The Princess Test (Princess Tales) (Hardcover)

by Gail Carson Levine (Author), Mark Elliott (Illustrator) "Once upon a time, in the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes in the Kingdom of Biddle, a blacksmith's wife named Gussie gave birth to a lady girl..." (more)
Key Phrases: crocodile princess, true princess, serving maid, King Humphrey, Queen Hermione, Chief Royal Chambermaid (more...)

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.

Product Description
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.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (March 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006028062X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060280628
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,527 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

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 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!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars nothing compared to ella enchanted, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

I was rather disappointed by The Princess Test. You couldn't relate to the protaganist, Lorelei, for she was a useless, spoiled brat. There isn't much of a story, either- a girl, very much accustomed to a luxurious, opulent life, later on turns out to have a more luxurious, opulent life. I was surprised by Te Princess Test, for Ella Enchanted (by the same author) was a remake of a fairy tale and I loved it, but I really couldn't see what all the critics were raving about when they complimented on this novel. For all the hype, there really wasn't much to the story at all.