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At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery, trying to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you've ever read.

本书荣获1998年纽伯瑞儿童文学奖银奖。这是一本充满勇气、趣味十足的小说。小主人公爱拉一出生即得到仙女的一份恐怖的礼物——服从，对任何人的话必须惟命是从，这让她随时随地陷入困扰、矛盾和痛苦之中。然而爱拉凭借她慧黠、勇敢和反叛的个性，在寻求自由和发现自我的路途中一一化险为夷。她机智地驯服了食人妖，与精灵结为朋友，并且与王子坠入爱河。在宫廷盛大的假面舞会上，她为了救心爱的王子，忍受身心痛苦，与咒语进行了激烈的抗争……小说情节生动曲折，悬念迭出，极富吸引力。