The Fairy's Mistake

The Princess Tales #1

by Gail Carson Levine, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

Two very different sisters have two very different encounters with the fairy Ethelinda. Rosella is kind and helpful. Her reward: Jewels and gems tumble out of her mouth whenever she speaks. Myrtle is rude and spiteful. Her punishment: Bugs and vipers slither out of her mouth. The fairy Ethelinda feels she's meted out justice just right--until she discovers Rosella has been locked up by a greedy prince and Myrtle is having the time of her life!

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

87 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 1999

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 fairytales? Gail Carson Levine is the author for you. She is witty, and pokes fun at fairytales all the while making you love the story even more.

“Once upon a time, in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the kingdom of Biddle, Rosella fetched water from the well for the four thousand and eighty-eighth time.”
– The Fairy’s Mistake by Gail Carson Levine

Just by the first paragraph, you can grasp the humor Levine puts in her words.

In The Fairy’s Mistake, a retelling of a French fairy tale called Toads and Diamonds by Charles Perrault (titled “Les Fées,” or “The Fairies”), two twin sisters are cursed (or gifted?) with two completely different things. Let’s rephrase that: one sister is bestowed a curse and the other a gift, though which is which is yet to be determined.

Oh a prince! Being so humble and pleasant as he is realizes his love for a lady he just met! Oh, and she happens to have something he wants. Coincidence I am sure.

One sister uses what the fairy gave her for helping others, and the other uses it to gain control over people.

Will the sister with the curse live happily ever after? Will the other sister with the gift live happily ever after? Will the fairy ever learn that things don’t always happen the way she wants them to?

I have a soft spot for fairy tales and that is exactly up Levine’s alley. She is a spectacular writer and story teller. She will make you laugh out loud with her classic retelling. I recommend this book, and the rest of her books, to anyone that loves a good fairytale.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosella is sent to get some water and when she gets to the well, she finds an old woman there. The woman asks her for a drink, and Rosella, the kind person she is, gives her a drink of water.
This old woman, however, was really a fairy in disguise and she rewards Rosella for her kindness.
When Rosella speaks, gems fall from her mouth. And when her mother finds out, she sends Rosella's twin, Myrtle to the well to give the old woman water, but instead she finds a knight and refuses to give him a drink.
Again, this was the fairy in disguise and she decides to punish Myrtle to teach her a lesson. Bugs and sneaks come out of Myrtle's mouth when she speaks.

But when a greedy prince wants to be with Rosella for her ability to speak and gems come out, and Myrtle uses her punishment to get what she wants, the fairy wonders if she's made a mistake.

This story I read not long ago in a collection of folktales, but it was a bit different and shorter. I liked it then and I like Levine's retelling of it as well.
Rosella was very kind and she wanted to make everyone happy, even if she wasn't happy herself. Her twin was completely different, however. And the prince was very greedy, which was annoying, but I suppose he wasn't too bad, especially towards the end.
Overall, it was a enjoyable book. I really liked it and would read it again.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book thinking it would be just as incredible as Ella Enchanted, but it isn't. In the author's defense, it does say ages 7-12, so that explains a whole lot. It read as a children's book, because it was intended as one. I like the retelling of Mother Hulda (or as the Dutch know it 'Vrouw Holle), because it doesn't end after the reward and the punishment. The fairy realises she has made a mistake *cough cough* title *cough cough*, and has to find a way to fix it.
I think I would have loved this book when I was about seven (if I'd read it in Dutch, because my knowledge of the English language back then wasn't much more than 'yes, no and please'), and I'd definetly recommend it to any fairytale fans of that age, but I don't recommend it to eightteen yearolds, cause then it will definetly be incredibly boring. (Although there was a plottwist that I did not see coming). I literally finished the book in 15 minutes, so it's nice to read if you need some extra books for your goodreads reading challenge, but that's it.

[Zanahoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed.

I loved the way the "bad" twin surmounted the usual moralistic bullshit by owning the disagreeable and finding a way to use it, and I loved the way the "good" twin though about marriage to a prince.

