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The Princess Tales #1-6
The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales
Ever since Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine introduced the magical village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the faraway Kingdom of Biddle, young readers have been laughing their way through her hilarious retellings of famous and not-so-famous fairy tales. Now, for the first time, the six beloved Princess Tales are together in one magnificent The high jinks begin in The Fairy's Mistake , which pokes fun at a meddlesome fairy whose plans for good go terribly awry. In The Princess Test , the author spoofs the notion that a pea can prove a person's pedigree. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep features a genius of a princess, a hundred years of snooze, two princes, and a flock of balding sheep! Cinderella is a boy in Cinderellis and the Glass Hill , and the glass slipper is a glass hill. In For Biddle's Sake , Parsley tries to forget her beloved prince and get used to life as a Biddlebum Toad. The road to happily-ever-after isn't easy when a baker's son and a princess fall in love in The Fairy's Return . Elements of the classics are woven into these not-so-typical retellings of "Toads and Diamonds," "The Princess and the Pea," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Princess on the Glass Hill," "Puddocky," and "The Golden Goose." The fresh and funny twists on favorite fairy tales will win the hearts and capture the imaginations of young readers everywhere.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2002
82 people are currently reading
2332 people want to read
About the author
Gail Carson Levine
65 books9,663 followersJust letting you all know: I'm only going to review books I love. There's enough negative criticism without me piling on. A book is too hard to write.
Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a 1790 farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.
Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and began writing seriously in 1987. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a 1790 farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
August 8, 2021
Clever and funny!
4.25 stars
4.25 stars
March 5, 2025
**A Short Story Collection**
I love Gail Carson Levine and these stories did not disappoint. A funny twist on well-known fairy tales.
I love Gail Carson Levine and these stories did not disappoint. A funny twist on well-known fairy tales.
January 5, 2019
I love all these short story retellings of fairy tales! They are so hilarious and clever!
Read
April 28, 2025Cute fave from childhood. Too many 14 year old marriages tho
November 15, 2012
Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com
Gail Carson Levine is well-known for taking familiar fairy tales and weaving them with her own magic. THE FAIRY'S REUTRN AND OTHER PRINCESS TALES is no exception. In this collection of the six popular Princess Tales, Levine has rewritten six familiar (and some not-so-familiar) stories until they are virtually unrecognizable.
In THE FAIRY'S MISTAKE, which is based on the fairy tale "Toads and Diamonds," two very different sisters are each granted a gift by the fairy Ethelinda. Ethelinda feels that her gifts are both well-deserved, so it comes as a great surprise when she discovers that neither gift brought the results she had planned.
THE PRINCESS TEST, which is based on "The Princess and the Pea," tells the story of Lorelei, a blacksmith's daughter, and the prince who falls in love with her. However, the prince's father is determined that his son should marry a princess, so he designs a series of tests to ensure the bride's pedigree. Nicholas still wants to marry Lorelei, but how can she ever pass the tests if she's not a real princess?
PRINCESS SONORA AND THE LONG SLEEP is based on "Sleeping Beauty." As a baby, Princess Sonora is granted many gifts, each fairy trying to outdo the others and bestow the best gift. As a result, Sonora is a beautiful, precocious young child, and she decides to wait until the opportune moment to prick her finger, which will put the castle to sleep for one-hundred years, as promised by the fairy Belladonna. Her plan, however, doesn't exactly go as planned.
In CINDERELLIS AND THE GLASS HILL, which is based on "The Princess on the Glass Hill," Cinderellis is a lonely boy inventor who is ignored and made fun of by his brothers. Princess Marigold is equally lonely, and wishes she had someone to talk to other than her cat. When Marigold's father decides that it's time for her to marry, he puts her on a glass hill that suitors will have to climb, and it will take Cinderellis' best invention yet to win her hand.
FOR BIDDLE'S SAKE is based on "Puddocky," and tells the story of Parsley, a young girl who loves eating parsley. Unfortunately, the only place that parsley grows is in the garden of the fairy Bombina, who is in jail for turning too many people into toads. When Bombina is released and Parsley is accidentally turned into a toad, she must find a way to make the most of the situation, and maybe even help someone else along the way.
In THE FAIRY'S RETURN, which is based on "The Golden Goose," the fairy Ethelinda is back, and she's nervous about giving any more gifts. But when a baker's son and a princess fall in love and the king forbids their marriage, she just has to do something! So she hopes that everything goes well and gives the baker's son a golden goose.
All six of these stories were absolutely wonderful, full of humor, magic, and love. If you're a fan of ELLA ENCHANTED or THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE, you definitely shouldn't miss this book!
Gail Carson Levine is well-known for taking familiar fairy tales and weaving them with her own magic. THE FAIRY'S REUTRN AND OTHER PRINCESS TALES is no exception. In this collection of the six popular Princess Tales, Levine has rewritten six familiar (and some not-so-familiar) stories until they are virtually unrecognizable.
In THE FAIRY'S MISTAKE, which is based on the fairy tale "Toads and Diamonds," two very different sisters are each granted a gift by the fairy Ethelinda. Ethelinda feels that her gifts are both well-deserved, so it comes as a great surprise when she discovers that neither gift brought the results she had planned.
