Olivia C.’s Letter Essay #4: Ella Enchanted

 

Dear Whoever Might Read This,

 

Recently I have finished Ella Enchanted a 232 page  Fantasy book written by Gail Carson Levine. A very successful author of young adult books, her first book Ella Enchanted, received the Newbery Honor award in 1998. In addition her books have won the John Newbery Medal and the Canfield Fisher Children’s Book.  Some other books that she has written are Fairest, Dave at Night, The Wish, and many more.

 

Ella Enchanted is well known for how creative the author’s imagination is, and how she includes such a powerful message. Its creative plot is a play on cinderella but not like any other cinderella story. One lesson that it teaches is to be proud in who you are. I didn’t realize this lesson until after I read this book.

 

The novel Ella Enchanted is about a girl Ella that has anything but an easy life. Starting from the beginning, when Ella was born she was given a gift to be obedient, no matter what. She was given this gift by a “fairy”. This may sound like a perfectly fine quality to have, but Ella would disagree. Especially when people take advantage of this gift. Also, unfortunately she has lost her mom and now is challenged with new stepsisters and a very mean stepmother. Ella has a desire to get this spell reversed. The only way she can do this is if the person who did it (the fairy, Lucinda) reverses it. So she goes on an adventure to try to find her. Along the way she meets people she never thought she would. She also realizes what’s important to her, when she’s faced with challenges.

 

I liked the way the author had such a free imagination, because of this it makes the book unforgettable. This is the best kind of writing because when people remember a book like this they remember the lessons that come with it. This is a skill that can’t be practiced, it’s a skill that people just have, making it even more unique.

 

The genre of this book is fantasy. It is fantasy obviously because it sort of takes place in a different world, although it does have real life aspects, like Ella going through losing her mother and having a stepmom and sisters. The fantasy parts include things like, a fairy giving her a “gift” and all the new creatures she met in the woods.

 

The main character, Ella is my favorite character. She is my favorite because, she shows how strong a person can be, to not get mad at the little things, and how to treat others with respect, no matter what type of person they are or what they look like. Ella is the “good guy” or protagonist in the story. I wouldn’t change anything about Ella.

 

One phrase I especially took a liking to is “How can you eat me? You’re too full to eat — all of you are…….Your bellies are as heavy as sacks of melons. ”  This is on page 37. I liked this phrase the most because while she is in great danger she is still funny.  She tries to lighten the mood. I have never heard this phrase before and thought it at first was peculiar, but later it became my favorite part. In other words her personality is unique which is another factor to this book being a great book.

 

After reading this book, Ella Enchanted I have learned about how powerful an imagination can be. I give this book a 6.

 

From,

Olivia C.

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5 thoughts on “Olivia C.’s Letter Essay #4: Ella Enchanted

  1. Hi Olivia,

    I enjoyed reading your letter essay. I especially liked the way you introduced the book, and told the reader about how the author has become famous for putting creative ideas into her books, and that this is a good example. This not only makes me want to try Ella Enchanted, but also other books by Gail Levine. One thing I think you could work on is including more text evidence. This would support your ideas more as you explain your answers to the three sentence starters to the readers.

    From,

    Meghan

  2. Olivia,

    Good job on your letter essay. I like how you talked about the other books written by the author; it gives context to the book. I also like phrases that you such as “I especially took a liking to…”. I thought it was good how you wrote the essay in your own way. good job.

  3. Dear Olivia,
    I really liked reading your letter essay and it was really good. it looked like you put a lot of effort into it. I especially liked what you wrote about the author and your review of the book

  4. Dear Olivia,
    Great letter essay! I really liked how you introduced this book, listing a handful of awards that the author has won with this novel. I also enjoyed how you explained why Ella was your favorite character since it gave the reader insight to her personality. One thing that would make it better is if you provided a deeper explanation to some of the ideas that you wrote about, such as what you liked about the author’s writing.

    -Alexandra

  5. Dear Olivia,

    I really enjoyed reading your letter essay. I have also read Ella Enchanted. I liked how you talked about the author’s imagination. Great job!

    Amelia W.

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