Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella story with a twist. When Ella is born, a fairy named Lucinda gives her the gift of obedience. Now, whenever anyone gives Ella an order, she must follow it. At first, Ella’s mother and their cook protect Ella. When Lady Eleanor dies, Ella’s father remarries.
As you can imagine, this causes Ella all kinds of trouble. Her mean stepsisters, Hattie and Olive, pull simple pranks. For example, Hattie tells Ella not to eat. Hattie even orders Ella to stop being friends with Areida.
Ella meets Prince Char. Even though she cares for him, Ella fears the spell will cause her to do something harmful.
Ella decides to go on a quest to find Lucinda. She wants her to remove the “curse.”
Read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine to see if Ella is successful.
Ella Enchanted Activities
Book Unit Samples
This sample contains the following:
- Comprehension for Chapters 1-3
- Constructed Response Question
Teaching Idea #1 ~ Comparing Cinderella Stories
Literally, thousands of Cinderella stories have been told. Some popular versions include:
- The Rough Face Girl
- Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters
- Cinder
In these books, Cinderella is a Native American, from China, from Africa, and even a cyborg.
In these books, Cinderella is a Native American, from China, from Africa, and even a cyborg.
This free printable may be used to compare Ella Enchanted to any Cinderella story. The three mini-books include guiding questions such as:
- What are the first and last lines of the story?
- Is Cinderella from a royal family?
- Does the story have good vs. evil characters?
- Is magic part of the story?
- What are some problems and solutions?
- Are events grouped in threes or sevens?
Teaching Idea #2 ~ Comparing Ella Enchanted to the Traditional Cinderella Story
If you wish to go with the traditional version of Cinderella, you may download my free unit from Teachers Pay Teachers. This unit includes the story in an illustrated book form. It also contains a paper-friendly version.
The reading level is G.E. 5.1. This makes it the appropriate level for students reading Ella Enchanted.
Teaching Idea #3 ~ Student Projects
See student projects including timelines, bookmarks, and illustrations from the story.
Teaching Idea #4 ~ Comparing the Book to the Movie
Opinions vary as to if the movie captures the essence of the book. While the movie does retain the basic storyline of the book and some of its key themes, the changes made to the plot, characters, and setting may be seen as significant by some readers.
Here are some key differences:
Age:
In the book, Ella is only 15 years old, but in the movie, she is portrayed as a young adult.
Plot:
While the overall plot of the book is retained in the movie, there are several changes made to the story. For instance, in the movie, Prince Charmont (Char) is more of a main character. He plays a larger role in the plot than he does in the book. Also, the ending of the movie is different from the book.
Characters:
Several characters from the book are either omitted or reduced in importance in the movie. For example, Ella’s stepsisters are not as prominent in the movie as they are in the book. Additionally, the fairy Lucinda, who is a key character in the book, has a smaller role in the movie.
Setting:
While the book is set in a medieval-like kingdom, the movie has a more modern feel to it, with a mix of medieval and contemporary elements.
See the product that inspired this post.
Ella Enchanted Novel Study includes vocabulary practice, comprehension questions, constructed response writing, and skill practice.
