Fairest

Citation: Levine, G.J (2006) . Fairest . New York : Harper Collins.

Grade Level: 10-14

Genre: Fantasy

Themes: fractured fairy tale, specifically Snow White, self-esteem, love, adventure, loyalty, forgiveness, family, beauty, loving yourself the way you are

Main Characters: Aza (Main Character), Ijori (Main Characters love interest), Ivi (Antagonist)

Plot Summary:

Fairest is based loosely on the fairy tale Snow White. Aza lives in a kingdom where singing is part of everyday life. The residents often sing instead of speak to each other. At the beginning of the book the reader is introduced to Aza as a child left on a inn keeper's door step. We eventually find out that Aza has a beautiful voice but not an attractice appearance and she longs to be pretty. She is invited to accompany one of the inn's lodgers to the King's wedding and it is there that she meets Ivi, the new queen. Ivi, is impressed with Aza's voice and her ability to illuse (throw her voice). She employs Aza as her lady in waiting and then tells her she must illuse for her, because Ivi can not sing well and is embarassed about her voice. While living in the castle Aza meets Ijori, the Kings nephew and instantly falls in love. The plot begins to thicken but eventually all ends happily ever after.

Writing Style:

The story is told in the first person from Aza's point of view. The author descibes the life of this fantasy character very well and makes it believable for the reader.


Assessment of quality and utility:

I felt that the messages in this book were very positive. The characters are believable and although the story is a fantasy the reader can identify with many of the emotions the characters experience throughout the book. Aza begins the story feeling extremely embarassed about her appearance and throughout the book is trying with out a lot of success to accept her looks and believe in herself. At the end of the book Aza has come closer to acceptance although she still has a long way to go. This is a great message to give young readers. That self-acceptance is not an easy thing, takes a lot of dedication, and may take a long time to acheive but it is possible. The author also does a superb job to show that the pursuit of beauty, riches, or power can also lead to evil acts, and betrayal. The author shows us that a kind heart and loyalty to friends and family are far more important then beauty or power.

The story does get a bit contrived towards the end. It seems like the author suddenly feels the need to put the "magic mirror" from the Snow White fairy tale in the story and makes quite a stretch to do this. The mirror could have been worked into the story in a much simpler and less confusing way.

This book would make a terrific addition to the English curriculum because it has a lot of discussion fodder in its pages. One could talk about not only fractured fairy tales with this book but also good versus evil, and a variety of other topics. It could also be used in the Health classroom where the discussion of self-esteem and what constitutes beauty are topics covered there. Young girls will identify with Aza and will embrace her as she goes through her many trials both real and mental. This book is terrific for any young girl struggling with poor self esteem to read. The story is also very enjoyable and fun to read and it is interesting to see how the author has taken elements of the original fairy tale and woven them into this novel.