Book Series · 6 Books

The Princess Tales Books

In order from The Fairy's Mistake to The Fairy's Return.

Six short fairy-tale retellings turn familiar curses, royal tests, and happily-ever-afters into playful stories about clever children making their own choices.

Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated August 12, 2026

Reading order

How to Read The Princess Tales

Read the six short books in the author's listed order, beginning with The Fairy's Mistake and ending with The Fairy's Return. Each retells a different tale and can stand alone, but the shared kingdom and recurring fairy connect the collection.

Sources: Gail Carson Levine's official Princess Tales page.

For parents

What Parents Should Know

The stories play with traditional fairy-tale dangers, including curses, forced marriage, cruel or foolish royals, giants, kidnapping, transformations, and threats of violence. The tone is comic and the endings are reassuring rather than frightening.

Levine's heroines and heroes question unfair rules and solve problems through persistence and independent thinking. The short length makes these approachable for readers moving into chapter books.

Where to start

Where Should My Child Start?

Begin with the first fairy mistake

Start with The Fairy's Mistake, a funny reversal of Diamonds and Toads that establishes the kingdom and its well-meaning fairy.

Where the story begins

First Book in the Series

Sale price

$1398

Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 1999

The Fairy's Mistake

By Gail Carson Levine, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

Two sisters face magical consequences, while a prince's love defies royal tests.

87 pages· 7,898 words· Est. 1 hour read

$14.99Save 7%

Hardcover

Summary: In 'The Fairy's Mistake,' sisters Rosella and Myrtle face unexpected outcomes from a fairy's gifts, leading to a twist of fate. Meanwhile, in 'The Princess Test,' Prince Nicholas must choose a bride through impossible trials, but his heart belongs to Lorelei, a blacksmith's daughter. Can true love overcome magical mishaps and royal challenges?

In reading order

The Princess Tales Series

6 books · Published 1999–2002

#1 in Series

Sale price

$1398

The Fairy's Mistake

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 1999

Two sisters face magical consequences, while a prince's love defies royal tests.

#2 in Series

Sale price

$1597

The Princess Test

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 1999

Two sisters face unexpected fates from a fairy's gifts, while a prince's love defies royal tests.

#3 in Series

Sale price

$1248

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 1999

A twisted fairy tale with unexpected princes and magical surprises.

#4 in Series

Sale price

$1597

Cinderellis and the Glass Hill

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 2000

A boy with magical powders seeks to win a princess who thinks he's a monster.

#5 in Series

Sale price

$1498

For Biddle's Sake

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2002

A prince must ally with a toad to save his kingdom from chaos and deceit.

#6 in Series

Sale price

$1415

The Fairy's Return

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2002

A baker's son and a princess defy royal decrees and tangled betrothals in a whimsical quest for love.

Good to know

Common Questions

How many books are in the Princess Tales series?

There are 6 books in the Princess Tales series. It began with The Fairy's Mistake in 1999, and the newest book, The Fairy's Return, was published in 2002.