ELLA ENCHANTED

Why did Cinderella carry out the bidding of her evil step-relatives? Now consider whether obedience is a blessing or a curse. What if anyone could control you with an order? Eden Riegel's high, childlike voice is the consummate match for this first-person narrative. Her sweet-voiced Ella, under the dominion of a vulgar stepmother and duplicitous stepsisters, reveals the gift of obedience (from fairy Lucinda) to be a scourge that only someone of Ella's sensitivity and intelligence would have the means to outwit. Riegel's smooth delivery of the exotic languages of the elves, gnomes, giants, and ogres enhances the fantasy element while occasional interludes of music add to the medieval air of the story. A lively and satisfying reading of the 1998 Newbery Honor Book. T.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 99]