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Fairest
by Gail Carson Levine
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780060734084 |
Only 3 left in stock at $7.95!
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
I was born singing. Most babies cry. I sang an aria. Or so I believe. I have no one to tell me the truth of it. I was abandoned when I was a month old, left at the Featherbed Inn in the Ayorthaian village of Amonta. It was January 12th of the year of Thunder Songs.
The fairy Lucinda has once again given a dreadful gift. This time it's a mysterious magical mirror. The gift is disastrous when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in a mirror if she can help it. In the Kingdom of Ayortha, Aza is most definitely not the fairest of them all. Many spurn her. Many scoff at her. She keeps out of sight.
But in a land of singers, Aza has her own gift, one she's come by without fairy intervention: a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates all who hear it. In Ontio Castle, merry Prince Ijori is drawn to it, and vain Queen Ivi wants to use it for her own ends. Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land.
In this spellbinding tale filled with humor, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how exquisite she truly is.
Review:
"In an alluring companion novel that some readers may argue even surpasses Ella Enchanted, Levine gives a visionary rendering of the Snow White tale that challenges conventional ideas of beauty. Fifteen-year-old narrator Aza is anything but pretty. In fact, she is so unsightly that her loving innkeeper parents (who found Aza abandoned as a baby) keep her hidden from most of their guests. However, Aza possesses two special gifts and when, through a series of events, she winds up in the royal court, her talents draw notice. She has a stunning singing voice (something prized among her fellow Ayorthaians), and she has the ability to throw her voice, so that it appears that someone else is singing (a talent that comes in handy when the vocally challenged queen is asked to sing in public). After Aza is made lady-in-waiting, she discovers a magic mirror that has the power to make her the fairest in the land. But becoming a raving beauty brings more heartache than joy — and could even cost Aza her life. Readers will instantly fall in love with the heroine, whose heart proves to be as warm as her voice. They will eagerly follow Aza's circuitous journey, one that leads to a tribe of gnomes (who may be distant relatives), lures Aza into a deadly trap and eventually brings her back to court, where she reunites with the man she adores, a prince who recognizes her inner beauty. Ages 8-14." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"[F]airy-tale romance...remarkable characters, and...wild, magical adventures." Booklist
Review:
"The plot is fast-paced, and Aza's growth and maturity are well crafted and believable." School Library Journal
Synopsis:
From critically acclaimed author Levine comes Fairest, a spellbinding retelling of Snow White set in the same magical world as Newbery Honor Book Ella Enchanted.
About the Author
Gail Carson Levine is an American author of young adult books.
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
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daisydan, June 8, 2008 (view all comments by daisydan)
I loved the magical land in Ella Enchanted, and this story doesn't disappoint. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good fairy tale.
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choco_princess, July 31, 2007 (view all comments by choco_princess)
I absolutley adored this book. It's about a girl named Aza who just hates herself. She lives in a land where everyone sings all the time. Aza has the best voice in the land, but that's not the problem. The problem is that she has a hideous face. She grew up with adoptive parents since her real ones abandoned her when she was just a baby. One day, Aza learns that she can make regular objects like bowls and staues sing and say things with her mind, a skill she calls illusing. Years later she goes to the king's wedding as the companion substitute for a duchess. There she becomes friends with the King's new wife, who is very pretty in looks, but not in voice, and becomes her lady in waiting. Aza is really happy, until the new queen threatens to do terrible things to her and her family if Aza doesn't illuse for her at the upcoming Sing so it sounds like she has a beautiful voice. Now Aza is trapped in a box, and can't turn to anyone for help, not even her new friend, the prince, without putting her family in danger.
Fairest is a very good book. If you like fairy tales with romance, evil mirrors, queens, ill kings, gnomes, ogres, and ugly maidens, then this is the book for you!
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mimagirl, August 23, 2006 (view all comments by mimagirl)
In a country where singing is as everyday as talking, Aza is blessed to have a beautiful voice . . . but she is not equally blessed with good looks. When she travels to the King's wedding she is afraid everyone will shun her because of her ugliness. Therefore she is pleasantly surprised when she is befriended not only by the Prince but the new Queen herself! But what if those people are not what they seem - or look - to be? What if she herself is not what she always thought? Before she knows it, Aza has delved deep into the intrigues of the court . . . perhaps too deep to stay alive.
I had a wonderful time reading this romping fairytale by the author of Ella Enchanted. One part that disappointed me was that the romance wasn't as charming or well played out as the one in Ella Enchanted. Nevertheless it was full of rich descriptions, colorful characters and an engaging plot.
View all 3 comments
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780060734084
- Author:
- Publisher:
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Author:
- Subject:
- Girls & Women
- Subject:
- Humorous Stories
- Subject:
- Fairy Tales & Folklore - Single Title
- Subject:
- Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary
- Subject:
- Self-acceptance
- Subject:
- Identity
- Subject:
- Fairy Tales & Folklore - General
- Publication Date:
- September 2006
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Grade Level:
- Children/juvenile
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 326
- Dimensions:
- 8.62x5.86x1.11 in. .98 lbs.
- Age Level:
- 08-12
