her father turns to marrying Dame Olga himself. At the wedding Ella escapes from Lucinda, and Prince Char finds her hiding. They bond by searching for hidden passageways, and sliding down railings.
There friendship becomes more when they continually write letters to one another. However when Prince Char confesses his love, Ella realizes she cannot be with him. Because it would be bad for the kingdom. Not being able to tell Char the truth, she writes him pretending to be Hattie. She writes him telling him that she has already wed, and was only playing with the Prince as a form of entertainment.
Both heart-broken, they stop writing. However when news of a Formal three day Ball is announced, Ella cant help but go. Hidden by a mask. She can't stand seeing the Prince with all the other girls, and introduces herself. Quickly winning him over. Eventually on the third night, Hattie overcome with jealousy rips off her mask. She is revealed, and runs home unable to face Char. In the process losing the very glass slipper her and Char found in the abandoned castle.
Prince Char arrives at her house with the slipper saying he will marry the woman who it belongs to. Both sister try with no luck. Ella refuses to marry Char knowing the curse who destroy the kingdom somehow. However in rejecting the Prince she overcomes the curse. "When you asked for my hand a few minutes ago, I was still too young to marry." I looked up at him and saw a smile start. "I'm older now, so much older that not only can I marry, but I can beg you to marry me." I knelt and took his hand.
He didn't let me kneel before him. He pulled me up and kissed me again. I took that to signify his consent.
The End

Recommend to: Everyone! Maybe boys might not enjoy this as much. But it still has adventure and mystical creatures. Maybe I'm bias but I think this a book everyone would love.
Problems: It shows a broken family, where the Dad is never around. And a evil step-mother.
My Reaction: Loved this book. So fun with all the languages, and thinking up all the things the curse makes Ella do. So detailed. I absolutely loved Prince Char's letter. I'm a sucker for Romance.