Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (The Princess Tales, #4) by Gail Carson Levine

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (The Princess Tales, #4) Reviews

• 
  Wren (fablesandwren)

  Do you like retelling of fairy-tales? Gail Carson Levine is the author for you. She is witty, and pokes fun at fairy-tales all the while making you love the story even more.
  
  “When he was six years old, Ellis invented flying powder. He sprinkled the powder on his tin cup, and the cup began to rise up the chimney. He stuck his head into the fireplace to see how far up it would go. (The fire was out, of course.)”
  – Cinderellis and the Glass Hill by Gail Carson Levine
  
  Just by the first page, you can grasp the humor Levine puts in her words. Her use of run-on sentences leaves you out of breath and laughing from the repetitiveness. Her objective to point out the obvious will keep you entertained.
  
  In Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, a retelling of a Norwegian fairy-tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in Norske Folkeeventyr, the youngest of three brothers obtains a series of magical horses. He has a special gift for making special powders to help the farm, but the brother’s don’t bother giving him any attention. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, after all. This story also weaves in the classic Italian fairy tale called Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper. I say this because of the name she gives the main guy character, two siblings that are rude and mean to the other, and a contest that takes three days that ends in marriage. Now we have two stories in one book? It’s our lucky day folks.
  
  Cinderellis and Marigold have two things in common: their family doesn't pay much attention to them, and their best friends are animals (horses and a cat). They are terribly lonely and only want their family to love them and spend time with them. But, alas, that isn't how things happen for them.
  
  Marigold’s father goes on crazy quest to find crazy things and ends up with even crazier findings. He comes up with an idea to find the perfect husband for his lovely daughter. In order to marry her, a suitor must have armor, a horse, be courageous, brave and be able to ride a horse very well. Climbing up a very slippery, shiny glass hill is the logical solution!
  
  Will Marigold end up marrying a scary man? Will Cinderellis win the affections of his brothers? Will Cinderellis’ crops stop disappearing? Will Marigold’s father find something actually useful on his quest?
  
  Levine has a splash of humor you will not find anyone else. Using plays on words and awkward humor, this is perfect for a story for a young girl or for a grown woman who can’t get enough of fairy-tales (cough me). I will always be a fan of Levine’s writing and I am so happy I picked them up first on my own quest to reread all my favorite books.
• 
  Rosh

  This has its high points, especially in terms of funny moments. But somehow, I couldn't get into the story. It started out well but soon became repetitive. I wouldn't call this a faithful retelling because it has hardly any points of similarities with the original "Cinderella". Just the initial part has some points in common with the fairy tale. But still, worth a try for the humour.
• 
  Leah

  Another enchanting fairy tale retelling by Gail Carson Levine. This time the hero is a resourceful but lonely farmer boy given the nickname Cinderellis by his unkind brothers. And the herione is a gentle but lonely princess living in the castle of her father who often leaves her to go on quests.
• 
  Amanda

  I enjoyed the animal perspectives, the spoofs of quests and the subverted Cinderella icons. Imagining Burt and Ralph as the Weasley twins took away some of my frustration with those characters.
• 
  Milliebot

  This was a super cute gender swap loosely based on Cinderella plus any fairytale where a guy has to do some impossible task to gain the hand of the princess. Both Ellis and princess Marigold were lonely and seeking companionship from their family, which was sad, but gave them good motivation for a short story.
• 
  Helena Henriques

  I really love this fairy tale! It is a sweet, simple story, and it's a great take on Cinderella.
• 
  Tessa

  Cute
• 
  Zachary

  Tessa made me read this to her
• 
  Leslie

  I read this with my kindergartner for a bed-time chapter book. We both enjoyed this twist on the Cinderella story. It is a short, fun read and great for young readers.
• 
  Christopher Hicks

  It was a cute re telling of the Cinderella story told from a male perspective. It was s quick, fun read. I read it for my YA Bookclub. Any fan of Cinderella would enjoy this book
• 
  Jane

  Cinderella recast as a farm boy? Sold. Another clever retelling of a classic fairy tale
  by the mistress of the form, Gail Carson Levine.
• 
  Chanel Sharp

  Mom and I found this to be a quick, adorable listen. It was an interesting retelling of Cinderella, with Cinderella being a boy in this version, mom and I have read some version were Cinder is male. Over all we recommended this as a quick read or listen.
• 
  Madi

  I think that the theme is that you should try and try again.
• 
  Camille Esther

  This would be a great read-aloud for children. There wasn't much about it that sounded like a spin on the Cinderella story, but I enjoyed all the elements of different fairy-tales that were put into it. A fun read!
• 
  ☆Ruth☆

  This one was a bit too silly for my taste.
• 
  Isabelle✨

  Bruh I literally used to act this out with my brother as a kid.
• 
  Sarah

  Cinderellis and the Glass Hill is a fun short retelling of a couple of different fairy tales. Although it is part of a series (The Princess Tales) it can easily be read alone without the other books. The series is all set in the same world and the different books correspond and interact with each other but they are more of companion books rather than sequels and prequels.
  
