Levine, Gail Carson. The two princesses of Bamarre.HarperTrophy. 242p. c2001. 0-06-440966-X. $5.99. J To quote KLIATT's May 2001 review of the hardcover edition: Levine contributes to our literature with modern fairy tales--ones that still have ogres, fairies, dragons, magical swords, and so forth. Her reworking of the Cinderella story, Ella Enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. , was a 1998 Newbery Honor The Newbery Honor is a citation given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA). The Newbery Honor is given to worthy runners-up for the Newbery Medal, a higher honor. Book. This story is about sisters, princesses in a kingdom in which people die of a mysterious illness called the Gray Death. One sister is brave, dreaming of adventure; the other is timid, relying on her sister, afraid of spiders and many other things. Meryl, the strong sister, is struck down by the Grey Death--her death will come in a matter of days unless someone finds a cure for the illness. Addle ad·dle v. ad·dled, ad·dling, ad·dles v.tr. To muddle; confuse: "My brain is a bit addled by whiskey" Eugene O'Neill. See Synonyms at confuse. , the timid princess, loves Meryl so much she finds the courage to leave their home to go in search of the cure. Addie's adventures are numerous: she kills an ogre, causes the death of many gryphons and even stabs the ancient dragon who captures her and keeps her prisoner--the dragon who reveals the nature of the cure that will save Meryl. The action is relentless, and until the last hour of Meryr's life Addle struggles to save her sister, fulfilling the prophecy that the cure will be found when the timid find courage. (So the fairy tale fairy tale Simple narrative typically of folk origin dealing with supernatural beings. Fairy tales may be written or told for the amusement of children or may have a more sophisticated narrative containing supernatural or obviously improbable events, scenes, and personages even has a moral attached.) This is a fanciful story that belongs solidly in children's literature children's literature, writing whose primary audience is children. See also children's book illustration. The Beginnings of Children's Literature The earliest of what came to be regarded as children's literature was first meant for adults. more than YA literature: it lacks the bite of the latter. But younger YAs who love high fantasy High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. Built upon the platform of a diverse body of works in the already very popular fantasy genre, high fantasy came to fruition through the work of authors such as C. S. Lewis and, foremost, J. R. will certainly enjoy the adventures of these sisters. KLIATT |
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