Encanto: A Tale of Three Sisters

by Walt Disney Company, Anika Fajardo

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope. The film features all-new songs by Emmy®, GRAMMY® and Tony Award® winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton,” “Moana”) and is directed by Byron Howard (“Zootopia,” “Tangled”) and Jared Bush (co-director “Zootopia”), co-directed by Charise Castro Smith (writer “The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez”) and produced by Clark Spencer and Yvett Merino. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” opens in theaters November 24, 2021.

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Childrens, Latinx, Family

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 15, 2022

About the author

Note: The decision was made to consolidate all Disney publications under the name Walt Disney Company. This profile is for Walt Disney, the characters he created, and the company he founded. Any questions, please ask in the Librarian's Group.

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.

Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.

Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.

The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.

The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.

--from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this movie, and I enjoyed this novelization a lot - more than the junior novelization version. Though I tend to prefer my novelizations a more exact copy of the movie, this one is less exact but still better than that other version. This one is told from the three sisters' POVs, which gives us more insight into characters other than just Mirabel. Songs are replaced with reasonable dialogue here rather than yadda-yaddaed through awkward description paragraphs as in the other. This inexact replica also alows us to see multiple extra little interactions/scenes with the characters, which was really fun. Though not an exact copy of the movie, this novel is very clearly the same story and conveys the same spirit - maybe even improving on it slightly.

[nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read the book in addition to the movie, because i loved it so much.
it was a really quick read, due to it's simple writing style - it is a children's book after all - though i gotta admit, sometimes the writing was just poor and a little bit repetitive (i don't think i've ever read the word "chasm" this often).

obviously, you can't really put songs into books like this, and sometimes the translation into a written scene worked really well - i liked the one at the end for example -, and sometimes it didn't quite satisfy - we don't talk about bruno remains unmatched.

what kind of bugs me are some of the changes that were made in general. some really iconic one-liners weren't put in (might be fine for others, but i was really missing one or two iconic sentences) and in some scenes, the meaning was changed altogether - for example isabela going for the candle before mirabel even starts walking; in the movie, mirabel begins running to the candle and isabela only then starts to move, which can be interpreted as her either trying to save the candle or mirabel, and i honestly think it's kind of sad that the book didn't leave room for interpretation there - which was pretty disappointing at times.

i really love that dolores and camilo get to say something about their struggle at the end of the book and i honestly adore the overall changes that the auther made for the ending, with dolores talking so much that only mariano wants to work beside her, their relationship seems a lot less forced this way.

in general, i think the different perspectives definitely added a little bit to the story, but honestly did not make that big of a difference.

so, to conclude, the book did add to and at the same time took away from the story, and while i am definitely not blown away, i am really happy i read it.

[czytanienaszapasja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5⭐
Niezwykle ciekawe urozmaicenie do bajki! Cieszę się, że zabrałam się za te książkę i mogłam przeżyć jeszcze raz historię zawartą w "Nasze magiczne encanto", lecz tym razem, z perspektywy trzech sióstr.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Tale of Three Sisters

Like a lot of people I’ve become rather obsessed with Disney’s Encanto. The music, the story, the fantastic characters… I love it all. So when I saw my library had gotten an ebook of this book I knew I had to pick it up.

It’s essentially the plot of the movie but expanded with point of view chapters from Luisa and Isabela alongside Mirabel’s. It was absolutely amazing to see into the minds of Mirabel’s sisters. Luisa being really sweet and just needing a break was hard to read about. Isabela desperately wanting a better relationship with her sister but somehow messing it up repeatedly was hard to read too. I liked that this book made sure you knew that none of the sisters were perfect, but they each had their flaws and insecurities.

I also really liked the things this story added that weren’t directly in the movie. The family has a conversation at the end that I just loved so much. It really helped to put Camilo and Dolores into perspective in particular. There are also other little things like Mirabel’s dad and uncle being best friends. I always wondered if that was the case so nice to see them so close.

If you’re looking for some more Encanto content I’d definitely recommend giving this a try.

