Ella Enchanted
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 11+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
A clever, funny Cinderella with a brave heroine who gives up the man she loves to protect him and his kingdom. The fairies and spells are story-world magic, not occult practice. Two things need a parent. When Ella's mother dies, the book offers no hope of meeting again. And obedience appears only as a curse, never as a virtue freely given to rightful authority.
For parents
Read aloud from 9, independent reading from 11. Common Sense Media says 11 and up. Ask why Ella's curse is not real obedience, and how obeying God and parents out of love is different (CCC 2216). Ask what Christians hope for when someone we love dies.