The Princess Test (Princess Tales) [Hardcover]

Gail Carson Levine (Author), Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Princess Tales

Gail Carson Levine charmed the world with Ella Enchanted, her spirited retelling of the Cinderella story. Now this award-winning author turns her attention to two more classic fairy tales, and deftly turns them upside down and inside out with her trademark wit and hilarity.

In The Fairy's Mistake, 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!

In The Princess Test, King Humphrey has decided its time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith's daughter. She's no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same--but how will she ever pass the terrible tests?

In these first two delightfully entertaining, laugh-out-loud Princess Tales, Gail Levine gently spoofs the notion that fairies are always right and that tests can never prove a persons worth, but holds fast to the notion that true love will always win in the end.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Two novellas that are grounded in well-known tales and set in the magical kingdom of Biddle. 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. The Princess Test is based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Illustrated with full-page pen-and-ink drawings, both retellings are delightfully lighthearted, with little doubt that good will ultimately triumph over evil. There is a rich use of language and spirited characters, especially the females. Although "The Princess Tales" lack the complexity of plot and fantastical invention found in Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997), they make a nice addition to the genre of novels based on and yet departing from traditional tales. Although their short length and sly humor would make the books appeal to reluctant readers, the difficult font makes it hard to recommend them to that audience.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Gail Carson Levine thinks she can write poetry. Forgive her; the doctors say she’ll be sane again soon. She was born in New York City and shares a birthday with William Carlos Williams. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, won a Newbery Honor. Gail’s other books include A Tale of Two Castles; the New York Times bestsellers Ever and 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 books Betsy Who Cried Wolf! and Betsy Red Hoodie, both illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail and her husband, David, live in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (March 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006028062X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060280628
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,565 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Dave At Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and her Princess Tales books: The Princess Test, The Fairy's Mistake, Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, For Biddle's Sake and The Fairy's Return. She is also the author of the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley.

In Her Own Words..."I grew up in New York City. In elementary school I was a charter member of the Scribble Scrabble Club, and in high school my poems were published in an anthology of student poetry. I didn't want to be a writer. First I wanted to act and then I wanted to be a painter like my big sister. In college, I was a Philosophy major, and my prose style was very dry and dull! My interest in the theater led me to my first writing experience as an adult. My husband David wrote the music and lyrics and I wrote the book for a children's musical, Spacenapped that was produced by a neighborhood theater in Brooklyn.

"And my painting brought me to writing for children in earnest. I took a class in writing and illustrating children's books and found that I was much more interested in the writing than in the illustrating.

"Most of my job life has had to do with welfare, first helping people find work and then as an administrator. The earlier experience was more direct and satisfying, and I enjoy thinking that a bunch of people somewhere are doing better today than they might have done if not for me."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A short or small book with an amazing or astounding story., June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Princess Test (Princess Tales) (Hardcover)

Superficially, one could point out that this book has only 100 or so pages and has double-spaced print. But that's silly. Because this book is so amazing! It tells the story of Lorilei, a girl who is extremly sensitive to everything. I mean, she can only sleep on satin sheets and the only chore she can perform without getting hurt is embrodery. When Lorilei falls in love with a prince, she finds out that his parents only want him to marry a true princess. There are having a series of tests to find a real princess. The tests are things like finding a fleck of raw noodle in a salad or finding the missing stitch in a tapestry . . . or feeling a pea through a mattress! Lorilei is up for this challange, as it's her "talent" . . . but will she pass the tests? The prince Nicolas, by the way, is a simple character but is NOT one-dimensinal like most fairy-tale princes are. And a great character was the king or father of the prince. He has the habit of using symolies or words that mean the same thing in a sentence. I hope you understand or comprehend what I mean about the king or monarch. He was one of my favorite or most-liked characters. Anyway, Lorilei is delightful, Trudy is hilarious, and this book shows that love is more important than blood . . . and that our "faults" can sometimes be our alleys. Read or look at the words of this story!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A absolutely awesome book!, July 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Princess Test (Princess Tales) (Hardcover)

This book was a classic fairy-tale story about an ordinary girl who is beautiful and kind, but when she offers to clean the dishes, she'll get a rash from the soapy water. Her father is a very busy widower whom hires a housekeeper to help around the house since his fragile daughter can't do anything except embroider and say if her bandage is too tight or too loose-- perfection is everything for her. Meanwhile, Prince Nicholas has to find a "true princess" Thus, any princess hoping to be queen shall take the princess test. The two stories collide when Prince Nicholas rides by Lorelei, the main characterand finds her "Looked pretty in the distance. As he got closer, she was still pretty. Not a raving pretty, but definitley pretty." He suddenly likes her in a loving way just by her beauty. When he comes home to his castle, his mother and father, the King and Queen tell him about the princess test and he wonders if Lorelei could pass the test. Will she even find out?

Read this book for a adveture through love, worrries, and a splurge of fary-tale fun!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (daughter) BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, September 21, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Princess Test (Princess Tales) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. When a blacksmith's wife dies, he needs to go away so he hires a maid to take care of his daughter, Lorelei. The maid does not like her at all, so she finds a way to get rid of Lorelei. The maid says that they are going on a picnic and leaves her. It starts to rain, so Lorelei needs to find a place to stay. She finds a castle and discovers that there's a princess test going on. Read the book to find out what happens. This book is great! I think everyone should read it!!!