THE PRINCESS TEST, which is based on "The Princess and the Pea," tells the story of Lorelei, a blacksmith's daughter, and the prince who falls in love with her. However, the prince's father is determined that his son should marry a princess, so he designs a series of tests to ensure the bride's pedigree. Nicholas still wants to marry Lorelei, but how can she ever pass the tests if she's not a real princess?
PRINCESS SONORA AND THE LONG SLEEP is based on "Sleeping Beauty." As a baby, Princess Sonora is granted many gifts, each fairy trying to outdo the others and bestow the best gift. As a result, Sonora is a beautiful, precocious young child, and she decides to wait until the opportune moment to prick her finger, which will put the castle to sleep for one-hundred years, as promised by the fairy Belladonna. Her plan, however, doesn't exactly go as planned.
In CINDERELLIS AND THE GLASS HILL, which is based on "The Princess on the Glass Hill," Cinderellis is a lonely boy inventor who is ignored and made fun of by his brothers. Princess Marigold is equally lonely, and wishes she had someone to talk to other than her cat. When Marigold's father decides that it's time for her to marry, he puts her on a glass hill that suitors will have to climb, and it will take Cinderellis' best invention yet to win her hand.
FOR BIDDLE'S SAKE is based on "Puddocky," and tells the story of Parsley, a young girl who loves eating parsley. Unfortunately, the only place that parsley grows is in the garden of the fairy Bombina, who is in jail for turning too many people into toads. When Bombina is released and Parsley is accidentally turned into a toad, she must find a way to make the most of the situation, and maybe even help someone else along the way.
In THE FAIRY'S RETURN, which is based on "The Golden Goose," the fairy Ethelinda is back, and she's nervous about giving any more gifts. But when a baker's son and a princess fall in love and the king forbids their marriage, she just has to do something! So she hopes that everything goes well and gives the baker's son a golden goose.
All six of these stories were absolutely wonderful, full of humor, magic, and love. If you're a fan of ELLA ENCHANTED or THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE, you definitely shouldn't miss this book!
August 17, 2025
4.5/5
i reread this today. I know it;s for younger kids... BUT THE NOSTALGIA IS REAL
and yesterday was a rough day and gail carson levine is a comfort author. THESE ARE COMFORT CHARACTERS MKAY?
DONT JUDGE
thank you for listening to my rant
i reread this today. I know it;s for younger kids... BUT THE NOSTALGIA IS REAL
and yesterday was a rough day and gail carson levine is a comfort author. THESE ARE COMFORT CHARACTERS MKAY?
DONT JUDGE
thank you for listening to my rant
March 20, 2021
3.5 stars
This is a fun and silly collection, definitely aimed at a younger audience. Despite the silliness and the fact that the adults in this are ridiculous, I had a lot of fun with it! It's a quick read and I loved the fairy tale aspects (especially the Rapunzel/Frog Prince mash up).
This is a fun and silly collection, definitely aimed at a younger audience. Despite the silliness and the fact that the adults in this are ridiculous, I had a lot of fun with it! It's a quick read and I loved the fairy tale aspects (especially the Rapunzel/Frog Prince mash up).
June 15, 2024
Reread on June 15, 2024: Loved revisiting this collection. I think I must've read it a hundred times in elementary school! Totally worth the impulse buy in the Audible sale. Read via audio (narrated by Jorjeana Marie).
June 2, 2017
You know that author that you couldn't help but love because you've been loving their books since you were an itty-bitty baby?
Gail Carson Levine is that author for me.
I couldn't help it, my very first two favorite books is written by her. So, although none of her later books made it to my favorite list, I still hold them close to my heart!
In this collection of fairy tales retelling, GCL tells stories of misshapen that happened around six (supposedly) familiar fairy tales. I've recognized some, but I definitely have no clue about some other.
The stories are:
- The Fairy's Mistake (very familiar but I don't remember what is it)
- The Princess Test (The True Princess or The Princess and The Pea)
- Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep (Sleeping Beauty)
- Cinderellis and The Glass Hill (Cinderella mixed with The Princess on the Glass Hill. Maybe lol)
- For Biddle's Sake (no idea T_T)
- The Fairy's Return (The Golden Goose)
Out of the six, I definitely LOVE Princess Sonora and For Biddle's Sake the most. I hate the concept of helpless damsel Sleeping Beauty and Princess Sonora is definitely one of the most creative Sleeping Beauty retelling I've ever read.
I love the other stories as well, of course. Well, let's just say I just love anything written by GCL ^^
Would I recommend this for younger children? Definitely! The narrative is really flowing and the plot is really interesting without being too difficult to enjoy. My cousins loved this 😆
Gail Carson Levine is that author for me.
I couldn't help it, my very first two favorite books is written by her. So, although none of her later books made it to my favorite list, I still hold them close to my heart!
In this collection of fairy tales retelling, GCL tells stories of misshapen that happened around six (supposedly) familiar fairy tales. I've recognized some, but I definitely have no clue about some other.
