Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It by Gail Carson Levine

False Apology Poems

5 stars
picture book

This is just to say....

Based on the William Carlos Williams poem "This Is Just to Say", this book is full of some of the funniest "apologies" ever.

Some are immediately recognizable fairy tale characters, some are just funny situations, and a few are even directly from the author to the reader.

Mister was amused, though I'm not sure he understood why it was funny.

Boo thought it was hilarious.  She recognized most of the fairy tale-based poems right away and had a lot of fun spotting those.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

5 stars
reread

I love this book.  I had forgotten just how much I love this book.

This was a Great Reads for Girls pick, but we couldn't go that month and so Boo still hasn't read it.  Which is a shame, 'cause it's just so darn good.

And you know what?  I love the movie too.

Not because it at all resembles the book.  Because it really really doesn't.  But it's cute.  (Though if you haven't seen the alternate ending in the deleted scenes, you totally need to.  They really should have used it.)

I had forgotten, though, just how much more DEPTH the book has!  And how closely it follows the original Cinderella tale.

Overall, always recommended.  :)

The Princess Test (and others) by Gail Carson Levine

The Princess Test
Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep
The Fairy's Return
For Biddle's Sake
The Fairy's Mistake

I love these books.

Quick and quirky, these are fairy tales as they were meant to be.

Totally recommended for anyone and everyone.

(Please note that Levine has others in this collection as well, these are just the ones I read recently.)

Boo Review: Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine

Fairies and the Quest for Neverland by Gail Carson Levine

5 stars
JF
Disney Fairies

So you had to know we couldn't get through Once Upon A Week without a Disney fairy book!

This is the latest from Gail Carson Levine, whose books I love and adore.  I wish desperately that Disney had done the movies based on her beautiful books, but whatever.

This one is lots of fun because we have a Clumsy (human) who's a descendant of Wendy.  Her perspective gives a new twist to these stories.

Very cute, definitely recommended.  You don't have to read the other two first, but it's helpful, since there are a few references you'll miss otherwise.

And I LOVE the references at the end, when Gwendolyn is telling stories to the lost boys, because I'm pretty sure some of them refer to other books by Levine.  Too funny.

Of course, David Christiana's illustrations are GORGEOUS too.

HIGHLY recommended!!

(Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge.)

Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine

And then there's the fabulous sequel! (That's right, it is really a different book from yesterday, I promise.)


Wands are dangerous things, but the fairies are back and they must find one or face the wrath of the mermaid Soop. (You should never mess with mermaids.)

This is another excellent installment from Gail Carson Levine-- again with amazing illustrations!

Between the two, Levine's Disney Fairy books really set up the world for all of the little books that have been written (by other authors) about each individual fairy.

Have you noticed, though, that the Disney movie Tinkerbell threw a lot of it out the window?

Okay, technically I haven't seen the whole thing and I guess maybe they can mesh them, but when you've had an author like Levine give you such a marvelous world, why not use it?! Drives me nuts.

Why do you suppose that is? I mean, Disney's got their logo on the books, right? They had to have at least approved them. Why would they create a different tone and world and even different characters for the movies?

Somebody, anybody, explain this to me!

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine

Welcome to Fairy Week! (Yeah, I know, it's Tuesday.)

I have a tiny little obsession with the Disney Fairy books. Okay, maybe it's a big huge obsession.

Anyway.

Here it is, the book that started it all.

I LOVE Gail Carson Levine. I really do. And her writing plus Disney must equal fantastic!

This is the book that really gives life to Tinkerbell and her friends and the world of Pixie Hollow. We're introduced to Rani- a water-talent fairy, and Vidia- a fast-flying (and not always nice) fairy, Lily- plant-talent, Terrence- a sparrowman (boy fairy), Beck and Bess (painting and animals respectively... no wait, reverse that) and the brand new Prilla, who doesn't seem to have a talent at all.

This has never happened before and no one is quite sure what to make of it. But Prilla, it turns out, just has a talent no one has seen before, and it's needed when Mother Dove's egg breaks.

Mother Dove's egg is the source of magic in Neverland. So off the fairies go, on a quest to make it all right again.

This is a great story with absolutely wonderful illustrations!

Buying Books!

Inspired by Amy's Challenge and Cari's post, and armed with gift cards, I went shopping over the weekend!
Yep, I bought myself books for my birthday. (Or were the gift cards from Christmas? No, definitely birthday.)
Gotta love browsing the bookstore!

I got The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! because the library only lets you renew things so many times.... Same with Magic Lost, Trouble Found, and I popped my SIGNED BOOKPLATE from Lisa Shearin in it! I had to have them order Armed and Magical, but I should get that next week!

Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Sanctuary was the only one of hers they had, but I do have a used copy of Silent in the Grave, so that works. For now.

And they didn't have Tasha Alexander's Fatal Waltz, so I could only get And Only to Deceive and Poisoned Season. But hey, it's all good.

And I LOVE the paperback copy of Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg, so I'm waiting for the paperback to get Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Wand too. Gotta love Gail Carson Levine!

:D:D

I love buying books!