Most of all, I loved that brains and chicanery and a good dose of bad temper is what makes the winning outfit.

I realize this might be a weird view, but right after the pious Danielle of The Stepsister Scheme it's just so refreshing.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a quick read. Very sweet.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how a reward and punishment could be turned on their heads. As short as this was, there was a fair amount of character development.

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Gail Carson's Short Fairy retellings!

[PurplyCookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Fairy's Mistake" is a play on "Toads and Diamonds" a story from Perrault about gifts given by a witch to two sisters, one kind and the other unkind.

Ethelinda is horrified to discover that her fairy blessing on the kind Rosella, that jewels fall from her mouth when she speaks, is being exploited by her greedy new husband, Prince Harold. Her curse on Rosella's sister, Myrtle, who drops slimy and creepy things from her mouth when she speaks, is also going awry; Myrtle uses this to get whatever she wants from people.

I liked the way the plot was twisted so that the good character gets a punishment and the bad character gets a reward, and then everything works out. I didn't like the way Rosella never stood up for herself, she just let herself be bossed around, she didn't seem to have much of a brain until the end and then all of a sudden she starts standing up for herself, I didn't get how that transformation had occurred.


Book Details:

Title The Fairy's Mistake (Princess Tales)
Author Gail Carson Levine
Reviewed By Purplycookie

[Annie]

My second read of this one: first read was about twenty years ago. Great fun, a bit silly, but with a vocabulary and level of imagination to keep it classy. My grade three students loved it so much they decided to turn it into a play.

[hanney · Rating 3 out of 5]

seemed a lot funnier when i was 7 but what can u do

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story, a good read-aloud for my girls, ages three and five. I'm still pretty grossed out by things coming out of their mouths when they talked, especially bugs and snakes and ick! It's just not at all practical and I imagine (since none of this is real--I know!) that it gets old pretty fast. And I wish there was some explanation, even if it made no sense at all, of why Ethelinda didn't just take the gift and curse away. Even just saying it was against fairy rules would have been enough. Or is there an expectation that we'll remember all about magic from "Ella Enchanted" and so we'll know why she can't?

I definitely recommend this book, which is why I gave it four stars. It's a cute, quick read, and great for little girls.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another in GCL's delightful anthology of fairy tales about the Kingdom of Biddle. This time two sisters - twins on the outside but with temperaments different as night & day - are rewarded by the fairy Ethelinda for their characteristic choices. But Ethelinda's spells backfire and the rewarded sister is miserable while the cursed sister is triumphant. Will the fairy be able to right the wrongs before it's too late?

Plot: B
Writing: A
Vocabulary: B
Level: Easy
Worldview: Moral Therapeutic Deism - Golden Rule
Rating: G (a wicked girl gets cursed with nasty animals coming out of her mouth every time she talks)

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um... yes?! I discovered a whole new genre this year because of this silly-little-awesome work of art. How did I not care for fairy tale retellings before this?

After reading this, I proceeded to add all other Gail Carson Levine retellings to my tbr list.

More, please!

[*Ramya* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I now remember reading this when I was eight!

I was always like...what was that book with the good princess that actually got hurt because of gems spewing from her mouth? Well. Now I know.

:)

[Autumn Rose Dearborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a series I read as a kid and I recently bought them again to reread and get the nostalgic vibes. This was such a fun fairy tale. Highly recommend if you’re in the mood for a quick, light middle grade read. Even though it’s middle grade, or maybe YA? Idk, anyone who is a fairytale can enjoy it. I would have given it a 4 star if it wasn’t for the ending which I was disappointed by.

[Reb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are sublime. Some plot points are problematic (the prince stealing from the princess even after they are "happily" together?) and while this is overall cute, it does not stand the test of time.

[Susan]

A nice twist on the story of the two sisters, one who produces jewels every time she speaks, the other, vermin.

[Siena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got the audiobooks of all of the Princess Tales to enjoy before bed :’) My forever favorites!!

[Lilly Fountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite childhood books ❤️

[Grace DuBois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life lesson I learned from this is: always give water to strangers at the well!

