| Booktalk
#1
Hellooooooooo! My name
is Lucinda and I am the most beautiful, most gracious, most generous fairy
godmother in all the realm. There has never been a fairy godmother
my equal. It is my great pleasure to bestow wonderful gifts upon
the very special creatures in my world at the occasion of their birth,
or wedding, or any other event I deem noteworthy. Ooooooo!
It is such a wonderful job I have!
However, there are some who
seem displeased with my generosity. One creature in particular comes
to mind, a young human child, the daughter of a noble woman. The
young one's name is Ella. I still remembr the day I came to Ella's
christening. She was a beautiful baby, but she would not stop crying.
There seemed to be nothing her mother or nanny could do. Now, I know
that Ella's nanny is one of us, but she did not seem to intervene.
I realized then what my gift would be to make this child the perfect creature.
I granted her the gift of obedience. The next time her mother asked
her sweetly to stop crying, she did. Whenever anyone asks her to
do anything, she does. She should be the ideal child, but somehow
she is not pleased. As a matter of fact, that interfering nanny of
hers had the nerve to tell me I had done something less than perfect!
Well, I was not about to listen to them, so I was off to another quarter
of the land. It has been many a year since I have seen Ella.
She must be a teen child by this tme. But enough of that. I
know that I could never make a mistake. I am the perfect fairy godmother.
Can you imagine what it would
be like to be Ella? Everything anyone told you to do, you would have
to do. You could not resist. Even if they told you to stand
on your head!
If you're interested in the
days of knights and princes, orgres and pixies, and quests to find misguided
fairy godmothers, you will love ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Levine. (New
Hampshire Great Stone Face Committee)
Booktalk
#2
Every child longs for the day
when he or she will be out from under the thumb of their meddling parents.
When they will be free to do what they want instead of what they are told.
For Ella, this is even more important. You see, Ella is under a spell that
requires her to do everything people tell her to do. It seems like a fairy
gave her a blessing at birth that back fired. The fairy blessed her with
obedience. That blessing has turned into a nightmare. She battles ogres
and wicked step sisters along the way. This is a delightful version of
the Cinderella story with plenty of laughs and unexpected turns along the
way.
Booktalk #3
An obedient child is looked upon with favor. An obedient child is
a blessing. But is obedience truly a blessing? What if obedience
to others rules your life? What if you are compelled to obey, no
matter what the consequences might be, to yourself or to those you love?
That is the situation for Ella of Frell. During her first hour of
life, she cried so inconsolably that the fairy Lucinda, bestowed the gift
of obedience upon her and told her to stop crying. Infant Ella stopped.
As she grew, she would always have to obey any order given her. When told
to drink her medicine or go to bed, she would immediately do as exactly
as she was told. Harmless enough. But if she is told to hand
over all of her money or to cut off her own head, she must also do that,
too. Even her fairy godmother can offer no escape. Interference
in a spell is “big” magic and big magic always has consequences that are
better avoided. What can poor Ella do? Must she always be a
slave to those who would take advantage of her “gift?” Can she find
a way to escape her fate? A happy ending seems in doubt, but somehow courage
and love may find a way.
You’ll be enchanted with Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine! (Alice
P. Brice. abrice@axcess.net, graduate
student in Library and Information Science, University of SC) |
