Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

The Princess Tales #4

by Gail Carson Levine, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

Ralph said, "Rain tomorrow."
Burt said, "Barley needs it. You're covered with cinders, Ellis."
Ralph thought that was funny. "That's funny." He laughed. "That's what we should call him-- Cinderellis."
Burt guffawed.

In this unusual spin on an old favorite, Cinderella is a boy! He's Cinderellis, and he has two unfriendly brothers and no fairy godmother to help him out. Luckily, he does have magical powders, and he intends to use them to win the hand of his Princess Charming-- that is, Marigold. The only problem is-- Marigold thinks Cinderellis is a monster!

Gail Carson Levine is the author of Ella Enchanted, a spirited retelling of the "real" Cinderella fairy tale and a 1998 Newberry Honor Book. In this fourth of her Princess Tales, Levine brings new life and new fun into a little-known tale and proves that determination, imagination, and kindness can carry the day.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Retellings

104 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2000

About the author

Just 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.

Reviews

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

“When he was six years old, Ellis invented flying powder. He sprinkled the powder on his tin cup, and the cup began to rise up the chimney. He stuck his head into the fireplace to see how far up it would go. (The fire was out, of course.)”
– Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

Just by the first page, 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 Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, a retelling of a Norwegian fairy-tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr, the youngest of three brothers obtains a series of magical horses. He has a special gift for making special powders to help the farm, but the brother’s don’t bother giving him any attention. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, after all. This story also weaves in the classic Italian fairy tale called Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper. I say this because of the name she gives the main guy character, two siblings that are rude and mean to the other, and a contest that takes three days that ends in marriage. Now we have two stories in one book? It’s our lucky day folks.

Cinderellis and Marigold have two things in common: their family doesn't pay much attention to them, and their best friends are animals (horses and a cat). They are terribly lonely and only want their family to love them and spend time with them. But, alas, that isn't how things happen for them.

Marigold’s father goes on crazy quest to find crazy things and ends up with even crazier findings. He comes up with an idea to find the perfect husband for his lovely daughter. In order to marry her, a suitor must have armor, a horse, be courageous, brave and be able to ride a horse very well. Climbing up a very slippery, shiny glass hill is the logical solution!

Will Marigold end up marrying a scary man? Will Cinderellis win the affections of his brothers? Will Cinderellis’ crops stop disappearing? Will Marigold’s father find something actually useful on his quest?

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.

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has its high points, especially in terms of funny moments. But somehow, I couldn't get into the story. It started out well but soon became repetitive. I wouldn't call this a faithful retelling because it has hardly any points of similarities with the original "Cinderella". Just the initial part has some points in common with the fairy tale. But still, worth a try for the humour.

[Jacinta Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still love Gail Carson Levine's books--especially her childrens' books. Fun and inventive, I don't mind admitting I both own and still read them.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enchanting fairy tale retelling by Gail Carson Levine. This time the hero is a resourceful but lonely farmer boy given the nickname Cinderellis by his unkind brothers. And the herione is a gentle but lonely princess living in the castle of her father who often leaves her to go on quests.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the animal perspectives, the spoofs of quests and the subverted Cinderella icons. Imagining Burt and Ralph as the Weasley twins took away some of my frustration with those characters.

[Milliebot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super cute gender swap loosely based on Cinderella plus any fairytale where a guy has to do some impossible task to gain the hand of the princess. Both Ellis and princess Marigold were lonely and seeking companionship from their family, which was sad, but gave them good motivation for a short story.

[Elizabeth Faustina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this fairy tale! It is a sweet, simple story, and it's a great take on Cinderella.

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tessa made me read this to her

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my kindergartner for a bed-time chapter book. We both enjoyed this twist on the Cinderella story. It is a short, fun read and great for young readers.

