The Two Princesses of Bamarre [Paperback]

Gail Carson Levine (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When a plague strikes Bamarre, Princess Addie must save her sister.

Brave and adventureous, Princess Meryl dreams of fighting dragons and protecting the kingdom of Bamarre. Shy and fearful, Princess Addie is content to stay within the safety of the castle walls. The one thing that the sisters share is their unwavering love for each other.

The tables are turned, however, when the Gray Death leaves Meryl fatally ill. To save her sister, meek Princess Addie must find the courage to set out on a dangerous quest filled with dragons, unknown magic, and death itself. Time is running out, and the sisters' lives—and the future of the kingdom of Bamarre—hang in the balance.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After stealing the hearts of middle-grade girls with her delightful Newbery Honor-winning Cinderella retelling, Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine here creates a fairy tale of her own and gives it a characteristic grrrl-power twist. Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys. But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys--along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending. Young fans of princess stories will gobble this one up. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Levine (Ella Enchanted) enters a world of high fantasy with this latest princess tale, peopled with sorcerers, elves and fairies, but plot twists win out over character development. When teenage narrator Addie was two years old, and her sister, Meryl, just three, the siblings lost their mother to the Gray Death, a mysterious illness that continues to plague the kingdom of Bamarre, randomly selecting its victims. Meanwhile, under their monarch father's weak rule, "ogres, gryphons, specters and dragons... were slaughtering hundreds of Bamarrians every year." When the Gray Death strikes Meryl, Addie becomes determined to find the cure. Rhys, a sorcerer who fancies Addie, outfits her with a cloak ("It's not a cloak of invisibility," he tells her, "but if you're in shadow... you won't be noticed") and a tablecloth that produces food on demand; Bella, the girls' tutor, bequeaths to her gifts from their mother, seven-league boots ("the boots go seven leagues when you take a step") and a spyglass that can view a distance of seven leagues and also penetrate stone and wood. Despite Addie's myriad adventures (an encounter with a specter, an ogre and a dragon) and the courage she gains throughout, her character remains an enigma. Other subplots, such as Rhys and Addie's courtship, are not fully developed. Even after the heroine completes her mission (Levine plants clues to its outcome with a Beowulf-like poem interspersed throughout the novel), readers may feel let down. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006440966X
• ISBN-13: 978-0064409667
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (232 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,558 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

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than Ella Enchanted, June 10, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Hardcover)

The Two Princesses of Bamarre is about two completely different princesses. The older one, Meryl, is courageous, brave and valiant, always wanting to fight dangerous creatures, such as: Vollys the dragon, specters, monsters, and even ogres! The other one, Addie, is the opposite. She is afraid of everything, starting with spiders, and will not let Meryl leave her side until she is happily wed. One day, the most terrible thing happens. Meryl was sick with the Gray Death, the most feared illness of them all. Many hundreds die of it every year. Addie, inspired by Drualt, her hero, realizes that she must go find the cure, to save her beloved sister and lots of others. Along with the help of her friend Rhys, the young sorcerer and many gifts from Bella and her late mother, she sets out on her quest. She comes across ogres, dragons, specters and many other dangers. Will Addie be able to save her sister? Will she survive? What will become of Rhys? What will become of Meryl? You'll have to read the book to find out! I recommend this book to children ages 9 and up. I rate it five stars because it's the best book in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Levine returns!, April 1, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Hardcover)

Gail Levine returns to the terrain that she does best, strong and intelligent princesses -- only here she expands her terrain. After the so-so outing of "The Wish" and the delightful but all-too-short Princess stories, fans of "Ella Enchanted" will not be disappointed!

The bubonic plague of Bamarre is the Gray Death, killing anyone it touches. While shy Princess Addie merely wishes to remain where she is, brave Princess Meryl is determined to save Bamarre from the Gray Death. Though the sisters are as different as day and night, they love each other a great deal.

But as hard as Meryl tries to save Bamarre, she falls ill with the dread disease. Addie must set off on a quest to save their kingdom -- and her beloved sister. Her innate shyness and retiring nature must be overcome before the exciting end of the adventure. Her characterizations are spot-on, especially Addie. She manages to portray a quiet, retiring young girl in a sympathetic light, without making her seem pathetic or weak. The male lead, Rhys, is strong but not overbearing, kind and very, very cool.

Levine's evocative writing style has matured further from "Ella Enchanted," becoming more flowing and poetic in the dialogue and descriptions. But, like "Ella," we are given very human kingdoms mixed with otherworldly beasts and creatures, dragons and spectors and griffins and so forth.

If you are one of the many girls (women, men, boys...) who cheer for strong heroines, then pick up this book immediately!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive fantasy, June 30, 2001

By 

Nancy E. "Nancy" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Hardcover)

In the country of Bamarre there live two Princesses, as different as night and day. One of them Addie is timid and shy but loves no one more than her sister Meryl. Her sister Meryl is strong, stubborn and brave. Meryl's life mission is to one day find the cure for the grey death, a plague that kills people very quickly. Addie only wishes to stay safe inside her palace but her wish is not granted. When her sister is sticken with the grey death she knows she has to do something. But when this something turns out to be leaving her home and finding the cure, facing specters and dragons she finds it hard to deal. Even with the help of a sorceror. Can she save her sister? Or will she be too timid to follow through.

I found this book to be very impressive. It was entertaining to see Addie's transfomration through the book from timid little sister, to something more. I reccomend it to fans of Levine's 1st book Ella Enchanted. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. The only complaint I has was some parts where a tad bit predictable. Other than that it was great. Enjoy!