hello ms. levine! i want to say i love your disney fairies books, especially fairy haven and the quest for the wand. i read it when i was very young, and it was the best book i had ever read, to the point i still consider it a favourite at 25. i hope you are well, and thank you for putting such wonderful books out for people to read. the fairy books are geared towards children, but they’re still very lovely even as an adult.
# 3060 -
jeremy
10/31/2026 -
21:00 -
City: -
State: Missouri -
Country: USA
Hello!
I just wanted to let you know that Ella Enchanted is one of my most prized possessions. It's my comfort book, and even as a 16-year-old, that's where I turn when I need to feel a bit more magical. The pages are all yellowed and folded from where I have bookmarked my progress, and I have the book memorized. I just wanted to say thank you so, so much for writing it; without it, I wouldn't be the girl I am today. I also dream of the day when I can read it to my kids and introduce them to the amazing Ella of Frell.
Thanks for all you do!
Long-time reader LJF again!
I've been doing some research into Jewish medieval dietary practices in relation to dairy, and found record of a Jewish code of ritual law, entitled "Etz Chaim" which was written by Jacob ben Judah Hazzan and published in England in 1287, which expressly forbids cheese made by gentiles (or even milk that had been milked by a gentile without Jewish supervision). Furthermore, historical evidence suggests that Ashkenazi cooking didn't utilize hard cheeses, instead incorporating fresh, soft, acid-based cheeses (similar to quark), which could be made at home.
Presumably, certain Jews in the city would keep a cow or two for milking (along with hens for laying and such), sell excess milk to other members of the community, and then cheesemaking and butter-churning and the like would have been included in the regular chores done in the home.
This has all been very fascinating to explore, and I will have to do further research-- thank you so much for introducing me to the topic!
# 3058 -
L J F
10/25/2026 -
18:34 -
City: -
State: -
Country: United States
Hello!
I am so glad I stopped by when I did, because I had not heard of Yallfest. But now I do - thank you, Megan Chamberlain! - and, if my master's studies allow, I'll be in Charleston too!
Ella Enchanted was one of my favorite books growing up - it always competed for first place favorite with Peter Pan. Whichever one I had read most recently was usually the winner. :) Thank you for filling my childhood with laughter.
Hope to see you at Yallfest!
Becca
# 3057 -
Rebecca Herman
10/19/2026 -
15:12 -
City: Lynchburg -
State: VA -
Country: United States
Hi, Long-time Reader!
Thank you for the close read of THE UNUSUALS!
Lummie is a nickname for Lumbard, a common Anglo-Jewish name at the time.
About the cheese, I'm sure you're right about kosher law. About how the law played out in medieval England, I'm less certain because I don't know how Jews would have been able to obtain kosher cheese, though maybe they could have. Until 1275, they weren't allowed to farm, and most were pushed to be moneylenders. If the Jewish population had been bigger, I think Christian farmers would have found it profitable to produce some kosher cheese, but the market would have been tiny. Jews observed kosher law as much as they could, but in some respects they couldn't. Does this make sense to you?
Thanks for writing!
Gail
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I just wanted to let you know that Ella Enchanted is one of my most prized possessions. It's my comfort book, and even as a 16-year-old, that's where I turn when I need to feel a bit more magical. The pages are all yellowed and folded from where I have bookmarked my progress, and I have the book memorized. I just wanted to say thank you so, so much for writing it; without it, I wouldn't be the girl I am today. I also dream of the day when I can read it to my kids and introduce them to the amazing Ella of Frell.
Thanks for all you do!
I've been doing some research into Jewish medieval dietary practices in relation to dairy, and found record of a Jewish code of ritual law, entitled "Etz Chaim" which was written by Jacob ben Judah Hazzan and published in England in 1287, which expressly forbids cheese made by gentiles (or even milk that had been milked by a gentile without Jewish supervision). Furthermore, historical evidence suggests that Ashkenazi cooking didn't utilize hard cheeses, instead incorporating fresh, soft, acid-based cheeses (similar to quark), which could be made at home.
Presumably, certain Jews in the city would keep a cow or two for milking (along with hens for laying and such), sell excess milk to other members of the community, and then cheesemaking and butter-churning and the like would have been included in the regular chores done in the home.
This has all been very fascinating to explore, and I will have to do further research-- thank you so much for introducing me to the topic!
I am so glad I stopped by when I did, because I had not heard of Yallfest. But now I do - thank you, Megan Chamberlain! - and, if my master's studies allow, I'll be in Charleston too!
Ella Enchanted was one of my favorite books growing up - it always competed for first place favorite with Peter Pan. Whichever one I had read most recently was usually the winner. :) Thank you for filling my childhood with laughter.
Hope to see you at Yallfest!
Becca
Thank you for the close read of THE UNUSUALS!
Lummie is a nickname for Lumbard, a common Anglo-Jewish name at the time.
About the cheese, I'm sure you're right about kosher law. About how the law played out in medieval England, I'm less certain because I don't know how Jews would have been able to obtain kosher cheese, though maybe they could have. Until 1275, they weren't allowed to farm, and most were pushed to be moneylenders. If the Jewish population had been bigger, I think Christian farmers would have found it profitable to produce some kosher cheese, but the market would have been tiny. Jews observed kosher law as much as they could, but in some respects they couldn't. Does this make sense to you?
Thanks for writing!
Gail