Gail Carson Levine

books.

Early life

She credits her parents David and Sylvia for her creative streak. Her father, upon whom much of the story "Dave At Night" is based, owned a commercial art studio, and her mother was a teacher who wrote plays for her students to perform.

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

Professional life

Her first published novel was "Ella Enchanted". 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 Fairy Haven. Familiar characters such as Tinker Bell and Captain Hook 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 (the bully); and Prilla, a fairy whose talent seems to have fallen out of her on her way to Fairy Haven. Levine recently released a sequel to this book, titled "Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand."

There are more books by her coming out in 2008, such as a sequel to "The Two Princesses of Bamarre".
*Update: According to question asked at her most recent appearance at Barnes and Nobles, Littleton, Colorado, Levine stated that she is not planning a sequel but rather a prequel. The prequel to "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" would focus on the writer of Drualt's epic tale; however, she said that she has not yet begun writing and is only thinking about the idea.

Hong Kong Literary Festival

On March 12th, 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.

Gail has traveled most of the world to meet her readers at book signings for Ella and other books that have been translated into many languages.

Bibliography

*"Ella Enchanted" (1997)
*"Dave at Night" (1999)

*"The Fairy's Mistake" (1999)
*"The Princess Test" (1999)
*"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" (1999)
**also collected as "The Princess Tales: Volume One"

*"The Wish" (2000)
*"The Two Princesses of Bamarre" (2001)
*"Betsy Who Cried Wolf" (2002)

*"Cinderellis and the Glass Hill" (2000)
*"The Fairy's Return" (2002)
*"For Biddle's Sake" (2002)
** "The Princess Tales: Volume Two"

*"Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" (2005)
*"Fairest" (2006)
*"Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly" (2006)
*"Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand" (2007)
*"Ever" (2008)

References

* [1] Interview at [http://www.harperchildrens.com/ .com]

External links

* [http://www.gailcarsonlevinebooks.com/ Official web site]
* [http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/auth-illGailCarsonLevine.htm Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources Web site] , interview with Gail Carson Levine, December 2000.
* [http://disney.go.com/fairies/ Official web site of the Disney Fairies franchise]
* [http://www.festival.org.hk Hong Kong Literary Festival]