Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine charmed the world with Ella Enchanted, her spirited retelling of the Cinderella story. Now this award-winning author turns her attention to two more classic fairy tales, and deftly turns them upside down and inside out with her trademark wit and hilarity. In The Fairy's Mistake, two very different sisters have two very different encounters with the fairy Ethelinda. Rosella is kind and helpful. Her reward: Jewels and gems tumble out of her mouth whenever she speaks. Myrtle is rude and spiteful. Her punishment: Bugs and vipers slither out of her mouth. The fairy Ethelinda feels she's meted out justice just right--until she discovers Rosella has been locked up by a greedy prince and Myrtle is having the time of her life! In The Princess Test, King Humphrey has decided it's time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith's daughter. She's no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same--but how will she ever pass the terrible tests? In these first two delightfully entertaining, laugh-out-loud Princess Tales, Gail Levine gently spoofs the notion that fairies are always right and that tests can ever prove a person's worth, but holds fast to the notion that true love will always win in the end.

The Fairy's Mistake

Boy meets princess, and it's love at first sight. Both laugh of the same jokes. Both are named after birds. His name is Robin, hers is Lark. Could there ever have been a more perfect match? But alas! King Harrumphrey won't let Lark marry a baker's son. And Robin is betrothed to someone else. Now toss in Robin's nonsense-talking brothers, Nat and Matt, their versifying father, and Ethelinda, the fairy who wrought havoc in The Fairy's Mistake, and you've got a "nutcrazical" situation! A hilarious spoof on 'The Golden Goose" by the Brothers Grimm, The Fairy's Return is the sixth Princess Tale from beloved Newbery Honor author and master fairy tale reteller Gail Carson Levine.

The Fairy's Return

Sarah Sammis

Earlier in the year before Harriet started reading, she went through a princess phase. She's still mad about princesses but now she prefers to draw them instead of reading about them. She also went through a period where she wanted to be read to during her long baths. So we read through Gail Carson Levine's short chapter books.

The Fairy's Return by Gail Carson Levine is her unique take on the Golden Goose fairy tale. There's Robin, the baker's son and the very bored Princess Lark, and a fairy trying to do good but not necessarily getting it right.

Harriet's not familiar with the original story but she thought it was funny that the boy and the girl both had bird names. Of all the books from this series we read, this one didn't hold her attention as well as others did.

Jeni Enjaian

Eh.
That's really the most I can say about this quick read. It was okay, made some sense but in other ways did not. At least I can count it as a read and add it to my list.

Wren Hardwick

Do you like retelling of fairytales? Gail Carson Levine is the author for you. She is witty, and pokes fun at fairytales all the while making you love the story even more.

“Once upon a time, in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the kingdom of Biddle, Rosella fetched water from the well for the four thousand and eighty-eighth time.” 
– The Fairy’s Mistake by Gail Carson Levine

Just by the first paragraph, you can grasp the humor Levine puts in her words. 

In The Fairy’s Mistake, a retelling of a French fairy tale called Toads and Diamonds by Charles Perrault (titled “Les Fées,” or “The Fairies”), two twin sisters are cursed (or gifted?) with two completely different things. Let’s rephrase that: one sister is bestowed a curse and the other a gift, though which is which is yet to be determined.

Oh a prince! Being so humble and pleasant as he is realizes his love for a lady he just met! Oh, and she happens to have something he wants. Coincidence I am sure.

One sister uses what the fairy gave her for helping others, and the other uses it to gain control over people. 

Will the sister with the curse live happily ever after? Will the other sister with the gift live happily ever after? Will the fairy ever learn that things don’t always happen the way she wants them to? 

I have a soft spot for fairy tales and that is exactly up Levine’s alley. She is a spectacular writer and story teller. She will make you laugh out loud with her classic retelling. I recommend this book, and the rest of her books, to anyone that loves a good fairytale.

Do you like retelling of fairy-tales? Gail Carson Levine is the author for you. She is witty, and pokes fun at fairy-tales all the while making you love the story even more.

“King Harrumphrey tapped the scroll. “Not that ‘any harrumph.’”
The scribe wrote noble in tiny letters to the left of man. 
The king was getting annoyed. “Not ‘any harrumphman.’ ‘Any harrumph.’” 
– For Biddle’s Sake by Gail Carson Levine

Just by this part of the book, you can grasp the humor Levine puts in her words. Her use of run-on sentences leaves you out of breath and laughing from the repetitiveness. Her objective to point out the obvious will keep you entertained. In this instance, she has a king that replaces words with harrumph and expects people to know what he means.

The Fairy’s Return, a fairy-tale based on the German fairy-tale The Goose Girl by Brothers Grimm, is about a little princess and a baker’s son who fall in love. The baker’s son [Robin] never gets to finish a job with his two word-inventing brothers and rhymer father. The Princess [Lark] never gets to play a game fairly because everyone is afraid to let her fail at one.

King Harrumphrey will not let her marry Robin when he finally treats her like a real person. The baker will not let Robin marry Lark when she listens and laughs at all his jokes.

The king decided to hold a contest for all the princes to come make her laugh! So Princess Lark thinks of sad things to make herself cry for days because of her love for Robin.

Fairy Ethelinda [remember her from ‘The Fairy’s Mistake?!] gifts Robin with a golden goose after a series of events. That won’t accomplish his dream to marry the princess, but it is a start…

Will Fairy Ethelinda get over her fear of gifting/curing people? Will Robin have to marry the innkeeper’s third daughter Golly? Will Lark laugh at an unexpected prince and be forced to marry him? Will Robin ever finish a joke with his family? Will Lark ever be treated as a normal person? Will the end up happily ever after? Will the goose ever get a break?

Levine has a splash of humor you will not find anyone else. Using plays on words and awkward humor, this is perfect for a story for a young girl or for a grown woman who can’t get enough of fairy-tales (cough me). I will always be a fan of Levine’s writing and I am so happy I picked them up first on my own quest to reread all my favorite books.

The Fairy's Mistake

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