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I don’t have Disney+ and can’t watch the movie, I decided to give this novelization a try. I forgot how refreshing Disney novelizations can be- I really needed that little distraction from real life haha 😌
Wonderful storyline about a beautiful family- hope I can watch the movie sometime soon. Good job Disney, y’all have aced it yet again!

[Lydia Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! There should be a book about Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio. And one about Pepa, Julieta, and Bruno. And maybe a book about Pedro and Alma. And maybe one book about Encanto from Dolores' pov.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Melmo2610 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this retelling of the movie. A bit different from the movie in places but overall, a good read.

[werona · Rating 4 out of 5]

totalnie uwielbiam Encanto i bardzo podobało mi się, że mieliśmy też rozdziały z perspektywy sióstr Mirabel, klasycznie miałam łzy w oczach pod koniec

[Gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This adorable book retells the movie from the perspective of not just Mirabel, but also her sisters. Some scenes are slightly different, but I loved seeing certain scenes from the POV of the sisters, giving a bit more insight into their relationship. There's also an an epilogue that gives an extra little scene that I wish we'd gotten in the movie. I hope this movie gets a show so we can explore the characters more

[Christiane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent retelling of Encanto. I really liked that the chapters were from each sister's perspective and we got Camilo and Dolores fleshed out more. It was a quick, fun read!

[Nora Røssland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly cute, fun and heartwarming <3

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love when novelizations add something to the movie, and A Tale of Three Sisters does just that!

If you haven't watched Disney's Encanto, you're missing out. The film tells the story of the magical Madrigal family and their magical house as seen through the eyes of Mirabel, the lone family member who didn't receive a magical gift. When the family's magic begins to falter, Mirabel goes on a search to save the magic and the family along with it. It's a simple tale wonderfully told, with interesting and loveable characters, enchanting visuals, and songs that will get stuck in your head for months. (And I mean that literally. I still wake up singing We Don't Talk About Bruno in my head multiple times a night.)

A Tale of Three Sisters is a novelization of the film, but it gives more to the story. Instead of having just Mirabel as a POV, we also get the points of view of her two older sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Isabela is seen as the perfect one: graceful, beautiful, and gifted with the ability to grow flowers; Luisa has super strength, and she works hard to serve the family and the people of the village. In the film, there are important scenes between the sisters and Mirabel, but seeing parts of the story through their eyes gives them more depth and makes me like them even more.

Isabel wishes she could be herself rather than having to work extra hard to be perfect. She also wishes she could have a better relationship with Mirabel, but she's afraid of being associated with Mirabel's "troublemaking" and being accused of doing something wrong. Luisa loves helping people, but she wishes people wanted her help for things other than her strength...like her amazing hugs! It's great to see more of the motivations and the desires of these two characters as well as to see into their magical rooms! Having Isabel and Luisa's points of view really add to the story and help see more of the internalized stress that's been caused by Abuela's expectations that subsequently leads to the failure of the magic.

Another great thing about the novel is the way in which the songs are handled. Some novelizations include the song lyrics verbatim and write them as if the characters simply burst out into song like they do in the movie. While this works in a visual medium, it seems strange in writing. Here, most of the songs are included, but they're incorporated into conversations in a way that feels natural. You can still hear the songs in your head, and the information and feelings contained in the songs are still included, just in a way that feels less awkward.

Finally, the epilogue includes a sweet scene that's not part of the movie. Many people wondered what changes might have occurred in the house after it was rebuilt, and this extra scene gives a glimpse into Mirabel's new room. It's a very cute ending and one that's perfectly fitting for a heroine such as Mirabel.

All in all A Tale of Three Sisters is a wonderful novelization of Disney's newest animated feature film. If you love Encanto, you'll love the additional details and the epilogue in this novel, and if you haven't seen the film yet, this will give you a fun, easy-to-read introduction to the story...but you really should still see the movie. It's definitely worth it.

