Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This story happens in Ayortha.  It is a story about a girl named Aza with a sister named Areida.  It doesn't talk much of Areida (the friend of Ella in the book "Ella)  It is mostly about Aza.  Aza is not pretty. She knows it.  This is a fun adventure she has and how she finds happiness, love, and adventure.  This book also follows a familiar fairy tale.  I liked this book.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I love the movie called "Ella Enchanted" a lot.  I also like this book too.  But I think they are both unique works and the movie does not follow the book.  It is like a separate work.  The main idea of someone having to be obedient is one of the few things similar but, not much else otherwise.  They are both good but not really the same story.  Ella is given a gift at birth...an awful gift.  She must be obedient.  See how she does deals with it and see how it is similar to a fairytale we all know.  This book is so fun to read.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

This is a continuing story from Princess of the Midnight Ball.  This is a story about Poppy after the Princess of the Midnight Ball.  It sounds a bit like another fairy tale we all know.

Poppy is sent to a neighboring kingdom to promote peace.  She is in a new community.  There is a strange green light that happens on occasion here and she is cautious because of her background.  She is in a new adventure involving magic.  I enjoyed this book.  It was a fast, fun read.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

On the acknowledgements page at the end of the book it says: "This story is based on the fairytale "Maid Maleen" as recorded by the Grimm brothers, though I took many liberties with the original in my quest to find Dashti's story."

This is a story about Dashti. Dashti is a mucker. She has a talent of singing and with that song she can heal. When she sings to a mistress to ease her aches, the mistress decides to train Dashti to be a maid for Lady Saren. So, Dashti learns to read, write, and care for her. It takes many months to just train.

So after her training, and barely becoming Lady Saren's maid, she goes to a very busy house and meets Lady Saran. Lady Saran right away makes her pledge to serve her.

Next, She finds out Lady Saren's father is going to lock her up into a tower for seven years because she would not marry the man her father had decided on for her. Lady Saren had another man in mind.

Dashti finds her self having to take care of Lady Saren in a cemented tower and writes it all in a book day by day. I couldn't help but want to keep reading this book. They have many adventures and I really liked discovering them for myself and I think you will too!

Loved this book, and I'd love to read it again.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

I am officially a Shannon Hale fan. This book was wonderful and I want more. Fortunately, there are more books about this same place called, "The Books of Bayern." I will be reading them.

I was hooked on his book by page 2. I recounted what had happened so far from page 2 to my husband. When I said it aloud I realized that everything was intriguing and so much happens even by page 2. I relished every word and couldn't put the book down.

Ani is born with her eyes closed. She doesn't open them until her Aunt comes and tells her stories in the middle of the night. She is close to her aunt and her Aunt teaches her many things and stories that come in handy later on in the story. I don't want to say too much because there's much to be discovered on your own.

I highly recommend this book and would love to read it again--if I didn't have more of her books to try.

The Adventures of Spider by Joyce Cooper Arkhurst Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

These are West African Folktales.

This book is great. I enjoyed reading it. It does have what I think would be the feel of listening to someone tell a few West African Folktales. I like it that they say spider is “just like a naughty little boy.” Spider is clever, mischievous, greedy, loves to eat, hates to work, and he plays a lot of tricks. It as the introduction says can be like us or like me.

These are fun stories. Each one teaches a lesson. I sat and read this book straight through. They are fun tales.

The pictures are fun. They are so appropriate for the subject. They remind me of what I think a folktale from West Africa would look like. He uses only a few colors on some. Those colors repeat on different picture pages. I like the colors and how they are dispersed. I also like that every once in a while they throw in a drawing without any color.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Wow! I couldn’t keep away from this book! Wonderful, Marvelous! I love happy endings. It is so intriguing and I kept wishing for the Lass throughout the book. I was pulling for her and her brother Hans Peter. At first, I thought the stranger in her bed was a bit weird, ended in a great way. Ahhhhhh! A book of true love and magic—it’s a fun book!

The cover says: "It’s based on the Nordic fairy tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” and has romantic echoes of Beauty and the beast." I would definitely agree with that.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

According to the jacket of the book, "Princess and the Midnight ball" is a reimagining of “The Twelve Dancing Princess.”

I would agree, It definitely tells a new tale and yet in the spirit of the old.
I love the spirit of this story. It has magic, yet it is still believable.

I love the love story between Rose and Galen. From the very beginning, I was pulling for these two. I find that a compliment to the author.

There is such intrigue in this book, that I was pulled in from the very first page and continued to want to read it every moment.

This was a great, fun, exciting, and romantic book. I highly recommend it.