Ella Enchanted is a takes place
in the land of Kyrria. Ella received the gift of being obedient
from the fairy Lucinda at her birth. This gift soon became a curse in disguise. Ella’s mother and their cook Mandy pleaded
with Lucinda to undo the curse, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Ella’s mother had her promise not to tell anyone
of the curse. Although she had to be obedient to commands, she would not always do them with the grace a young lady should
posses. “Instead of making me docile, Lucinda’s curse made a rebel out of me.” Ella would delay her obedience
until it was physically impossible for her to take.
After her mother’s death,
Ella discovers that her cook Mandy is her fairy godmother. Mandy is described as having frizzy gray hair, a double chin, and
freckles on her face. She only does small magic around the kitchen and cannot break Lucinda’s curse for Ella. Ella meets
Char, the prince of Kyrria and they soon become fats friends which later turns into a love for one another. Her father decides
to send her to a finishing school with her soon to be stepsisters. Her future stepmother, Dame Olga is described as being
plump, with pasty white skin and honey colored hair. She smelled of sour milk when she hugged Ella. Hattie has large front
teeth, stinky feet, and wore a wig. She was jealous of Ella. Olive had thin, curly hair, was dimwitted and was a bad speller.
Her future stepsisters discover her curse and take advantage of her while at school. Ella is fed up with her curse and decides
to run away from school to find the fairy Lucinda. This is when the adventure begins.
Levine has created a rare gem
in our main character Ella. Although she is known as clumsy and gawky, she makes up for her physical bumbling wither sharp
wit and her rebellious streak. Ella has an uncanny ability to mimic sounds. This helps her as she learns new languages such
as Ogress and Gnomic. Although Ella has the affection of Prince Char, she does not see him as her one and only goal. She loves
Char, but has the Kingdom in mind before everything else. Finally, she meets Lucinda face to face, but she will not erase
the curse.
Ella is a strong character who
doesn’t play the typical damsel in distress. She saves herself and others numerous times. With her unique characteristics,
she stands out as a three dimensional character. She sees and believes in the big scheme of things. She doesn’t take
things sitting down. The story takes a Cinderella like twist near the end of the book. Ella represents a twist to the traditional
roles females play in fairy tales. She is the fair maiden, knight in shining armor, and the savior to her beloved prince all
rolled into one. With many obstacles in our way, she still prevails with her determined spirit. A wonderful story that should
be shared with all ages.
