Good morning! I just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you. I have loved all of your books, and have always considered the Two Princesses of Bamarre to be my favorite. I’ve read every word of your website many times over, and when I was a middle schooler with unrestricted internet access for the first time, I would stay up late reading every post on your blog, hoping to unlock the secret to brilliant writing. I was always too nervous to leave a comment or a message back then. I don’t know why I felt like leaving you a note today, but your blog just popped back into my head, and I realized that I’m a 25 year old adult who isn’t afraid to talk to strangers anymore. So, here’s my message of thanks. Your books and your writing advice gave me a place where I could freely explore my hopes and fears and dreams and realities. I could ramble on a lot more, but I think I’ve already passed what counts as a quick note. I hope you’re having a lovely summer!
Sincerely,
Alice
# 3047 -
Alice
08/27/2026 -
04:34 -
City: -
State: New Hampshire -
Country: United States
Hello Ms. Levine,
I have been a fan of yours for many years and first read your books with my children. Now I am older, and through our local community college, I volunteer to help adults who are new to our country and are learning English. With one student from Mexico, I decided to have her read "Dave at Night" aloud. (We previously read "Seedfolks" and "The House on Mango Street" together.) Slowly, page by page, she is expanding her vocabulary. Not only is she learning new words still in use today, but she's also learning old fashioned words from the 1920s that I tell her are no longer commonly used. And she's learning Yiddish as well! It has been such a pleasure to re-read this book with her. In Dave you created such a lovable character who experiences the challenges of life with humor, innocence, honesty, and humanity. We're rooting for Dave. Thank you for giving the world the gift of your beautiful stories!
Beth
# 3046 -
Beth
08/23/2026 -
20:37 -
City: Raleigh -
State: NC -
Country: United States
Like so many others, I want to mention how much I love your books! They were an absolute staple for me, and I loved revisiting your shelf at the local library to see if something was available I hadn't read yet. I think my favorite parts are the worlds--I can picture the lands of Fairest and Ella Enchanted, Bamarre, and the world of Ever with so much love because that's how you described them. They aren't perfect, but they are worth protecting and fighting for, and that hope is something I find myself holding onto in the present. Sounds like time for a reread!
Thank you for sharing your work with all of us.
My name is Colette and I wanted to spend most of this letter writing about how much I loved your book, Ella Enchanted, and the rest about the inspiration it brought me. I read it for the first time this summer, I’m 18, and yet the emotional intensity of the book took hold of me, I am also a very BIG crybaby. Char and Ella’s romance is probably one of the most beautiful romances I have seen in a long time, seeing the love blossom between them from a young age through their letters is so intimate and pure, and the layers of torture Ella puts herself through in order to protect the one she truly loves is beautiful.
The scenes, I feel, that are very important, and I am very sad it wasn’t in the movie, is the scene with the magic mushrooms and the scene where Lucinda commands her to be happy. It isn’t enough that her body is constantly controlled without her consent, but her emotions are corrupted to become ‘easier’ to handle and manipulate, both times I was broken. And even more, that her dad doesn’t care what pain he puts his daughter through, as long as he’s powerful and in control.
My favorite scene is at the very end, when Ella breaks the curse. Her internal strife is so well written out, I could feel the terror scraping through my skin as Ella fights and fights for Char. I’m an actress and songwriter, so I took that chapter of the book and turned it into a monologue. I also wrote a song about Ella’s conflict when writing the letter and refusing Char’s love to protect him: believing “she’s just a curse to his blessed ever after”, one of the lines I wrote.
I would love to show them to you if you’re at all interested! If not, I understand you are busy! I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
- Colette
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Sincerely,
Alice
I have been a fan of yours for many years and first read your books with my children. Now I am older, and through our local community college, I volunteer to help adults who are new to our country and are learning English. With one student from Mexico, I decided to have her read "Dave at Night" aloud. (We previously read "Seedfolks" and "The House on Mango Street" together.) Slowly, page by page, she is expanding her vocabulary. Not only is she learning new words still in use today, but she's also learning old fashioned words from the 1920s that I tell her are no longer commonly used. And she's learning Yiddish as well! It has been such a pleasure to re-read this book with her. In Dave you created such a lovable character who experiences the challenges of life with humor, innocence, honesty, and humanity. We're rooting for Dave. Thank you for giving the world the gift of your beautiful stories!
Beth
Thank you for sharing your work with all of us.
My name is Colette and I wanted to spend most of this letter writing about how much I loved your book, Ella Enchanted, and the rest about the inspiration it brought me. I read it for the first time this summer, I’m 18, and yet the emotional intensity of the book took hold of me, I am also a very BIG crybaby. Char and Ella’s romance is probably one of the most beautiful romances I have seen in a long time, seeing the love blossom between them from a young age through their letters is so intimate and pure, and the layers of torture Ella puts herself through in order to protect the one she truly loves is beautiful.
The scenes, I feel, that are very important, and I am very sad it wasn’t in the movie, is the scene with the magic mushrooms and the scene where Lucinda commands her to be happy. It isn’t enough that her body is constantly controlled without her consent, but her emotions are corrupted to become ‘easier’ to handle and manipulate, both times I was broken. And even more, that her dad doesn’t care what pain he puts his daughter through, as long as he’s powerful and in control.
My favorite scene is at the very end, when Ella breaks the curse. Her internal strife is so well written out, I could feel the terror scraping through my skin as Ella fights and fights for Char. I’m an actress and songwriter, so I took that chapter of the book and turned it into a monologue. I also wrote a song about Ella’s conflict when writing the letter and refusing Char’s love to protect him: believing “she’s just a curse to his blessed ever after”, one of the lines I wrote.
I would love to show them to you if you’re at all interested! If not, I understand you are busy! I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.
- Colette