Ella Enchanted
#3584.02 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1997 Reading commitment Low Gail Carson Levine Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Overview
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling by Gail Carson Levine in which the heroine, Ella of Frell, is cursed at birth by a well-meaning but careless fairy with a "gift" of obedience, compelling her to follow any direct order, and she must find a way to break the curse before it destroys her. Set in the fairy-tale kingdom of Kyrria, the 1997 novel follows Ella through finishing school, an ogre encounter, and a budding relationship with the kingdom's prince as she searches for a way around her affliction rather than simple defiance of it. The book won a 1998 Newbery Honor and became one of the best-known Cinderella-adjacent works of modern children's fantasy, later adapted into a 2004 feature film starring Anne Hathaway. Two later companion novels return to the kingdom of Kyrria with different characters, extending the setting beyond Ella's own story.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Ella Enchanted (1997) core · 4.02 (427,245 ratings); A Cinderella retelling in which the protagonist is cursed at birth with a "gift" of obedience she must find a way to break.
Library / Expanded (2 works)
Kingdom of Kyrria companion novels Gail Carson Levine
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fairest | 2006 | 3.89 (69,602 ratings) | |
 | Ogre Enchanted | 2018 | 3.62 (6,922 ratings) |
Later standalone fairy-tale retellings set in the same kingdom (a Snow White retelling and a prequel), not required reading to follow the original novel's own story.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Ella Enchanted? Ella Enchanted's Core Canon is 1 book, plus 2 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- Is Ella Enchanted finished? Complete (1997).
- How much reading does Ella Enchanted take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~240 pages).
- How is Ella Enchanted ranked? #358 in this site's official ranking, based on 427,245 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #358?
Ranked #358 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.02 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 427k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #357, Fairyland (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 427k ratings · Ranks #358 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- The Girl Who Drank the Moon Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 4.11
- Fairyland Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.02
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.02 across 427,245 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Ella Enchanted admitted accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the original 1997 novel; Expanded Canon is two later standalone fairy-tale retellings set in the same kingdom.