The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling

This book by JK Rowling is really fun.  I enjoyed these stories.  This book was written to help JK Rowling’s Charity with money.  There are 5 stories.  The stories are the magic version of what we would call “Fairy Tales” or “Fables.”  These are what the magic communities in Harry Potter’s world would be read to for bedtime stories though some could be quite shocking for little ones to be read to at bedtime.  My favorite part of the book is the actual stories.  They have some fun bonuses though.  Dumbledore (the character) gives insight and commentary on each one.  That is fun to read.  Also, the author JK Rowling gives footnotes.  Hermione (the character) is to have translated the stories.  I really thought the stories were fun and believable.  It was quick, light reading that went best when I was using my imagination.

Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon

What if the story of Cinderella has been wrong all this time?  What if all this time no one has gotten the details right?  The author writes this as being the real Cinderella story.  This is a story about a very happy family which consists of:  a dad, a mom and 4 little girls (Katrina, Cinder, Ella, and Beatrice).  Then something in the story happens that breaks up their happy family.  There is a change.  Soon things are not happy.  Cinder finds herself in a position to try to save her family and she’ll also have to save the entire kingdom from a very dark and evil prince.  That’s a heavy burden for anyone to bear but, Cinder will find she can do much to help.  I really liked this book.  It wasn’t the typical happily ever after book and yet it had a very satisfying ending.  It was a book that really makes you think about real life troubles and of family.  It was very hard to put down.

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.

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

This story is like its name…enchanting. This is a story about Lucinda. Her parents went to a ball and never came back. She lives with her uncle and very mean aunt. I think what I like most was that I didn't know where the story would lead to next. Things seem to change so quickly. I loved the male characters in the book. I grew to care for them quite a bit. I giggled quite a bit while reading this book. It is one of those precious books I wanted to read in one sitting. I even tried not to read it in one sitting but, kept coming back to it. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it again.