[viv reads whatever · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Tale of Three Sisters is one of two books based on Disney's Encanto, the other being Disney Encanto: The Deluxe Junior Novelization. Both are novelizations and follow the plot of the film, but A Tale of Three Sisters brings some new stuff to the table.

Although I was expecting a brand new story like Frozen's tie-in books (Frozen 2: Forest of Shadows and Frozen 2: Dangerous Secrets: The Story of Iduna and Agnarr), I was pleasantly surprised to find this book alternates first person point of view between Mirabel, Isabela, and Luisa.

The film is strictly in Mirabel's point of view so it's very unique to see the same story told by Isabela and Luisa–we get to see their internal struggles with themselves and even a glimpse into their own relationships with their Abuela Alma. And Mirabel too, for that matter. One thing that found fascinating about the movie was Abuela's struggling relationship with Mirabel and here it's expanded. Granted it's not much considering it's a book aimed at children, but it's more that what Encanto's Junior Novelization did.

Some new things were added to the story too. Minor things like a description of Luisa's bedroom and slightly bigger additions like a conversation between Mirabel and Abuela that replaces the movie's Dos Orugitas flashback scene. Plus, the entirety of chapter 20 is meant to be the final song All of You and it's replaced with a very sweet conversation between the Madrigals where they open up about their struggles. (Here's a list of other small details that the book adds)

The epilogue is by far the biggest addition to the story. Although it's a short epilogue it's absolutely heartwarming and almost upsetting that it wasn't added to the film. It involves the Madrigals decorating Mirabel's room to make it extra special.

"I open the new door, and my room is more beautiful and fantastical than I ever could have imagined. You would never know that it used to be a plain nursery. A vine grows above the bed like a canopy. A chigüiro is curled up on my pillow like a stuffed animal. A heavy bookshelf is loaded with books. A cup of hot chocolate and a plate of arepas steams on the table. Everyone in my family has added a little something to my room."

The final family picture taken at the end of the film is done so in Casita's courtyard. In this book, it's taken in Mirabel's newly decorated bedroom.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

new perspectives. same great story

I loved the movie and I wanted to learn more about the sister. Honestly when I decided to read this book, I expected something different. since it said "tale of three sisters", I did not expect it to be their point of view throughout the movie. it wasn't bad to have those POVs since we really saw it from Maribel's perspective in the movie but to read what she was thinking mentally was very enlightening.

For starters, each sister has their own struggles which is shown in the movie and emphasized in this book. But what is also highlighted more in this book via Luisa and Isabella's POV is that Mirabel is an outsider and "annoying" because she does not have a gift and is always trying to help.

Isabella and Luisa are always trying to be helpful and feel the need to be help to get Abuela's love. But since they have gift's its not an issue and they avoid to do things wrong. which is understandable but the judgement that they have towards Mirabel, as wrong as it may feel, is spot on with siblings.

I grew up in a household were I had to be Isabella and Luisa(emotionally strong) and my dear brother was the Bruno/Camilo in the family. I would love to say that I didn't judge him this harshly but I think I did. But also I know my brother judge me as Mirabel judged Isabella and Luisa. So i felt that was made this a relatable read.

This book hooked me and got me out of my reading slump. Loved it and definitely a must read. recommend it for reading 13 and up.

[Cassie Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this adaptation of the Disney movie ‘Encanto’, we get not only Mirabel’s perspective, but also Luisa’s and Isabela’s perspectives as well. With the same enchanting, magical story as told by the movie, we dive into la familia Madrigal and their magical gifts. Mirabel, who is the only one to have not received a gift, discovers that the magic is weakening and there are cracks in their beloved Casita. She must race to find a solution before her entire world crumbles around her and her family loses the magic. But the cracks run deeper than they first appear. Is there any way to fix this crumbling family?

Isabela’s perspective offers a glimpse into her attitude and seeming perfection that the movie couldn’t do, making her much more likable. Luisa’s perspective gives us insight into her own struggles and difficulties in bearing the load of working all the time and needing to be strong. All three sisters face their own problems, and it’s refreshing to see them come together to work them out.