The stories are:
- The Fairy's Mistake (very familiar but I don't remember what is it)
- The Princess Test (The True Princess or The Princess and The Pea)
- Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep (Sleeping Beauty)
- Cinderellis and The Glass Hill (Cinderella mixed with The Princess on the Glass Hill. Maybe lol)
- For Biddle's Sake (no idea T_T)
- The Fairy's Return (The Golden Goose)
Out of the six, I definitely LOVE Princess Sonora and For Biddle's Sake the most. I hate the concept of helpless damsel Sleeping Beauty and Princess Sonora is definitely one of the most creative Sleeping Beauty retelling I've ever read.
I love the other stories as well, of course. Well, let's just say I just love anything written by GCL ^^
Would I recommend this for younger children? Definitely! The narrative is really flowing and the plot is really interesting without being too difficult to enjoy. My cousins loved this 😆
March 26, 2010
Gail Carson Levine is in the same vein of writing as Robin McKinley. She does takes on fairy tales. This book is a collection of short stories based on fairy tales or folk tales. These stories take place in the land of Biddle and you will find it amusing that the kings and queens generally have the same name...with corresponding roman numerals at the end.
"The Fairy's Mistake": One girl is rewarded for doing good, the other punished by a fairy but the reward seems to be a punishment and the punishment seems to be a reward.
"The Princess Test": A take on The Princess and the Pea
"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep": A take on Sleeping Beauty
"Cinderellis and the Glass Hill": Cinderellis is a boy who invents powder for different things which is useful when the princess can only be married by climbing an extremely slippery glass hill.
"For Biddle's Sake": Parsley is accidentally turned into a toad which comes in handy when the prince shows up trying to find ways to finish his quest to become heir to the throne ahead of his two lying, fighting, twin brothers.
"The Fairy's Return": The princess has fallen in love with the baker's son. The king does not like this and orders that the first person to make her laugh will become her husband. A take on the golden goose.
"The Fairy's Mistake": One girl is rewarded for doing good, the other punished by a fairy but the reward seems to be a punishment and the punishment seems to be a reward.
"The Princess Test": A take on The Princess and the Pea
"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep": A take on Sleeping Beauty
"Cinderellis and the Glass Hill": Cinderellis is a boy who invents powder for different things which is useful when the princess can only be married by climbing an extremely slippery glass hill.
"For Biddle's Sake": Parsley is accidentally turned into a toad which comes in handy when the prince shows up trying to find ways to finish his quest to become heir to the throne ahead of his two lying, fighting, twin brothers.
"The Fairy's Return": The princess has fallen in love with the baker's son. The king does not like this and orders that the first person to make her laugh will become her husband. A take on the golden goose.
May 18, 2009
Alright I really liked this book in all it's silliness. I didn't like the Princess Test when I first read it, I was put off by it's shortness and silliness, but I have come to appreciate it. In a world of self-absorbed, self-important young adult literature, this is just fantastic. I especially like the first story with the girl who speaks with bugs and lizards-great. One caveat is that I got a little tired of the three stories about youngest sons where the oldest two sons were only friends with each other. One of the stories made the brothers seem a little gay with their special looks and smiles for each other. Fine, I guess, but brothers? Anyway, read it, six little stories that are just fantastic.
January 2, 2015
3.5 stars
This was really cute. I had read the first three stories before in another volume, but the last three were new to me. Some of them were better than others: my favorites were "The Princess Test" and "For Biddle's Sake" (a Rapunzel and Frog Prince mash-up! So good). Others seemed a bit hasty with the conclusions. They were all light and fun. I loved how she connected all of them by having them set in the same places and having some characters (or their descendants) interwoven.
This was really cute. I had read the first three stories before in another volume, but the last three were new to me. Some of them were better than others: my favorites were "The Princess Test" and "For Biddle's Sake" (a Rapunzel and Frog Prince mash-up! So good). Others seemed a bit hasty with the conclusions. They were all light and fun. I loved how she connected all of them by having them set in the same places and having some characters (or their descendants) interwoven.
January 10, 2025
85%
6 classic fairytale retellings. I remember reading this in grade school, and I'm fairly certain this is the book that sparked my fondness of anthologies and solidified my love for fairytales, particularly of their retellings.
I really enjoyed that all of these 6 stories were set in the same world - albeit in different eras - and that previous stories were occasionally referenced in passing; it really brought the whole vibe together. Also appreciated the map, though I wish it was blown up a little larger, as it was quite tiny
In order of enjoyment:
2.) "The Princess Test": Peasant girly is allergic to everything and has to be catered to hand and foot, but she remains kind and humble. Luckily, her allergy to life also makes her quite adept at treating various aches and illnesses, and also happens to give her the qualities she needs to make the perfect princess. The original of this story always bugged me, because it was just about a picky brat, but in this version all her pickiness makes sense and I actually sympathize with her.
3.) "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep": Baby princess is blessed by a bunch of fairies, cursed to death by one, and then slightly uncursed by another into sleep. Her blessings kind of sucked, too, though, because she was made the smartest person alive, which meant she was kind of a freak baby and also a know-it-all (to be fair, she did actually know it all), and no one wanted to be around her all that much. She, along with the whole castle, falls asleep for like a century, which is perfect because a very, very, very curious boy is born, and no one wants to be around him because he's always asking questions. This story answers the question, "why would someone kiss a sleeping, dusty princess?" - because you have questions that need answering!