[Christopher Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute re telling of the Cinderella story told from a male perspective. It was s quick, fun read. I read it for my YA Bookclub. Any fan of Cinderella would enjoy this book

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cinderella recast as a farm boy? Sold. Another clever retelling of a classic fairy tale
by the mistress of the form, Gail Carson Levine.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is soooooo cute. A Cinderella retelling that is so different from the original, but the most iconic parts remain. It's so silly and funny - great for children and adults alike. I actually found myself being quite curious how the plot would unfold. I can't wait to read these to my future children (if I ever have any)

[Evelyn McCallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad read this to me. Cinderellis is a boy and he had to climb the ice hill so he was making inventions to get up the hill. The princess was at the top of the hill, and whoever made it to the top first would get to marry the princess. Cinderellis met the princess before the hill happened! I liked this book.

[Chanel Sharp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mom and I found this to be a quick, adorable listen. It was an interesting retelling of Cinderella, with Cinderella being a boy in this version, mom and I have read some version were Cinder is male. Over all we recommended this as a quick read or listen.

[Kaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with my 5 and 7 year old, and we finished it in one go! A reread for me from my childhood, and I enjoyed still as an adult. My girls giggled and loved the story as well!

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the theme is that you should try and try again.

[Clara P · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it had so much surplices and it really did the unsuspected. I liked how the author made the characters switch on and off for talking. So that we could have both opp-ions and so that we could here both sides of them at different times. I liked how that they both felt lonely and that they had nobody. I think that Marigold changed the most because at first she was so lonely. She wanted her dad to stay home so much from his adventures so that she could be with her dad and not be so lonely. Than her dad got cursed and he couldn't go on any more adventures and so he had to stay home. She also was mad because she had to stay in a tower so that men could come and get three golden apples from her. That man would become king and so she went around dissected as a dairy maid. She asked all the men in line what they would do if they won. She was happy when she met Cinderellas. It was like love at first sight. It was so beautiful and Cinderellas wanted to marry her, if he won and he wanted to pay for the marriage with the three golden apples. I didn't like how that the brothers treated Cinderellas so bad and like he was invisible. I did like how the things that kept on eating the hay was a huge horse. Cinderellas caught the horses and brothers didn't believe him and so he just kept the horses to himself. I didn't like how Marigold dad was always away, so then she would be all alone in the castle. I would have been so mad if my dad was gone for that long. I loved how it was like they were apart at first than they came together, how they slow made it to each other. How Marigold thought that he was a monster because he couldn't talk in the helmet that was so funny.

[Camille Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great read-aloud for children. There wasn't much about it that sounded like a spin on the Cinderella story, but I enjoyed all the elements of different fairy-tales that were put into it. A fun read!

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a bit too silly for my taste.

[Isabelle✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bruh I literally used to act this out with my brother as a kid.

[Oakley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts out with both Cinderellis and the princess talking about their lonely and miserable lives. The princesses dad likes to go on quests and Cinderelllises brothers not ever talking to him. There is a contest coming up to decide who the princess will marry. Horses were eating all of the boys crops so he then trapped the horses and ended up with 3 amazing horses. He would have to climb the glass hill to be able to marry the princess. Read the book to see if he can do it.
There are many different types figurative language in this book. The first one is metaphor it says, "She'd swallow the golden apples before she let either of them get his hands on them." She wouldn't literally swallow full apples whole. The next one is, "Discovered that the grass in their best hay field had vanished." That is another metaphor. The next one is imagery, "A pretty one, with a sweet face, a very sweet face. The next one is a tongue twister, "Chasam, Shasam, Ghasam." If you say it fast it is hard to say. The last but not least one is,"He just wanted to see if his sticky powder would take him and one of the mares up the glass hill." You can't literally go up a glass hill so that is a metaphor.
In my opinion this book was always keeping you occupied. It showed a lot of emotion and creativity. The boy was very creative and smart. It is always keeping you on your toes. The princess seemed like she was really nice and she was a good influence on young people who read the book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill is a fun short retelling of a couple of different fairy tales. Although it is part of a series (The Princess Tales) it can easily be read alone without the other books. The series is all set in the same world and the different books correspond and interact with each other but they are more of companion books rather than sequels and prequels.

This is a short book and is easily read by an adult or older reader within a hour; however, for someone who likes to savor books or a younger reader it is easily can take longer. Within the book you have a silly story about a young farm lad and the country's princess. Although, the farm lad is the main focus throughout the book, we see things from both the princess and farm lad's point of view.

