The Fairy's Mistake (The Princess Tales #1)

Levine's talent for hilarious subversion of fairy tale motifs, used to great effect in Ella Enchanted, her Newbery Honor-winning debut, is honed to perfection in this pair of stories, which kicks off the Princess Tales series. In The Fairy's Mistake, Levine revisits the Brothers Grimm's "Toads and Diamonds": fairy Ethelinda rewards kind Rosella, punishes her evil twin sister, Myrtle, and thinks the job is done, only to find out her spells have backfired. In The Princess Test, Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea" gets turned on its head: Lorelei, a blacksmith's daughter, proves that royal lineage is no guarantee of character. Levine once again creates heroines who defy fairy-tale stereotypes. For example, Rosella agrees to marry greedy Prince Harold because "she thought it might be pleasanter to be a princess than to be the widow Pickering's daughter and Myrtle's sister." Similarly, Lorelei, prevented from doing any work since birth because of her extreme sensitivity, is neither spoiled nor selfish. She is, however, prone to accidents and na vet . It is these unorthodox qualities that will endear Rosella and Lorelei to readers. In fact, Levine gently pokes fun at all of her characters' shortcomings (Ethelinda's ineptitude, King Humphrey's obsessive use of synonyms) and upsets the usual balance of good and evil. Elegant design and Elliott's framed, black-and-white drawings create a timeless effect that plays off nicely against Levine's updated plot twists. This is grand entertainment, likely to appeal to anyone who appreciates deadpan delivery, reluctant royalty and a touch of romance. Ages 7-10. (Apr.)

Gr 3-6-Two novellas that are grounded in well-known tales and set in the magical kingdom of Biddle. The Fairy's Mistake is a play on "Toads and Diamonds," a story from Perrault about gifts given by a witch to two sisters, one kind and the other unkind. The Princess Test is based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Illustrated with full-page pen-and-ink drawings, both retellings are delightfully lighthearted, with little doubt that good will ultimately triumph over evil. There is a rich use of language and spirited characters, especially the females. Although "The Princess Tales" lack the complexity of plot and fantastical invention found in Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997), they make a nice addition to the genre of novels based on and yet departing from traditional tales. Although their short length and sly humor would make the books appeal to reluctant readers, the difficult font makes it hard to recommend them to that audience.-Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 1999 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"This hand-sized volume features delicate black-and-white line drawings that are very much in keeping with the tone of many fairy tales, but those familiar with Levine's" Ella Enchanted" will wisely expect, and be gratified by, the sly and unexpected foolery of this story and its companion, " The Princess Test." In" The Fairy's Mistake, " Ethelinda is horrified to discover that her fairy blessing on the kind Rosella, that jewels fall from her mouth when she speaks, is being exploited by her greedy new husband, Prince Harold. Her curse on Rosella's sister, Myrtle, who drops slimy and creepy things from her mouth when she speaks, is also going awry; Myrtle uses this to get whatever she wants from people." The Princess Test" takes on Lorelei's ability to feel a pea under 20 mattresses: this young thing is a great trial to her family as she is allergic to, or injures herself with, almost every household item she touches. Genuinely delightful and funny, both tales are set in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the Kingdom of Biddle, a place readers will want to visit again."—" Kirkus Reviews""The author of Ella Enchanted revisits similar territory in these first two installments of "The Princess Tales" series. Extended spoofs of the Grimms' ""Toads and Diamonds"" and Andersen's ""The Princess and the Pea, "" the stories feature characters with names such as Humphrey, Sam, Leonard, and Ethelinda. The action and dialogue, likewise, are down-to-earth and dryly humorous. In the first tale, a fairy rewards and punishes two sisters' respective kindness and greed, but both plans backfire wildly: Rosella ends up unhappily engaged to a prince who only has eyes for the jewels that spill fromher mouth, while people give Myrtle whatever her heart desires, so long as she keeps her mouth shut and her insects and reptiles to herself. All eventually works out, but the jokes wear thin by the end. The humor is more varied and original in the second story, in which a prince falls for a blacksmith's kind daughter but despairs of her ever passing his parents' "princess tests." He doesn't know it, but the girl's a shoo-in; Lorelei has the fragile constitution of a princess, and with her polite fastidiousness and excessive sensitivity toward food, clothing, and surroundings she easily crushes the competition-seventy-nine real princesses. Static and unnecessary illustrations accompany the stories, which are printed in an ornate, difficult-to-read typeface. Nowhere near as enchanting as Ella, but fans of funny fairy tales will have some laughs." — "Horn Book"