4.) "Cinderellis and the Glass Hill": Super inventive and joke-riddled guy is never good enough for his older brothers or father, so to get their attention (read: love) he does a lot of impossible tasks, and in the process meets a girl who thinks he's funny and clever, and also happens to be the princess. I particularly enjoyed the inventiveness of this one.
5.) "For Biddle's Sake": Regular human girl Parsley loves parsley and lives with a witch who loves Parsley and turning people into toads. A mishap leads to Parsley's transformation into a magical toad, and she uses that magic to help out her crush, the Prince. I wish Parsley's toad experiences affected her human behavior at the end (i.e. expanding from her exclusively parsley diet to include bugs, which she enjoyed in toad form), but it was cute nonetheless.
6.) "The Fairy's Return": A commoner falls for a princess, and due to his kindness to a fairy, she pulls out all the stops to get them together. The fairies in this world are shockingly powerful, and it did leave me wondering why they bothered interacting with humans at all.
1.) "The Fairy's Mistake": A girl is nice to a fairy, so she's blessed. Her sister is mean to the fairy, so she's cursed. Except the actual results of these curses and blessings seem to be getting reverse reactions, so now the blessed girl is miserable and the cursed girl is stoked. Fairy tries to solve the problem. I don't think either of the girls got the ending they deserved, and it was a weak end.
6 classic fairytale retellings. I remember reading this in grade school, and I'm fairly certain this is the book that sparked my fondness of anthologies and solidified my love for fairytales, particularly of their retellings.
I really enjoyed that all of these 6 stories were set in the same world - albeit in different eras - and that previous stories were occasionally referenced in passing; it really brought the whole vibe together. Also appreciated the map, though I wish it was blown up a little larger, as it was quite tiny
In order of enjoyment:
2.) "The Princess Test": Peasant girly is allergic to everything and has to be catered to hand and foot, but she remains kind and humble. Luckily, her allergy to life also makes her quite adept at treating various aches and illnesses, and also happens to give her the qualities she needs to make the perfect princess. The original of this story always bugged me, because it was just about a picky brat, but in this version all her pickiness makes sense and I actually sympathize with her.
3.) "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep": Baby princess is blessed by a bunch of fairies, cursed to death by one, and then slightly uncursed by another into sleep. Her blessings kind of sucked, too, though, because she was made the smartest person alive, which meant she was kind of a freak baby and also a know-it-all (to be fair, she did actually know it all), and no one wanted to be around her all that much. She, along with the whole castle, falls asleep for like a century, which is perfect because a very, very, very curious boy is born, and no one wants to be around him because he's always asking questions. This story answers the question, "why would someone kiss a sleeping, dusty princess?" - because you have questions that need answering!
4.) "Cinderellis and the Glass Hill": Super inventive and joke-riddled guy is never good enough for his older brothers or father, so to get their attention (read: love) he does a lot of impossible tasks, and in the process meets a girl who thinks he's funny and clever, and also happens to be the princess. I particularly enjoyed the inventiveness of this one.
5.) "For Biddle's Sake": Regular human girl Parsley loves parsley and lives with a witch who loves Parsley and turning people into toads. A mishap leads to Parsley's transformation into a magical toad, and she uses that magic to help out her crush, the Prince. I wish Parsley's toad experiences affected her human behavior at the end (i.e. expanding from her exclusively parsley diet to include bugs, which she enjoyed in toad form), but it was cute nonetheless.
6.) "The Fairy's Return": A commoner falls for a princess, and due to his kindness to a fairy, she pulls out all the stops to get them together. The fairies in this world are shockingly powerful, and it did leave me wondering why they bothered interacting with humans at all.
1.) "The Fairy's Mistake": A girl is nice to a fairy, so she's blessed. Her sister is mean to the fairy, so she's cursed. Except the actual results of these curses and blessings seem to be getting reverse reactions, so now the blessed girl is miserable and the cursed girl is stoked. Fairy tries to solve the problem. I don't think either of the girls got the ending they deserved, and it was a weak end.
August 28, 2011
Warning: This review may contain spoilers.
After reading a few fairy tale re-tellings of other authors, I can't help but go back and compare them to Gail Carson Levine. No matter what anyone says, Levine is incomparable. She is really great (the best, maybe?) when it comes to weaving quick, fun and enjoyable fantasy stories.
This book contains 6 short stories by Levine: "The Fairy's Mistake", "The Princess Test", "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep", "Cinderellis and the Glass Hill", "For Biddle's Sake" and "The Fairy's Return".
I do have Levine's " The Princess Tales, Volume I ", which contains the first three short stories that are in this book. Just yesterday when I went to the book store, I stumbled upon " The Princess Tales, Volume II ", which contains the last three short stories in this book. Aside from that, I had also found this book.
I was torn between buying "The Princess Tales, Volume II" or this one. In the end, I chose to buy this one since it was cheaper and it WAS the complete collection of Levine's Princess Tales.
Now, moving on to each individual story!
"The Fairy's Mistake" is based on "Toads and Princesses". There are two identical twin sisters who have very different personalities. One is sweet and kind, while the other is rude and mean. A fairy rewards the first sister and punishes the other. However, the fairy's initial plan backfires when she finds out that neither gift brought the results that she had wanted.
