Ella Enchanted

Levine, G. (1997). Ella Enchanted. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Annotation: At birth Ella is given a gift, the gift of obedience by Lucinda. When Ella’s mother dies, her father remarries to a terrible stepmother with terrible stepchildren. Ella is forced to obey their commands no matter how she feels. As a result, Ella sets out to find Lucinda and ends up falling in love with the prince, finding Lucinda and breaking the curse of obedience.

Genre: Fantasy

Grade Level: 3-5

Readers who will like this: Readers who enjoy Cinderella and fantasy/magical stories.

Response/Rating (1-4):*** I highly enjoyed this book because the book it is similar to Cinderella but has more magical spells, magical creatures and more detail that the original story of Cinderella. This book allows readers to enter a magical world and get lost in relationships that could exist in real life.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: If you could grant one wish for an infant, what would want to give them?

Reading Strategies Connection: Plot Profiles

In this activity, students will mark on a graph how they viewed the excitement or tension in a chapter. At the end of the novel, students will visually see where the plot thickens or calms down. The students will learn about plot development. This type of activity is introduced when students are learning about plots. They will learn about conflict and how conflict is the driving force in books that makes students want to keep reading.

This is a relevant activity for Ella Enchanted because for some students this book may not sound interesting, so graphing their sense of excitement in each chapter allows them to gain insight into the book and their feelings. This book may be complicated in all the magical elements that occur throughout the book (orges, giants, and magical spells) and understanding the relationship between Ella and Lucinda that marking the excitement in a graph can create discussion. Students will be able to discuss what that chapter meant to them and a genuine excitement for Ella Enchanted may develop.