Gail Carson Levine (born September 17, 1947 in New York, N.Y.) is an American author of young adult books.
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Early life
She credits her parents David and Sylvia for her creative streak. Her father owned a commercial art studio, who much of the story Dave At Night is based off of, and her mother was a teacher who wrote plays for her students to perform. Her sister Rani teaches painting and has exhibited her works in the U.S. and Jamaica. Levine herself loved to draw and paint, but while taking a course on writing and illustrating for kids, she found that she had a penchant for writing instead. She says, "I had always been the hardest on myself when I drew and painted. I am not hard on myself when I write. I like what I write, so it is a much happier process." She now lives in a 100 year old house in Brewster, NY, with her husband, David, and Airedale, Jake. She was a member of the Scribble Scrabble Club in Elementary school.
Professional life
Her first published novel was Ella Enchanted. Telling fairy tales with a twist is a hallmark of Levine's writing. Her Princess Tales series, set in the Kingdom of Biddle, is a collection of light-hearted and heart-warming adventures with smart, sassy heroes and heroines. Levine has also written an illustrated novel for young readers called Fairy Dust and the Quest For the Egg, which was published in 2005 by Disney Press as the cornerstone of the new "Disney Fairies" franchise. The novel explores the world of Never Land (of Barrie's and Disney's Peter Pan) and the community of fairies who live in the area of the island known as Fairy Haven. Familiar characters such as Tinker Bell and Captain Hook appear in the story, as well as original characters. Levine's fairy society is a peaceful one, where every fairy and sparrow man (male fairy) has a specific "talent" -- a job that they instinctively know how to do perfectly, and love. Some of the new characters introduced include Rani (named for Levine's sister), a water-talent fairy; Vidia, a fast-flying-talent fairy (the bully); and Prilla, a fairy whose talent seems to have fallen out of her on her way to Fairy Haven. Levine recently released a sequel to this book, titled Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand. There are more books by her coming out in 2007-2008, such as a sequel to The Two Princesses of Bamarre.
Hong Kong Literary Festival
On March 12th, 2007, Gail attended the Hong Kong International Literary Festival and talked about her life and read to young audiences at the Hong Kong Public Library. Her activities at the festival include a lecture on creating children's stories, and an afternoon tea meeting with educators, parents, and lovers of children's literature. Gail has traveled most of the world to meet her readers at book signings for Ella and other books that have been translated into many languages.
Bibliography
- Ella Enchanted (1997)
- Dave at Night (1999)
- The Fairy's Mistake (1999)
- The Princess Test (1999)
- Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep (1999)
- also collected as
- The Wish (2000)
- The Two Princesses of Bamarre (2001)
- Betsy Who Cried Wolf (2002)
- Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (2000)
- The Fairy's Return (2002)
- For Biddle's Sake (2002)
- Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg (2005)
- Fairest (2006)
- (2006)
- Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand (2007)
References
- [1] Interview at .com
External links
- Official web site
- Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's Literature Resources Web site, interview with Gail Carson Levine, December 2000.
- Official web site of the Disney Fairies franchise
- Hong Kong Literary Festival