  This is a short book and is easily read by an adult or older reader within a hour; however, for someone who likes to savor books or a younger reader it is easily can take longer. Within the book you have a silly story about a young farm lad and the country's princess. Although, the farm lad is the main focus throughout the book, we see things from both the princess and farm lad's point of view.
  
  The book's themes focus on loneliness and ingenuity. Both of the main characters find themselves lonely throughout the book and strive to find ways to counteract the loneliness they feel. The book also puts and emphasis of ingenuity and working hard to help yourself and others. We see both the farm lad and the princess using their own wits to try and solve their problems.
  
  Overall, this is a fun quick read that is enjoyable for both adults and children. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale flipped on its side.
• 
  Mladoria

  Une petite lecture sympathique, dans un royaume, un roi aventurier, ensorcelé par un lutin, cherche à marier sa fille de bien curieuse façon. Un garçon de ferme, peu considéré par ces deux frères, réalise quant à lui des tas d'inventions extraordinaires et excelle en tant que cavalier.
  Une réécriture de Cendrillon, mais ici c'est le jeune Sandrillé qui affrontera les épreuves et jouera d'ingéniosité pour conquérir le cœur de la douce Marigold.
  Un conte on ne peut plus classique dans sa structure ternaire mais aux détails originaux et assez loufoques point de pantoufle mais une colline escarpée, dur dur mais l'armure ne fait pas le chevalier.
  Distrayant et très simple à lire.
• 
  Jessica

  Currently free at
  Audible Stories
  
  Listening Time : 1 hour 18 minutes
  
  A lovely role reversal retelling of Cinderella, with other mythological elements sprinkled in.
  This also somewhat mitigated my most disliked aspects of the fairy tale such as Cinderella not retaliating against her relatives' mistreatment and the insta-love.
  
  I would recommend this (instead of the Disney animated version) to all little girls and boys, as the moral is far better.
• 
  Meg McGregor

  What a fun read! I loved how the Cinderella story is told from a boy's point of view.
  
  I especially enjoyed the fact that he uses his own ingenuity, and not the help of a fairy godmother, to win the princess!
  
  And I think his own way of naming the horses is quite unique and imaginative.
  
  Chasam = Copper Horse Arrives Shortly After Midnight
  Shasam = Silver Horse Arrives Shortly After Midnight
  Ghasam = Golden Horse Arrives Shortly After Midnight
  
  A great way to spend an afternoon!
• 
  Lisa Brown

  A cute twist on the story of Cinderella, with Ellis, the youngest of three boys and an amazing inventor, vying for the respect and attention his brothers never give him. It takes him on a wild adventure, with magical horses, golden apples, and a glass pyramid that he must climb to get to the princess. He may not end up with the respect he wants from his brothers, but he can get more than he ever imagined.
  
  Super cute and creative book. I enjoyed it, and I think my kids would really enjoy it.
• 
  Irene

  This is sold as being a gender flipped retelling of Cinderella, but reading it I discovered that it's rather based on the Norwegian folktales of Askeladden, "Ashlad", which was surprising in a very good way.
  Askeladden, Cinderellis in this book, is a bit more charming than his original, and a bit more pondering. The original tended to be written as a rather lazy boy, but with a good heart and good luck.
  The magical number of three is strong in this tale, as it is in all tales of Askeladden: three brothers, three horses, three challenges.
  The princess has a more central role in this story, of which I'm very glad; she was a delight, with a quick wit.
  It's a very cute, short romantic story.
• 
  Damaris M

  I lOVEEEE these fairy tales and this is definitely one of my favorites. I need to get them all. either as the bind up or individual. I actually love Cinderella retelling so I guess thats why I really enjoyed this one. Also it has , in a way i guess, science elements to it so thats always something that catches my attention.
• 
  Natalie

  This is not my favorite of the series, but my kids loved it. Hence the four stars. My boys loved the tinkering with the inventions and my daughter said that it's her favorite of all six stories. Their favorite part: the flea the size of a teacup. We have heard a number of jokes about that hungry, territorial, flea and the poor cat that had to travel with it.
• 
  M

  This was such a creative and imaginative story. A story for both boys and girls <3
  
  The lack of fairies plus an inventive main character (and yes Ellis you're a great farmer too) plus a wise princess <3 I love this more than the original Cinderella story and it makes much more sense? or not actually... just the finding the one who owns the armor matching the golden visor part.
  
  3.5 starsss
• 
  Susan

  I think this one was my favorite of the whole series! I've always known the story--the apples/impossible tasks, the 3 days to try it, etc. But this one has a main character who only wants to invent things and have someone appreciate them, and he and the princess actually like each other outside of everything else going on, so big win there.
• 
  Jennifer Price

  A Cute little 1 or 2 day read about a boy (Cinderellis) that enters a contest to marry a princess (Marygold). I would recommend this book to a child or young girl that maybe isn't the best reader but wants a chapter book.