Book Review: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine is due to be released on May 10 2011. Twelve- year-old Elodie journeys to become an apprentice, only to discover she cannot afford it. Suspicious town 's people, a dragon, an ogre, flighty princess, greedy king and thieves all play their parts in altering her path. Instead of apprenticing as a weaver, as her parents expect, or as a traveling actress as she desires Elodie is offered a chance to become a dragon's assistant. The dragon teaches common sense, induction, observation and deduction. In her adventures, she meets those that are trustworthy, and those who are not. There is a hated ogre with a heart of gold, intelligent dragon, charming thief, spies and felines of all kinds. Elodie learns to look beyond appearances, to truly observe the world around her, question the motives of others and trust in her own intelligence.

Gail Carson Levine, most widely known for Ella Enchanted, has yet to disappoint me. A Tale of Two Castles continued the trend of fantasy story with a classic fairy tale feel. Elodie is a brave, outspoken girl that tends to get herself in to difficult situations because of those very traits. The story combines aspects of several great stories and left me wanting more. A girls solving a mystery or two on behest of the dragon she works for, but she would be on the case anyway because the victim of the crimes is someone she likes. While Elodie might be disappointed with the twists of fate that led her to the dragon's lair, she discovers that acting is something she can weave into her everyday life and as an aid to get herself out of dangerous situations. She is a quick study, and learns rapidly that appearances are deceiving and both good and evil can come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

While A Tale of Two Castles is a children's book, the language and feel of the book is far from juvenile. I think that people of all ages, from around nine to ninety-nine, will be able to enjoy this story. A dragon detective, mystery, shape shifting ogre and villain in the guise of a good person all come together to form a compelling and enchanting story. I highly recommend A Tale of Two Castles and all books by Gail Carson Levine to anyone that enjoys reading well-written books for children, books with a fairy tale feel, fantasies, mysteries, coming of age stories, and anything else. It is a fun read with a good message about looking past appearances.