I do like this story. It has its hilarious moments and it was very enjoyable. It was my favorite story in "The Princess Tales, Volume I". It's funny though, because prior to now, I had never heard of "Toads and Princesses".
"The Princess Test" is based on "The Princess and the Pea". Lorelei is a sweet, but absurdly picky girl. However, despite her faults, Prince Nicholas does want her to become his bride. But Nicholas' parents insist on him marrying a real princess and devise various tests to assess a princesses' legitimacy. Will Lorelei, a mere commoner, be able to pass the princess test?
I'm really impressed by how Levine managed to add a great background to this popular fairy tale. I was really fascinated with the different tests that each princess had to take. I wish there were more tests!
"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" is based on "Sleeping Beauty". When Princess Sonora was a baby, she was granted with many gifts. The most evident one- intelligence. But she was also given a curse- when the time comes, she will be pricked by a spindle and will have to fall asleep for 100 years until a prince comes to wake her up with a kiss.
From the first 3 stories, this one was the one that impressed me the least. I did like the first half of the story- where Princess Sonora was still a kid, going on with life in her little eccentric ways. But when the real plot starting taking place, my interest dwindled. There were too many names which made the story confusing.
"Cinderellis and the Glass Hill" is based on "The Princess on the Glass Hill". Cinderellis and Princess Marigold are two lonely children. Cinderellis, a young inventor, yearns to be accepted by his brothers. Marigold just wishes that her father would stop going on quests and stay home with her. When a contest to win Princess Marigold's hand in marriage is announced, many men come in order to try their luck in climbing up a slippery glass hill with their horse. Cinderellis joins in the hullabaloo too, using his best inventions.
It was hard thinking of a summary for this one. I didn't like this story. What a disappointment. It was the first new Levine fairy tale that I've read today. And it really did not appeal to me. Maybe it's because I've never heard of the original fairy tale before. Or maybe I'm just privy to horses. I don't know. I just hope the last two stories are better than this one.
"For Biddle's Sake" is based on "Puddocky". Parsley loves eating parsley. Her love for the food has caused her teeth to turn parsley green. But that doesn't stop her from charming anyone with her dazzling smile. Through an incident, she is turned into a frog and must find a way to break the spell.
I don't remember liking anything in particular except for the prince. He was certainly different from all the other men in the other five stories. It was a nice and welcome change.
"The Fairy's Return" is based on "The Golden Goose". Robin loves making people laugh and Princess Lark loves to laugh. Together, they'd make a perfect pair. The only problem is that Princess Lark's father is dead set against his daughter marrying a commoner and makes up difficult challenges in order to throw Robin off.
This was a simple short story. It didn't have confusing details, and it felt quite short. The jokes were also a nice addition. I did find myself being amused by one of the jokes. I thought that the ending of this short story wrapped up this whole book quite well.
And that's that!
I finished this book in one day. This counts as one day, seeing as it is just midnight. After reading this, I can still say that I stand firm on my belief that Levine makes great fantasy stories. I loved " The Two Princesses of Bamarre " and " Ella Enchanted ". The only thing that I haven't read is Levine's " Fairest ". I will remedy that, though.
Although these stories were short, they were all certainly very sweet in their own way. I liked how all six of the short stories were subtly interconnected with one another. That makes me feel better about buying this book (which has all six of the stories), rather than me buying "The Princess Tales, Volume II".
Overall, this was a great book. All of Levine's works have a sort of magic. I think this book deserves 5 stars, although one of the stories did disappoint me. I suggest reading these stories slowly. You can't rush magic.
After reading a few fairy tale re-tellings of other authors, I can't help but go back and compare them to Gail Carson Levine. No matter what anyone says, Levine is incomparable. She is really great (the best, maybe?) when it comes to weaving quick, fun and enjoyable fantasy stories.
This book contains 6 short stories by Levine: "The Fairy's Mistake", "The Princess Test", "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep", "Cinderellis and the Glass Hill", "For Biddle's Sake" and "The Fairy's Return".
I do have Levine's " The Princess Tales, Volume I ", which contains the first three short stories that are in this book. Just yesterday when I went to the book store, I stumbled upon " The Princess Tales, Volume II ", which contains the last three short stories in this book. Aside from that, I had also found this book.
I was torn between buying "The Princess Tales, Volume II" or this one. In the end, I chose to buy this one since it was cheaper and it WAS the complete collection of Levine's Princess Tales.
Now, moving on to each individual story!
"The Fairy's Mistake" is based on "Toads and Princesses". There are two identical twin sisters who have very different personalities. One is sweet and kind, while the other is rude and mean. A fairy rewards the first sister and punishes the other. However, the fairy's initial plan backfires when she finds out that neither gift brought the results that she had wanted.
I do like this story. It has its hilarious moments and it was very enjoyable. It was my favorite story in "The Princess Tales, Volume I". It's funny though, because prior to now, I had never heard of "Toads and Princesses".
"The Princess Test" is based on "The Princess and the Pea". Lorelei is a sweet, but absurdly picky girl. However, despite her faults, Prince Nicholas does want her to become his bride. But Nicholas' parents insist on him marrying a real princess and devise various tests to assess a princesses' legitimacy. Will Lorelei, a mere commoner, be able to pass the princess test?