The book's themes focus on loneliness and ingenuity. Both of the main characters find themselves lonely throughout the book and strive to find ways to counteract the loneliness they feel. The book also puts and emphasis of ingenuity and working hard to help yourself and others. We see both the farm lad and the princess using their own wits to try and solve their problems.

Overall, this is a fun quick read that is enjoyable for both adults and children. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale flipped on its side.

[Tatum E · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is pretty much like Cinderella, but instead it's about a boy who lives with his two really mean brothers and his grandma. The boys name in Ellis, but he got his name from his brothers by getting cinder all over himself, so that's why his name is Cinderellis. He is just a young boy that is very lonely and loves to invent things, but none of his family appreciates them. So he sets out to find the Princess Marigold because she was also lonely because her mom died and her father is always on quests. So when he meets her, she thinks he is a monster.

There are figurative devices in Cinderellis and the Glass Hill. The first one is and assonance, "Quickly, Cinderellis tossed a handful of sticky powder on the hill." The next one is

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. I didn't like it because I'm not fond of old time books, or fairy tale books. Although it was a lot like Cinderella, I still didn't like it that much. One thing that i did like about this book was that is was pretty descriptive and gave lots of details.

[Mladoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une petite lecture sympathique, dans un royaume, un roi aventurier, ensorcelé par un lutin, cherche à marier sa fille de bien curieuse façon. Un garçon de ferme, peu considéré par ces deux frères, réalise quant à lui des tas d'inventions extraordinaires et excelle en tant que cavalier.
Une réécriture de Cendrillon, mais ici c'est le jeune Sandrillé qui affrontera les épreuves et jouera d'ingéniosité pour conquérir le cœur de la douce Marigold.
Un conte on ne peut plus classique dans sa structure ternaire mais aux détails originaux et assez loufoques point de pantoufle mais une colline escarpée, dur dur mais l'armure ne fait pas le chevalier.
Distrayant et très simple à lire.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Currently free at Audible Stories

Listening Time : 1 hour 18 minutes

A lovely role reversal retelling of Cinderella, with other mythological elements sprinkled in.
This also somewhat mitigated my most disliked aspects of the fairy tale such as Cinderella not retaliating against her relatives' mistreatment and the insta-love.

I would recommend this (instead of the Disney animated version) to all little girls and boys, as the moral is far better.

[Matthew Mccallum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evelyn and I read this book together. This book has more twists that anything I've ever read. The moment where the horse is begging Cinderella's to grab her bridle was uncomfortable, concerning, and so random.

"Touch the bridle she thought. Touch the bridle...Take the bridle, lad. Please!

Cinderellis grabbed the bridle. I've got you now, he thought.

Aah! The mare was so happy. She loved this lad. She would do anything for him."

Evelyn's says: I liked the part where the Princess was going to marry Cinderellis. I liked the part when the Princess thought Cinderellis was a monster.

[Lisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute twist on the story of Cinderella, with Ellis, the youngest of three boys and an amazing inventor, vying for the respect and attention his brothers never give him. It takes him on a wild adventure, with magical horses, golden apples, and a glass pyramid that he must climb to get to the princess. He may not end up with the respect he wants from his brothers, but he can get more than he ever imagined.

Super cute and creative book. I enjoyed it, and I think my kids would really enjoy it.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is sold as being a gender flipped retelling of Cinderella, but reading it I discovered that it's rather based on the Norwegian folktales of Askeladden, "Ashlad", which was surprising in a very good way.
Askeladden, Cinderellis in this book, is a bit more charming than his original, and a bit more pondering. The original tended to be written as a rather lazy boy, but with a good heart and good luck.
The magical number of three is strong in this tale, as it is in all tales of Askeladden: three brothers, three horses, three challenges.
The princess has a more central role in this story, of which I'm very glad; she was a delight, with a quick wit.
It's a very cute, short romantic story.

[Damaris M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I lOVEEEE these fairy tales and this is definitely one of my favorites. I need to get them all. either as the bind up or individual. I actually love Cinderella retelling so I guess thats why I really enjoyed this one. Also it has , in a way i guess, science elements to it so thats always something that catches my attention.