Ella Enchanted

That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift. When I cried inconsolably through my first hour of life, my tears were her inspiration. Shaking her head sympathetically at mother, the fairy touched my nose.
"My gift is obedience. Ella will always be obedient. Now stop crying, child."
I stopped.

This is how the story starts. I love this book, it is one of my favorites! Gail Carson Levine did such great job at writing this. I've listened to it on tape at least ten times and read it twice I believe, that I know the first page by heart and I once knew the whole last chapter and epilogue. Speaking of the epilogue, I love the way it ends.
And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after.