I'm really impressed by how Levine managed to add a great background to this popular fairy tale. I was really fascinated with the different tests that each princess had to take. I wish there were more tests!
"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" is based on "Sleeping Beauty". When Princess Sonora was a baby, she was granted with many gifts. The most evident one- intelligence. But she was also given a curse- when the time comes, she will be pricked by a spindle and will have to fall asleep for 100 years until a prince comes to wake her up with a kiss.
From the first 3 stories, this one was the one that impressed me the least. I did like the first half of the story- where Princess Sonora was still a kid, going on with life in her little eccentric ways. But when the real plot starting taking place, my interest dwindled. There were too many names which made the story confusing.
"Cinderellis and the Glass Hill" is based on "The Princess on the Glass Hill". Cinderellis and Princess Marigold are two lonely children. Cinderellis, a young inventor, yearns to be accepted by his brothers. Marigold just wishes that her father would stop going on quests and stay home with her. When a contest to win Princess Marigold's hand in marriage is announced, many men come in order to try their luck in climbing up a slippery glass hill with their horse. Cinderellis joins in the hullabaloo too, using his best inventions.
It was hard thinking of a summary for this one. I didn't like this story. What a disappointment. It was the first new Levine fairy tale that I've read today. And it really did not appeal to me. Maybe it's because I've never heard of the original fairy tale before. Or maybe I'm just privy to horses. I don't know. I just hope the last two stories are better than this one.
"For Biddle's Sake" is based on "Puddocky". Parsley loves eating parsley. Her love for the food has caused her teeth to turn parsley green. But that doesn't stop her from charming anyone with her dazzling smile. Through an incident, she is turned into a frog and must find a way to break the spell.
I don't remember liking anything in particular except for the prince. He was certainly different from all the other men in the other five stories. It was a nice and welcome change.
"The Fairy's Return" is based on "The Golden Goose". Robin loves making people laugh and Princess Lark loves to laugh. Together, they'd make a perfect pair. The only problem is that Princess Lark's father is dead set against his daughter marrying a commoner and makes up difficult challenges in order to throw Robin off.
This was a simple short story. It didn't have confusing details, and it felt quite short. The jokes were also a nice addition. I did find myself being amused by one of the jokes. I thought that the ending of this short story wrapped up this whole book quite well.
And that's that!
I finished this book in one day. This counts as one day, seeing as it is just midnight. After reading this, I can still say that I stand firm on my belief that Levine makes great fantasy stories. I loved " The Two Princesses of Bamarre " and " Ella Enchanted ". The only thing that I haven't read is Levine's " Fairest ". I will remedy that, though.
Although these stories were short, they were all certainly very sweet in their own way. I liked how all six of the short stories were subtly interconnected with one another. That makes me feel better about buying this book (which has all six of the stories), rather than me buying "The Princess Tales, Volume II".
Overall, this was a great book. All of Levine's works have a sort of magic. I think this book deserves 5 stars, although one of the stories did disappoint me. I suggest reading these stories slowly. You can't rush magic.
August 20, 2019
I highly recommend this book for people to read, especially those who love fairytales. Gail Levine made an excellent and creative way of putting six tales together with her created kingdoms of Biddle and Kulornia. Levine uses many tales we know today such as, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. She adds a sense of humor, fairytale fascinations, and some original fairytales. Weaving them together which is a perfect combination.
My favorite tale of the six is Cinderellis, based on the original story Cinderella. However, Cinderellis is a boy and the glass slipper is a glass pyramid. The princess, Marigold is findng a prince for a husband so she sits atop a smooth glass pyramid and the prince has to climb to the top on a horse with armor to get three golden apples. Cinderellis uses a sticking powder he invented to climb up the side of the pyramid. He succeeds in getting all three golden apples. In this story the author includes many funny and interesting points, to describe how fast the golden mare (Ghasm) Cinderellis owns, Levine wrote, “Ghasm was better than her sisters at catching treats. And she was faster too. Once, when Cinderellis jumped on her back he started to sneeze. ‘A-‘ he said. She took off. He finished the sneeze. ‘Choo!’ They had gone two miles.”
I also enjoy the story, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep. It also has some sense of humor in it because once Prince Christopher learned that Princess Sonora is alive he was really excited. Gail Levine wrote, “ ‘Sonora lives!’ Christopher yelled. ‘She sleeps! She lives! She can tell us about the sheep that are going bald! She can answer all my questions!’ He shouted to the squire, ‘Saddle my horse!’ But Christopher was too excited to wait. He ran after the squire and saddled his own horse. Then he rode to his father. ‘Sire!’ I’m off to old Biddle Castle.’ He galloped away, calling behind him, ‘To wake the sleeping princess!’”But I mainly liked this story because of how the character is described. I like how Levine made Sonora ten times smarter than everyone else and how she hid the spindle in her closet waiting for the right time to prick herself.
I recommend this book for readers who like fantasy, and humor.
