Product Description

When a plague
strikes Bamarre,
Princess Addie must
save her sister.

Brave and adventureous, Princess Meryl dreams of fighting dragons and protecting the kingdom of Bamarre. Shy and fearful, Princess Addie is content to stay within the safety of the castle walls. The one thing that the sisters share is their unwavering love for each other.

The tables are turned, however, when the Gray Death leaves Meryl fatally ill. To save her sister, meek Princess Addie must find the courage to set out on a dangerous quest filled with dragons, unknown magic, and death itself. Time is running out, and the sisters' lives - and the future of the kingdom of Bamarre - hang in the balance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14716 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Released on: 2003-04-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780064409667
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
After stealing the hearts of middle-grade girls with her delightful Newbery Honor-winning Cinderella retelling, Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine here creates a fairy tale of her own and gives it a characteristic grrrl-power twist. Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcerer Rhys. But when Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death, Addie must gather her courage and set off alone on a quest to find the cure and save her beloved sister. Addie takes the seven-league boots and magic spyglass left to her by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak given to her by Rhys--along with a shy declaration of his love. She prevails in encounters with tricky specters (spiders too) and outwits a wickedly personable dragon in adventures touched with romance and a bittersweet ending. Young fans of princess stories will gobble this one up. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

From Publishers Weekly
Levine (Ella Enchanted) enters a world of high fantasy with this latest princess tale, peopled with sorcerers, elves and fairies, but plot twists win out over character development. When teenage narrator Addie was two years old, and her sister, Meryl, just three, the siblings lost their mother to the Gray Death, a mysterious illness that continues to plague the kingdom of Bamarre, randomly selecting its victims. Meanwhile, under their monarch father's weak rule, "ogres, gryphons, specters and dragons... were slaughtering hundreds of Bamarrians every year." When the Gray Death strikes Meryl, Addie becomes determined to find the cure. Rhys, a sorcerer who fancies Addie, outfits her with a cloak ("It's not a cloak of invisibility," he tells her, "but if you're in shadow... you won't be noticed") and a tablecloth that produces food on demand; Bella, the girls' tutor, bequeaths to her gifts from their mother, seven-league boots ("the boots go seven leagues when you take a step") and a spyglass that can view a distance of seven leagues and also penetrate stone and wood. Despite Addie's myriad adventures (an encounter with a specter, an ogre and a dragon) and the courage she gains throughout, her character remains an enigma. Other subplots, such as Rhys and Addie's courtship, are not fully developed. Even after the heroine completes her mission (Levine plants clues to its outcome with a Beowulf-like poem interspersed throughout the novel), readers may feel let down. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-This story takes place in a magical time and mystical place and is teaming with dragons, specters, gryphons, elves, and fairies. Princesses Addie and Meryl live with their father, the king, in the castle of Bamarre, where magic and sorcery are a part of everyday life. While Meryl is fearless and confident, Addie is quite comfortable letting others take care of her. When Meryl falls victim to a mysterious illness called the Gray Death, which has already taken countless citizens including the girls' mother, Addie is determined to find the cure and save her. The prophecy is that "the Gray Death will be cured when cowards find courage and rain falls over all Bamarre." Aided by magical gifts from her governess, the elf nurse, and the king's sorcerer, Addie begins her quest. In a Chaucer-like tale, the story of Drualt, a hero of epic proportions, is excerpted in verse throughout the story. He serves as a role model for Addie, who believes she is weak, but her adventures teach her that one must look within to find strength. While this lesson is presented in a somewhat didactic manner, it is one that adolescents can never hear too often. An unexpected twist neatly ties up most of the loose ends. The characters aren't as fully drawn and the writing is not as consistent as we have come to expect from Levine, resulting in a slow starter that speeds up slightly at the end.
Kit Vaughan, Midlothian Middle School, VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Even better than Ella Enchanted
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is about two completely different princesses. The older one, Meryl, is courageous, brave and valiant, always wanting to fight dangerous creatures, such as: Vollys the dragon, specters, monsters, and even ogres! The other one, Addie, is the opposite. She is afraid of everything, starting with spiders, and will not let Meryl leave her side until she is happily wed. One day, the most terrible thing happens. Meryl was sick with the Gray Death, the most feared illness of them all. Many hundreds die of it every year. Addie, inspired by Drualt, her hero, realizes that she must go find the cure, to save her beloved sister and lots of others. Along with the help of her friend Rhys, the young sorcerer and many gifts from Bella and her late mother, she sets out on her quest. She comes across ogres, dragons, specters and many other dangers. Will Addie be able to save her sister? Will she survive? What will become of Rhys? What will become of Meryl? You'll have to read the book to find out! I recommend this book to children ages 9 and up. I rate it five stars because it's the best book in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Levine returns!
Gail Levine returns to the terrain that she does best, strong and intelligent princesses -- only here she expands her terrain. After the so-so outing of "The Wish" and the delightful but all-too-short Princess stories, fans of "Ella Enchanted" will not be disappointed!

The bubonic plague of Bamarre is the Gray Death, killing anyone it touches. While shy Princess Addie merely wishes to remain where she is, brave Princess Meryl is determined to save Bamarre from the Gray Death. Though the sisters are as different as day and night, they love each other a great deal.

But as hard as Meryl tries to save Bamarre, she falls ill with the dread disease. Addie must set off on a quest to save their kingdom -- and her beloved sister. Her innate shyness and retiring nature must be overcome before the exciting end of the adventure. Her characterizations are spot-on, especially Addie. She manages to portray a quiet, retiring young girl in a sympathetic light, without making her seem pathetic or weak. The male lead, Rhys, is strong but not overbearing, kind and very, very cool.

Levine's evocative writing style has matured further from "Ella Enchanted," becoming more flowing and poetic in the dialogue and descriptions. But, like "Ella," we are given very human kingdoms mixed with otherworldly beasts and creatures, dragons and spectors and griffins and so forth.

If you are one of the many girls (women, men, boys...) who cheer for strong heroines, then pick up this book immediately!

An Excellent Tale!!
After writing a Newbery Honor-winning book called Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine has done it again in this excellent tale! Gail Carson Levine writes of two princesses who live in Bamarre. One of the princesses is Addie (Adeline) who is shy and fearful and her sister, Meryl is brave and bold. They had made a promise that when Addie is married and safe, Meryl could begin her adventures through the world. Unfortunately, after Addie's chambermaid Trina and their mother had caught the Gray Death disease and died, Meryl is sick with it as well. Addie gathers all her courage to seek the cure to save her sister with the gifts she recieve from the young sorceror Rhys and her friends. Addie takes her seven-leagues boots and her spyglass left by her mother and the enchanted tablecloth and cloak from Rhys also with a some shy love. Addie begins her dangerous adventure meeting tricky spectors, a clever interesting dragon, and many more creatures. Also adding a bit of romance for Addie and a magical ending. Any fans of magical creatures and princesses will fall in love with this book!!