If you enjoyed the movie, this book will draw you even deeper into the Madrigal family and display even more of what’s going on behind the supposed ‘perfection’ of the family. ‘Encanto’ shows us that while somebody, or in fact an entire family, can seem to be perfect, but that just means they’re good at not showing the cracks. Definitely worth a read.

[Megan Whitemarsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that this book is for children, and not for my 21 year old self…

but still,

Oh my god.

It took me months to finish this book because I just could not get into it(again, it’s a kids book, I know, but it’s boring. I was able to finish a book 100 pages longer in a fraction of the time)
Kids are still learning their sense of like, the quality of something, but just because they can’t see bad writing doesn’t mean there has to be bad writing. There are some paragraphs and sentences that don’t makes sense.
And the way they used Spanish drove me insane the entire book. Now, I’m not bilingual, but I’ve spoke to many bilingual people, I have bilingual friends(people who specifically speak English and Spanish), and not a single person switches between English and Spanish the way the characters in this book do. An example of this is when characters are counting and they say “Uno, dos, tres, four, five, six.” No bilingual person speaks like that.
And maybe I just don’t like change, but there were some details that just like… directly contradict the movie? The color of Mariano’s eyes, the color of the butterflies, it doesn’t matter but it drives me nuts.

Good enough for kids, but there’s so many books I would hand my future child before I hand them this one.

[Bai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it, however it was a lot like the novelization that I read: some things were different about the characters. Mirabel's mom blames her for the destruction of Casita and the encanto, but in the movie, she does not. She and her husband are the only ones who are ever supportive and gentle with Mirabel. And they understand her better than anyone else too. Isabela in the beginning really surprised me since she seemed to have sympathy for Mirabel. Her character in the movie hardly makes it so and it doesn't really make sense to me that she would hide it, unless it was because she thought Abuela wouldn't approve. Other than those things, I overall enjoyed it.

Especially how the story dives deeper into the minds of Luisa and Isabela, showing that they aren't perfect or happy as they seem. I even liked in the end how some of the others expressed how they wished they could be themselves more, particularly Pepa. I always thought when she pushed her emotions aside and how everyone did too, that they were not letting her be herself or express herself and that's unhealthy. They don't do that to the others because they aren't the ones who control the weather.

[Ella-Marie Frau · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t believe they allowed this book to be published? If it weren’t for the Disney Press logo I’d have thought this was an unofficial fan project. My issue with this book isn’t the content, it’s essentially just the events of the movie but from an alternating first person perspective. The issue is the sheer amount of typos and grammatical errors that were let slide throughout. I’m only five chapters in and it’s shocking to me. Did no one review or edit or even read it before they allowed this to be printed?? This reads like it were written by a novice writer which is fine as this is a young teen aimed novel, but did they even graduate highschool when they can’t differentiate between the usage of ‘I’ and ‘me’ ?? Other than the English being… well, questionable, to be polite, the Spanglish also feels so forced, inconsistent and just awkward. Of course these contingencies can be excused (excusable, not negligible), when the content of the book, the story itself, doesn’t disappoint, but I would just expect better from a Wikipedia proclaimed award winning author and the Disney company especially.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my new favorite books; it’s a retelling of the Disney movie Encanto. It follows the plot, with the chapters rotating between Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela. I loved getting the new perspectives of Luisa and Isabela! The reader gets lots of extra details that aren’t in the movie. One of my favorites involves the chapter headings. Before Isabela speaks to Mirabel, her chapter headings are perfectly placed; after their sisterly talk, her chapter headings include cacti and sharply-pointed illustrations. Before Luisa speaks to Mirabel, her chapter headings include mountains, donkeys, the church, and exercise equipment. The movie doesn’t go into too much detail into how Luisa likes to relax outside of sitting in a hammock sipping on a cool drink. In the chapter headings after Luisa talks to Mirabel, Luisa’s illustrations are full of unicorn donkeys and books! At the end of the book, it’s also implied that Luisa loves to read! I loved getting details of the story that is not shown in the movie. If you were a fan of the movie, I highly recommend this book!