My favorite tale of the six is Cinderellis, based on the original story Cinderella. However, Cinderellis is a boy and the glass slipper is a glass pyramid. The princess, Marigold is findng a prince for a husband so she sits atop a smooth glass pyramid and the prince has to climb to the top on a horse with armor to get three golden apples. Cinderellis uses a sticking powder he invented to climb up the side of the pyramid. He succeeds in getting all three golden apples. In this story the author includes many funny and interesting points, to describe how fast the golden mare (Ghasm) Cinderellis owns, Levine wrote, “Ghasm was better than her sisters at catching treats. And she was faster too. Once, when Cinderellis jumped on her back he started to sneeze. ‘A-‘ he said. She took off. He finished the sneeze. ‘Choo!’ They had gone two miles.”
I also enjoy the story, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep. It also has some sense of humor in it because once Prince Christopher learned that Princess Sonora is alive he was really excited. Gail Levine wrote, “ ‘Sonora lives!’ Christopher yelled. ‘She sleeps! She lives! She can tell us about the sheep that are going bald! She can answer all my questions!’ He shouted to the squire, ‘Saddle my horse!’ But Christopher was too excited to wait. He ran after the squire and saddled his own horse. Then he rode to his father. ‘Sire!’ I’m off to old Biddle Castle.’ He galloped away, calling behind him, ‘To wake the sleeping princess!’”But I mainly liked this story because of how the character is described. I like how Levine made Sonora ten times smarter than everyone else and how she hid the spindle in her closet waiting for the right time to prick herself.
I recommend this book for readers who like fantasy, and humor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2019
2.5? 3? Who can know.
February 22, 2020
Cute, fun fairy tales I enjoyed revisiting. I love how many of them are fairy tales not often retold! I think I read all of them back in elementary/middle school, except for the final story, as it didn't seem as familiar to me.
August 31, 2021
Fun fairy tales, not much else to say. Some pretty problematic relationships (and the average age to get married was like 14 years old) but the stories were fun.
January 22, 2024
Pleasant read reinterpreting fairy tales
August 19, 2024
“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” -CS Lewis
Sweet, funny, and the perfect end of summer read :’)
Sweet, funny, and the perfect end of summer read :’)
December 8, 2017
Well done.
May 28, 2020
always been a favorite
October 10, 2019
An enjoyable great read with my sister. Every story had a twist that was funny, witty and entertaining.
December 21, 2023
A very fun and not at all unhinged fact about me is that in second grade this book looked really thick, and when I brought it to school on my second read through, my crush didn’t believe I’d already read it once. I told him yes way and then he dared me to read it five times. Somehow in my eight year old brain, I decided that it would definitely impress him if I read it more than five times.
I read it twenty five times in one year.
He was not impressed.
Anyways, all that to say is that I still reread this book and don’t get sick of it, which makes it utterly remarkable.
I read it twenty five times in one year.
He was not impressed.
Anyways, all that to say is that I still reread this book and don’t get sick of it, which makes it utterly remarkable.
November 29, 2023
(4.5 stars)
It took this fourth or fifth reread of one of my favorite comfort series to pick up on several of the repeating patterns: twins, two older brothers who are familially favored over their younger brother, and of course the consistent King Humphrey [insertnumberhere] married to Queen Hermione [insertnumberhere].
There are a lot of little things I find interesting, as usual when I read books with monarchies and families and so on (why is shouting at and threatening Prince Harold a solution to the dysfunctional marriage? what would have happened if Lorelei wasn't disabled in a way convenient to the plot? why do we feel sorry for Tansy not being able to inherit the throne but not any random peasant who might be better?) but we can't allow me to ruin every children's book ever published.
In seriousness the only thing I really felt ought to have been excised was the physical aspect of the tests in The Princess Test: the majority of the princesses, if I recall correctly, are removed there and Lorelei barely squeaks by on account of her nose being just small enough. This isn't something I'd want to give a child and it saddens me that Levine, a Jewish author herself, has kept that in her books without better contextualization. Needless to say there's a passing reference to being "too fat or too thin" as if there is a "neutral" zone between these body types.
I really love this collection nonetheless and would probably just be careful recommending it for that reason (among others). It's pretty much impossible to write a kids' book/series that lives up to my standards, particularly at the time Levine was writing these, and I can't bring myself to go beneath 4.5 stars for one moment I can confidently say should have been removed. All the other little nitpicks I have are nitpicks you kind of can't get away from in fairy tale fiction, especially in fairy tale retellings for kids that have monarchies in them. If I started critiquing the fact that these twelve-year-olds are proposing marriage to the first member of the opposite sex who shows them a little kindness, we'd be here all day. I'm willing to get a little silly with my royal fantasies for Gail Carson Levine's sake.
My dear Princess,
My father, King Stanley CXLIV, says I’m going to marry you. I believe him. He always tells the truth, so I believe him. If he were a liar, I wouldn’t.
I believe in honesty. The fairies made me Honest when I was born. Besides, I do what my father tells me. If he says to marry someone, I marry her. I’m Traditional. The fairies made me that too when I was born. Below is a list of all the other things they made me.
1. Brave.
2. Handsome.
3. Strong.
4. A Man of Action. (I used to be a Baby of Action.)
5. A Good Dancer.
6. Tall.
Plus Honest and Traditional, as shown above. I trust you will find me as described.
