Customer Reviews

Princess Tales Audio Collection, The

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Gail Carson Levine is best known for "Ella Enchanted," a smart retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. But she's also penned a series of short novellas, the Princess Tales. Now three of these cute stories are available in a three-for-one paperback, that fans of retold fairy tales will enjoy.

"The Princess Test" is tried on Lorelei when she stumbles onto a castle. There, all the girls who try out are tested as to whether they are "real" princesses, and the girl who is deemed most worthy will marry Prince Nicholas. But Nicholas wants a girl he loves!

"The Fairy's Mistake" is a definite problem. Two girls encounter the fairy Ethelinda, and she gives them what they deserve: Sweet Rosella has jewels and flowers fall from her mouth, while nasty Myrtle has snakes and toads. The mistake? Now Rosella is held captive by a greedy prince, and Myrtle is using her "gift" as blackmail.

"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" is a twist on a familiar tale -- spinning wheel, enchanted sleep, fairy gifts and curses. But there are a few elements that weren't there before -- balding sheep, a prince who doesn't work out, and fairies who are getting a little competitive.

These stories don't have the length to develop the depth of "Princesses of Bamarre" or "Ella Enchanted," but they're nice twists on the old fairy-tales. Her heroines are endearingly smart and independant, the love interests are likeable, and the twists on the stories are cute. (Such as the "Fairy's Mistake," where the blessing turns out to be more trouble than the curse)

If you like retold fables or smart heroines, then the three-pack "Princess Tales" are a good light read, especially for those who like a humorous ending.

I am reading these stories (both volume 1 & 2) to my 5 yr old who is completely enamored with princesses - mostly Disney. So I am exposing her to all sorts of princess stories - old and new. They have short chapters and lots of humor, making these books great read alouds. I am enjoying them just as much (if not more than) my daughter. The mixed up fairy tales, have the usual humble and pitiful beginnings and the famous happily everafter endings, but getting there is more than half the fun. Great stories for young and old alike.

I just love retellings of fairy tales, and Levine does some of the best work I've seen. They have just the right twist of humor to them, to show that she doesn't take herself too seriously, and the characters are so much fun! And it always has a happy ending, but not too sappy of an ending. I highly recommend this book for fantasy lovers of any age.

I love the way Gail Carson Levine has all of her chapters written in each different Princess story. The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep are three different retellings of Cinderella/or Ella Enchanted, The Princess and The Pea and of course...Sleeping Beauty.

Maybe someday, another one of Gail Carson Levine's books besides Ella Enchanted, will become live action movies, too.

The Princess Tales Volume One By Gail Carson Levine

Rosella is a princess that was granted with a spell that made jewels come out of her mouth when she talked. No one really appreciated her but they appreciated her jewels.

Lorelei was a girl that lived with her nanny that didnt like her very much at all. Lorelei ends up pretending that she was a princess and it turned out she did eveything a real princess should be able to do.

Sonaro was a princess that was granted with a spell that if she was pricked with needle she would fall asleep for a hundred years and a prince would wake her up with a kiss. Sonaro gets pricked by a needle and she falls asleep for a hundrd years and she wakes up with a prince that was perfect for her.

Three princesses are each fighting hard times with spells and people.

Hundreds of years ago on Snettering-On-Snoakes these three tales take place.

Beauty, bravery, fear, hope, and love all take place in the story making it very detailed and addicting to read.

I liked this story. These tales really made me want to keep reading to find out how these princesses would go on living and why.

This book was pretty good, but I think the stories should have extended longer. The three stories, The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, tell about girls back in time when fairies were real. Since I like these sort of things, I loved this book pretty much. The Fairy's Mistake kind of reminded me of Ella Enchanted, which is an excellent book. The Princess Test is a different tale of the Princess and the Pea, with a twist to it. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep also is like another story, Sleeping Beauty, but also has a twist to it. These three stories are some I would recommend to anyone who likes pretty much all of Gail Carson Levine's books!!

The Princess Tales are funny, clever, exciting and easy reads. The first story of volume one wasn't my favorite because I was so use to the classic princess tales where fairies don't mess up. I almost put the book down because I was upset with how the story was going. But the tales were funny and well written with intriguing characters so I felt compelled to keep reading and find out what happens to these princesses.

Not only is it an exciting twist on a classic fairy tales but the stories have great messages in them for all ages. These stories are clever in that it makes you compare the old classic tales with these new ones such as the old Princes and the Pea compares to the new the Princess Test and the old Sleeping Beauty to the new Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep. It makes you think "this is how they must have acted" instead of the old damsel in distress where the heroic prince comes and saves the day. I can't wait to share these new Princess tales with my niece when she is old enough. I'm sure she'll laugh and enjoy them just as much as I did.

This first volume of fairytale retellings by the legendary Gail Carson Levine includes 'The Princess and the Pea', 'Sleeping Beauty' and (To be honest, I'm not sure what story 'The Fairy's Mistake' is supposed to be.) All three stories are told in fun and amusing ways though Princess Sonora's "smartness" was really annoying since a lot of conclusions she came to were downright inaccurate. For a grownup stuff like that can be amusing but for a child it can be confusing.

These stories are all awesome. They are different, humorous and continually unpredicatble. Ms. Levine does a fabulous job of retelling well known fairy tales in such a way as to surprise and delight everyone and entertain even the most scattered of readers (not that I'm scattered or anything... I'm just saying, if I WAS:)

She has inspired me to write stories, and my children have been inspired to play make believe and make up new and interesting tales. She inspires creativity and thinking outside the box.

Fabulous story!

There was a time where trying to get my middle daughter to read was like trying to herd cats. Then she brought this book home from the school library. I didn't have to nag her once to finish it, she poured through it from cover to cover. She liked it because it was funny and captured her interest.

Well, I was sold. I bought this book and Volume II and it was the beginning of the turn around. They helped to inspire the love of reading I was hoping for with my daughter, and now she willingly reads a wider variety of books.