Guest Review: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Guest reviewer Katie is a fantasy writer, avid reader, violinist, and high school student who is happy to be on summer break so she has more time to read. Here she reviews A Tale of Two Castles by Newbery-winning author Gail Carson Levine.
________

A Tale of Two Castles is written by Newbery Winning author Gail Carson Levine, who wrote Ella Enchanted. I’ve read many of her books and have loved them all. This one in particular is a favorite. The second time I read it I had forgotten the entire middle of the book so it was a familiar brand new story to me.

A young girl named Elodie decides to set out from home and go to the capital city where she hopes she can aspire to be a mansioner or an actress. Through a series of events instead of a mansioner, she becomes a dragon’s apprentice. Sent to spy for her Mastress, Elodie must figure out who is plotting against a shape-shifting ogre. Is it the greedy king, the giddy princess, the handsome cat trainer, or is it the dragon?

I loved how unique the tale is and the different personalities of each character. I think that this book would be great for girls in middle school and older.

__________

A Tale of Two Castles

By Gail Carson Levine

Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher

Year: 2011

Ages: Middle Grade Books, Young Adult Books, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

Newbery Books Worth Reading: Princess Academy

I'm sure you've heard that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (though as every book marketer and seller will tell you, people do it all the time). Well, I sometimes judge a book by its title. And that's why it took me a few years to give Princess Academy by Shannon Hale a chance.

I actually love fairy tales and their many retellings, but for some reason having the word princess in the title kept me from reading this book. But I changed my mind after reading it. It's certainly not for everyone, but middle grade girls will likely love the story, and lovers of young adult and middle grade books (like me) will likely enjoy this book as well. I don't think it's Shannon Hale's best, but it's still a good one. (Book of a Thousand Days is her best if you're wondering.)

Are you a Shannon Hale fan? Which book of hers is your favorite?
__________

Princess Academy
By Shannon Hale
Publisher: Bloomsbury Books for Children
Year: 2005
Ages/Themes: Middle, YA, Fairy Tales, Fantasy

The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill

I think I heard about The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill through Indiebound's list of recommendations from independent booksellers.

I've tried to describe the story, but I keep coming up short. I loved this book instantly and have recommended it to anyone who likes books that are a little different, a little dark, a little mystical. It's full of magic, unexpected heroes, tragedies, triumphs, family secrets, fantasy, and adventure. It's like reading a fairy tale--not a sparkly princess fairy tale, but a real fairy tale.

This book is great for middle grade readers, but I recommend it for young adults and adults too.
__________

The Witch's Boy
By Kelly Barnhill
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Year: 2014
Ages: Middle Grade, Young Adult

You can buy this book on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local independent bookstore.

Two Beauty and the Beast Tales

Before there was Shannon Hale, there was Robin McKinley. She was my favorite writer of fantasy and fairy tales when I was a teenager, and she remains in my top five.

One of the most interesting things about her books is that she wrote two different versions of Beauty and the Beast.

Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of the Beauty & the Beast was published in 1978. It's a beautiful and simple retelling. I've reread it many times over the years. It's easy enough and appropriate for kids as young as 10, possibly younger if they're an advanced reader.

Have you ever reread a book many years later and found that it was a very different book? Robin McKinley went a step further and revisited Beauty and the Beast to write a completely different story almost 20 years after her first one. I love Rose Daughter as much as I love Beauty, but for different reasons. Rose Daughter is for an older audience (though still completely appropriate content-wise). The writing is at a more advanced level and the story is deeper, more mature, and more intriguing.

I've always loved the story of Beauty and the Beast in its many forms. Is there a classic story you return to over and over again in different tellings?

__________

You can find Beauty and Rose Daughter on Amazon (affiliate links) or at your local independent book store.

Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." - Albert Einstein

There's lots of research showing that kids should be read fairy tales. And not the nicefied Disney version of Cinderella, but the original where the one of the stepsisters chops off her toes to try to fit into the glass slipper. Have you ever read any originals? They're far more gruesome than the versions we see in the movies.

One of my favorite books of fairy tales is Yummy by Lucy Cousins. The eight fairy tales she chose for this version revolve around food--whether Goldilocks is eating the three bears' porridge, or Red Riding Hood is getting eaten by a wolf. These versions hark back to the originals, without being too much for little kids even with the illustrations. (And don't worry, the woodsman chops the wolf open and Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge whole and unharmed.)

Do you have a favorite book of fairy tales?

__________

Yummy: Eight Favorite Fair Tales
By Lucy Cousins
Published by Candlewick Press
Year: 2009
Ages: Picture Books, Young Children

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman originally appeared in Rag & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales. Here it gets its own book and B&W illustrations.

From the title you can probably tell it is the story of Sleeping Beauty. But the sleeping sickness that takes over the castle begins to spread like a plague through the whole kingdom and even into neighboring towns. It is about to threaten the kingdom over the mountains, and so its queen goes on a journey to break the spell and cure the sleeping plague. She can make it through the land without falling asleep because she happens to be Snow White who survived a year of magical sleep herself. There are lots of fairy tale retellings, but this one is truly reimagined.

I loved this book. But it is not for everyone. Neil Gaiman's work is always interesting and beautiful, but also dark and haunting. If dark is not your thing (or your teen's thing), try a Shannon Hale fairy tale instead. But if you like things a little bit haunting, a little bit scary, and a little bit different, this may just be the perfect fairy tale book for you.
__________

The Sleeper and the Spindle
By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Publisher: Harper
Year: 2013
Info: B&W Illustrations
Ages: Young Adult
Themes: fairy tales
Source: our public library