Honestly,
Prince Melvin XX
It took this fourth or fifth reread of one of my favorite comfort series to pick up on several of the repeating patterns: twins, two older brothers who are familially favored over their younger brother, and of course the consistent King Humphrey [insertnumberhere] married to Queen Hermione [insertnumberhere].
There are a lot of little things I find interesting, as usual when I read books with monarchies and families and so on (why is shouting at and threatening Prince Harold a solution to the dysfunctional marriage? what would have happened if Lorelei wasn't disabled in a way convenient to the plot? why do we feel sorry for Tansy not being able to inherit the throne but not any random peasant who might be better?) but we can't allow me to ruin every children's book ever published.
In seriousness the only thing I really felt ought to have been excised was the physical aspect of the tests in The Princess Test: the majority of the princesses, if I recall correctly, are removed there and Lorelei barely squeaks by on account of her nose being just small enough. This isn't something I'd want to give a child and it saddens me that Levine, a Jewish author herself, has kept that in her books without better contextualization. Needless to say there's a passing reference to being "too fat or too thin" as if there is a "neutral" zone between these body types.
I really love this collection nonetheless and would probably just be careful recommending it for that reason (among others). It's pretty much impossible to write a kids' book/series that lives up to my standards, particularly at the time Levine was writing these, and I can't bring myself to go beneath 4.5 stars for one moment I can confidently say should have been removed. All the other little nitpicks I have are nitpicks you kind of can't get away from in fairy tale fiction, especially in fairy tale retellings for kids that have monarchies in them. If I started critiquing the fact that these twelve-year-olds are proposing marriage to the first member of the opposite sex who shows them a little kindness, we'd be here all day. I'm willing to get a little silly with my royal fantasies for Gail Carson Levine's sake.
April 17, 2020
Gosh, I was rearranging my bookshelves today when I came across this on my fairytale shelf, and I just HAD to reread it! I've read these before (and remembered them pretty well even though it's been a few years), though that makes sense considering my hardcover copy of the book is so well-loved it's lost its jacket (and we also have a paperback). Anyway, these fairytales are very original, as they take the original stories they come from, and add a bit of logic and rationality to them. They're funny, and Levine's writing style is great. I honestly can't recommend them enough. I really like all of them, but especially Princess Sonora, and Cinderellis, and The Fairy's Return, the one with Robin and Lark. The other ones are great too, though. Lorelai always makes me laugh, and the scene in the first story where Myrtle and Rosella switch places is super entertaining. And of course, Parsley and Tansy are cute. So really, they're all quite good. At any rate, if you like fairytale retellings, I'd highly recommend these, and all of Levine's other works. 5 stars.
June 7, 2021
These are all so fun!
The Fairy's Mistake - 5/5
This one is possibly my favorite out of the bunch! Rosella and Myrtle are both great in their own way. And Nicholas so had it coming to him...
The Princess Test - 4/5
This one though!! Lorelei is so precious and such. Got quite a few laughs out of me.
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep - 4/5
This was so hilarious! Sonora is a know-it-all of mass proportions and it's a riot!
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill - 3/5
This one didn't stick with me as much as the others... I remember really hating the brothers, though.
For Biddle's Sake - 3/5
I vaguely remember this one...I remember getting really annoyed with Parsley...But she did have a change in the end.
The Fairy's Return - 4/5
This was so sweet! Robin and Lark are so cute together and Robin is hilarious.
All in all, I got quite a few laughs out of this, which is totally good with me!
4/5.
The Fairy's Mistake - 5/5
This one is possibly my favorite out of the bunch! Rosella and Myrtle are both great in their own way. And Nicholas so had it coming to him...
The Princess Test - 4/5
This one though!! Lorelei is so precious and such. Got quite a few laughs out of me.
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep - 4/5
This was so hilarious! Sonora is a know-it-all of mass proportions and it's a riot!
Cinderellis and the Glass Hill - 3/5
This one didn't stick with me as much as the others... I remember really hating the brothers, though.
For Biddle's Sake - 3/5
I vaguely remember this one...I remember getting really annoyed with Parsley...But she did have a change in the end.
The Fairy's Return - 4/5
This was so sweet! Robin and Lark are so cute together and Robin is hilarious.
All in all, I got quite a few laughs out of this, which is totally good with me!
4/5.
May 12, 2020
This was a cute collection of fairy tales. I've enjoyed Gail Carson Levine's books since I was in elementary school, but all the previous ones I've read felt like they were intended for a slightly older audience. These six stories seemed intended for much younger readers, but I still had a nice time meeting the characters and discovering the references to well-known fairy tales. My favorite stories were "Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" and "For Biddle's Sake." I don't think I would read it again for myself, but I can imagine reading it to children.
December 14, 2020
This was basically everything I wanted for some quick and fun fairytales. A bit juvenile and maybe too repetitive or predictable at times, but I knew that would be the case going into it. It was magical, silly, and fun. There are six short stories included in this it was nice to be able to escape for a bit, but also quickly get through each tale and have a good stopping point (maybe I’m just showing my weakness for late-night reading?!).
March 14, 2009
darling for young girls. It has several (6)short princess stories that can be read fairly quickly. My nine year old and I read these stories together the first time and now she is reading them again on her own. I also love the hard cover copy, it looks nice.
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