Gail Carson Levine

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Gail Carson Levine

Gail Carson Levine (born September 17, 1947 in New York, N.Y.) is an American author of young adult books.

1 Early life
2 Professional life
3 Hong Kong Literary Festival
4 Bibliography
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Early life

She credits her parents David and Sylvia for her creative streak. Her father owned a commercial art studio and her mother was a teacher who wrote plays for her students to perform. Her sister Rani teaches painting and has exhibited her works in the U.S. and Jamaica. Levine herself loved to draw and paint, but while taking a course on writing and illustrating for kids, she found that she had a penchant for writing instead. She says, "I had always been the hardest on myself when I drew and painted. I am not hard on myself when I write. I like what I write, so it is a much happier process." She now lives in Brewster, NY, with her husband, David, and Airedale, Baxter.

She was a member of the Scribble Scrabble Club in elementary school.

[edit] Professional life

Her first published novel was Ella Enchanted, which received garnered critical acclaim and earned her numerous awards, including a 1998 Newbery Honor. Ella Enchanted is a humorous retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. In Levine's version, a fairy named Lucinda gives Ella the "gift" of obedience. She must obey any command given her. The story follows Ella as she tries to find self-absorbed Lucinda (despite advice from the family cook, Mandy, who turns out to be Ella's godmother and fairy herself) and have the gift rescinded. The movie adaptation of the book keeps the same basic premise, but differs from the novel in several significant ways.

Telling fairy tales with a twist is a hallmark of Levine's writing. Her Princess Tales series, set in the Kingdom of Biddle, is a collection of light-hearted and heart-warming adventures with smart, sassy heroes and heroines.

Levine has also written an illustrated novel for young readers called Fairy Dust and the Quest For the Egg, which was published in 2005 by Disney Press as the cornerstone of the new "Disney Fairies" franchise. The novel explores the world of Never Land (of Barrie's and Disney's Peter Pan) and the community of fairies who live in the area of the island known as Pixie Hollow. Familiar characters such as Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan appear in the story, as well as original characters. Levine's fairy society is a peaceful one, where every fairy and sparrow man (male fairy) has a specific "talent" -- a job that they instinctively know how to do perfectly, and love. Some of the new characters introduced include Rani (named for Levine's sister), a water-talent fairy; Vidia, a fast-flying-talent fairy; and Prilla, a fairy who seems at first to have no talent. She loves poppy puff rolls which are made by another fairy, Dulcie, whose talent is baking.

A sequel to this novel, to be written by Levine and published in 2007, is currently in negotiation. There are more books by her coming out in 2008, such as a sequel to The Two Princesses of Bamarre.

[edit] Hong Kong Literary Festival

On 12th March 2007, Gail attended the Hong Kong International Literary Festival and talked about her life and read to young audiences at the Hong Kong Public Library. Her activities at the festival include a lecture on creating children's stories, and an afternoon tea meeting with educators, parents, and lovers of children's literature.

[edit] Bibliography

Ella Enchanted (1997)
Dave at Night (1999)
The Wish (2000)
Betsy Who Cried Wolf (2002)
The Princess Tales
- The Fairy's Mistake (1999)
- The Princess Test (1999)
- Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep (1999)
- Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (2000)
- The Fairy's Return (2002)
- For Biddle's Sake (2002)
- also collected as The Princess Tales: Volume One and The Princess Tales: Volume Two
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg (2005)
Fairest (2006)
Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly (2006)