ALA Booklist (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1999)

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title The Fairy's Mistake. %% Gr. 36. Levine follows her splendid reworking of the Cinderella story, Ella Enchanted (1997), with Princess Tales, two much shorter fairy tale rewrites. In The Fairy's Mistake which is based on the French folktale Toads and Diamonds, Ethelinda the fairy is very disappointed when her reward to a nice sister, and her punishment to a nasty one, don't work out as she hoped: the nasty sister finds that threatening people with the bugs and vermin that come out of her mouth is useful; and the kind Rosella's pearls and jewels leave her at the mercy of the greedy. In The Princess Test a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Princess and the Pea, a blacksmith's daughter turns out to be even fussier and more delicate than a princess. Although neither story achieves the depth and elegance of Ella both offer a pleasantly off-kilter spin on old favorites, and their lively style makes them excellent choices for reading aloud. Illustrations by Mark Elliott break up the text. (Reviewed April 15, 1999)

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

In The Fairy's Mistake, an extended spoof of the folktale "Toads and Diamonds," a fairy rewards and punishes two sisters' respective kindness and greed, but both plans backfire wildly. In The Princess Test, a retelling of Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea," a blacksmith's kind but fastidious daughter wins the prince's hand. Fans of funny fairy tales will enjoy these dryly humorous stories.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Two novellas that are grounded in well-known tales and set in the magical kingdom of Biddle. The Fairy's Mistake is a play on "Toads and Diamonds," a story from Perrault about gifts given by a witch to two sisters, one kind and the other unkind. The Princess Test is based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Princess and the Pea." Illustrated with full-page pen-and-ink drawings, both retellings are delightfully lighthearted, with little doubt that good will ultimately triumph over evil. There is a rich use of language and spirited characters, especially the females. Although "The Princess Tales" lack the complexity of plot and fantastical invention found in Levine's Ella Enchanted (HarperCollins, 1997), they make a nice addition to the genre of novels based on and yet departing from traditional tales. Although their short length and sly humor would make the books appeal to reluctant readers, the difficult font makes it hard to recommend them to that audience.-Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.