[Kerry Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When people meet our family and see our Casita, they want to know where my family's magic comes from. And I always say it comes from the same place theirs does. It might be hard to see. It might look different than some. But it's always there."

This is a fun novelization of Disney's Encanto. This book fleshes out the story using the first person perspective of the three sisters: Isabela, Luisa, and Mirabel. Each chapter alternates between the three and we see the story unfold from their point of view. I really enjoyed this conceit because we get the internal thoughts of all three of them, not just Mirabel, and it helps to create more empathy for the Luisa and Isabela characters.

I wish all the characters had been as well fleshed out as these three, but this is still a lovely read if you find yourself wanting MORE Encanto in your life. The epilogue which goes farther than the film is delightful.

[Delanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was the most different from the movie. There were alot of little changes that made me feel like the book was written prior to the final movie. They're not huge changes, mostly it's a character saying a line that belonged to another character in the movie. There was however alot of new interesting info with this book but the main thing you need to know if that just like the movie, Abuela never apologizes and no one asks her too. Mirabel is crying, upset, thinking about running away from the family forever because of Abuela calling her a screw up repeatedly and she still wonders if this whole thing could have been avoided if she were nicer to Abuela. There's zero accountability here.


Oh and we find out that sometimes Luisa thinks of Mirabel as a dog. "Mirabel is like a little dog yapping at my ankles." (Pg. 64)

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I love reading about sisters. This is an expansion of the movie that it’s based on. The three sisters take turns telling the story in their own chapters. Since Mirabel tells the story in the movie, I was happy to see what her sisters were thinking and feeling in the book. But parts of it were too different from the movie. I missed the dialogue from the songs. I also didn’t like that most of the story is in present tense. I wanted the drawings inside to be in color like the cover. The last chapter ends where the movie ends. The epilogue would be a perfect way to start the movie sequel.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful story. I appreciate the added perspectives compared to the movie, it allows for more depth the story desperately needed. I feel like I associate a lot with Luisa and Isabella, the need to perform and be perfect. Biography aside, I cried during the confrontation scene with Abuela and the scene where everyone says how they felt so pressured all the time.

I felt like Luisa’s perspective could’ve been more fleshed out. It felt like Isabella and Mirabel’s perspectives were far more important than Luisa’s.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh even though I’ve watched the movie this book made me so emotional. It’s beautiful. A loving book about a family. Don’t need to watch the movie to understand the book. The book basically tells the movie story just from Mirabel, Luisa, and Isabela. The ending is even more beautiful than the movie which is very very hard to get. Definitely recommend for any fan of Encanto. So beautiful. 🤩 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[luananki · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 i’m not sure what i expected but i enjoyed the movie a lot more than the book.
it was nice learning more about luisa’s and isabela’s emotions and watching things unravel from their perspectives.
but the songs missing takes so many feelings away and the story lost a bit of its magic along the way.
even though i don’t agree with some of the changes that were made in the story, i believe i enjoyed the ending of the book a bit more than the one in the movie

tw: abandonment, grief and death

[Bookwalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very wonderful and well done version of the Encanto story. Songs are replaced with very realistic dialogue and all of the best scenes are featured. And the first person narration from Mirabel and her sisters is varied and in character. I would absolutely recommend this to everyone, even if you aren’t a fan of the original film.

[Souly Peerage · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Encanto. My favourite is Louisa and I was really hopeing to read a little bit more about her way of thinking and feeling and at first I liked what I was reading but that stopped quick. The book is not bad but all Characters are really mean and there is almost nothing of the family warm from the movie.

[Alysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in love with Encanto so I had to read this story. It was great having the different views of all three sisters. There were a few grammar issues that would distract me but overall I liked the little changes here and there from the movie. Would recommend for Encanto fans.

[Adrianna Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read to kill some time. It contains more information than the film, which I enjoy, and provides us with a deeper understanding of what the three sisters are thinking throughout the novel. It's a delightful book from beginning to end, and I highly suggest it.