A Tale of Two Castles

by Gail Carson Levine
Elodie (said like Melody but without the M) is moving across the sea to begin her apprenticeship.  She has no money so the plan is to apprentice for 10 years in the city of Two Castles.  It's kinda strange as a capitol city.  One castle belongs to the king, the other to an ogre. Every wise person tells her to avoid the ogre at all costs, but these situations seem to find her.  Two Castles also has it's very own dragon.  Dragons are also to be avoided because they are hot tempered and moody.  But when the dragon is the only one offering her the help she so desperately needs?  Is it possible that "everybody" can be wrong about something so important?

Audience

The story is just as simple as Ella Enchanted, so I'd say it's safe for any second grader up to real chapter books.  This is very much girl oriented with a medieval fairy tale setting.

What I Love About This Book
1)At first I was trying to figure out if each character was the "good guy" or the "bad guy."  This is a mystery and it does have an antagonist, but each and every character has good qualities and bad.  Who can you trust?  Decide for yourself, because all the characters are pursuing their own ends.

2) I spent a lot of time trying to find the romance plot, but there is none.  I love this because I think there needs to be more books on friendship-we all need it and that is a relationship with just as much value in our lives as romance.

3) One of the themes in this book is changing your dreams.  What if you get what you want, and find you don't like it?  What if you get what you don't want and find that you love it?  I think young people need to hear that it's okay not to have all your own answers.

Cautions
1) There is no romance plot.  I though this was Beauty and the Beast retold, but it's not
2) The idea of gender is explored a little-and what behaviors are indicative of what gender

Fairest

This is by the same author as Ella Enchanted and written in the same world.  It even has cameos from some of the characters introduced in the first visit to Ayortha and Frell.  This is an adaptation of Snow White.  This time the queen is not a step-mother but a mistress and the kind of friend we all probably remember from middle school-so insecure they only ever tore others down.  Aza, the main character has grown up knowing she is ugly, despite her family's protestations to the contrary.  When she gets work at the royal palace her insecurities constantly get in her way as she struggles to remain unnoticed and yet speak for what is right when the queen seems determined to destroy the values she holds dear.  Her one strength is that she has a beautiful singing voice in a culture that values song above almost all else.  Then one day she looks into the queen's mirror and sees what she hopes might be and has to decide what she is willing to sacrifice to get it.

Audience

I'd go a little older with this one than Ella Enchanted, as it is darker.  Depending on the child, and what they can bring to the story I'd say about 3rd grade, though I would not have been ready for it before 4th.  This is very much a girls book.  I think teens will find more power in it, as it's all about overcoming one's own insecurities. 

Why I Love This Book

There is a political side to this that goes hand in hand with standing up for what you believe in, and I feel it is a good addition to the fairy tale.  The love story is cute and is about finding the person who is perfect for you. The setting is captivating and the characters all face moral dilemmas and find their own boundaries.  My favorite thing about this book (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) is that in the end, Aza realizes she teaches those around her to view her as ugly by her carriage, and by her attitude when she talks about herself.  The "dwarves" in this book are actually gnomes, and one in particular is a major character.  I like reading about the gnomes and about the perspective they give to Aza.

Cautions

1) The villain in this story is truly evil, not just selfish.  He's also a spider which is more than enough to creep me out

2) This is told by a very unreliable narrator who focuses most of her attention on her body image.

3) Much of the text is lyrics to songs.  When I read it I skipped over many of the songs.  When I listened to it, they were somewhat easier to get through, but I did not like how often the same melodies were repeated.

Ella Enchanted

I first read this book in 2d grade.  I still stay awake trying to make sure it ends happily.  Yes, you read correctly, a children's book still holds me on the edge of my seat.  For those of you who have seen the movie, know that I was very disappointed in it.  The uncle, the snake, and many other characters of the movie do not exist in the book, and the ones that are there bear no reseblance to their counterparts

Audience

Girls definitely.  Anyone who appreciates Cinderella and can handle a chapter book should love this.  It is in medieval times with mythical creatures right and left, as well as a premise of magic.  I first comprehended and enjoyed it when I was 8 years old.

Why I Love This Book

I love every single character in it.  Even the bad guys are fun to read about.  Ella is spunky and strong.  She possesses her own talents and interests.  Basically, she is a young woman, not a flighty little girl.  I still want to be like her.  She is relatable and is surrounded by other wonderful and wise (and some not so wise) characters.  Another thing I LOVE is Prince Char.  I could (and frequently do) fall in love with this romantic hero.  He is believeable and his faults are explored in humorous and touching ways.  I love most of all that at the end of the day, this book is not about Ella getting her prince, it is about her learning that even if she can't always choose her actions, she ALWAYS has the power to decide who she will be and finding the strength to take her life and her agency from outside forces to think for herself.

Cautions

Ella is mistreated in a way consistant with the fairy tale.  I find nothing wrong with it, but I may only be reading with my first perspective.