[Loved By Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book, it told a great story!

[Samantha Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in elementary school. Over the years I found myself thinking about how much I loved it and wished I could read it again. I finally found it!

As a child I thought of this book as a fun story about true love. As an adult, not so much. Gail Carson Levine shows us just how powerful our words can be. We deserve to be heard and valued for more than our possession. We live in a materialistic society where people value us based on the name brands we wear over how we treat others. Although name brands have no place in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes, many parallels can be drawn between the characters and our everyday lives.

Even if you don’t want to dive too deep into the underlying meanings here, this is a cute story to read aloud with your children. My daughter certainly enjoyed it!

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of a series titled The Princess Tales. Each book is a retelling of a fairy tale. This is a short, sweet book with an interesting twist. Rosella and her twin sister Myrtle are bespelled by a fairy. Each time they talk something comes out of their mouths - for Rosella it's jewels and for Myrtle it's creepy crawlies. What happens is an interesting journey for all three parties (the fairy included). All of the books in the series are just as interesting. I expect them to replace the fairytales of our youth.
With that said, I highly recommend Gail Carson Levine - her books are well written and entertaining. She has even written a book for teens on becoming writers themselves and that was an amazing book.

[Sha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick short story about twin sisters—one kind and one greedy—and their encounter with a fairy.

The summary for this story gives away quite a lot of the plot (thankfully, I am someone who forgets summaries and THEN reads books, so I was still surprised). The only downside in this case is that the story is already so short, by knowing everything the summary says, you've basically read over half the book.

None of the characters in this book are fleshed out. I don't see this as a negative, per se, because this is more of a short parable where the tale focuses on the moral than on character development. There were a few morals to get at in this one, too, which made it a fun fantasy read.

3.5 stars

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are really fun to read aloud. They are short, funny, totally inaccurate, retellings of fairy tales that are fun for my whole family. They are all only about 10 chapters long, so they don't drag on and even those with short attention spans can stick with them. We read them all, several years ago. My boys don't remember them and I debated whether or not to read them. They really aren't into princesses or fairies. In the end I decided to just give them a try. I'm glad I did. The boys are enjoying them very much. They really are fun. We started with this one and are planning on running through all six books.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh, another walk down memory lane. Aside from Ella Enchanted and Princess Sonora and the long sleep, this is probably the Gail Carson Levine book I remember the most vividly from my childhood.

I was surprised by how short the book was considering how much I remembered happening in it. And yet when I read it (the audiobook was a mere hour long) I was left immensely satisfied. It was short yet it said everything that it needed to say. It was a funny, entertaining retelling with memorable characters and Levine’s signature humour.

I’m pleased that my nostalgia for this book wasn’t disappointed upon rereading it for the first time in 10 years.

[Dixie Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a clever retelling of this fairy tale. I did like how the reward turned into a punishment and the punishment, but I must admit to a niggling feeling that all was not set right. The heroine was still married to a prince who didn't love her and her wicked sister was still able to blackmail everyone into doing her wishes, so the fairy tale ending was lacking. Perhaps that was yet another way to tell us that fairy tales are rather imperfect when they are real, but I felt disappointed by it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

We listened to this on Audible Stories. It was a funny story and only took about an hour; my kids (7yo and 4yo) enjoyed it. They thought all the stuff about the bugs and snakes was really funny.

There were a couple things I wasn’t fond of, like when one of the people yelled “shut up,” which isn’t a phrase I’m itching to introduce. But interesting story overall, and kind of a fun twist on fairy tales (because the curse ends up helping the mean sister get lots of gifts and the fairy gift ends up being more like a curse). But it all ends well. :)

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Stars!
This was a really cute made up story. I like it was different from the original stories. It thought that this was not age appropriate for me because it is more like a children's stories. I did really think it would be more like a children's story. It still was a good book and I liked the writing.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this one, the first in a series of charming retellings of classic fairy tales.
Remember the two sisters, one mean and one good, who go to the well and come back
with various things dropping from their mouths when they speak? A clever twist here!