Tag Archives: Fairy tales

Stepsister – Jennifer Donnelly

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Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Scholastic Canada
Published: May 14th, 2019
Publisher: Scholastic
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling, Feminism, Dark Fairy Tale, Magic

REVIEW:

This is not a pretty fairytale. The story isn’t pretty. The world isn’t pretty. The characters aren’t pretty. Even the magic isn’t pretty.

It’s not a story that will make you dream a thousand beautiful dreams of happily-ever-afters. I’m not saying the contrary applies—that it will give you a thousand nightmares in which you die a thousand different deaths—but it is indeed DARK. Continue reading →

A Curse So Dark and Lonely – Brigid Kemmerer

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A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Library
Published: January 29th, 2019
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Recommended Age: 12+
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Romance, Fairy Tale, War Setting

REVIEW:

This is hands down one of the best fairy tale retellings I have ever read. I did not have high expectations at all, having found Brigid Kemmerer’s Letters to the Lost to be a MEH read (please don’t curse me!), but this story hooked me right from the start. Continue reading →

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs

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Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: April 2015
Publisher: Tundra
Genres & Themes: Picture Book, Fairytale Retelling, Humor, Feminism

BLURB:

Snow White is on the run from an evil witch when she comes across some dwarfs in the forest. They agree to take her in and keep her safe if she will help them with their chores. She soon realizes she’s taking on a lot more than she bargained for. 77 breakfasts to make, 77 lunches to pack (don’t forget the juice boxes!), 77 pairs of pants to mend and a whole lot of dishes. Eventually Snow White decides to take her chances with the witch. There’s a surprise ending… well, it may not be so surprising. This is a hilarious retelling of the classic tale, with bright, energetic illustrations featuring busy dwarfs, and the even busier Snow White. Continue reading →

Cinderella and the Furry Slippers

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Cinderella and the Furry Slippers by Davide Cali

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
Publication Date: October 2017
Publisher: Tundra
Genres & Themes: Picture Book, Fairytale Retelling, Humor

BLURB:

Cinderella is dying to go to the ball. She’s seen pictures of the fancy castle and the handsome prince, she’s heard the fairy tales about true love, she’s found the perfect dress in Princess magazine and she’s even found an ad for a Fairy Godmother. She’s all set. Except the fairy godmother doesn’t look like the one in the ad. And the castle doesn’t look like the picture. And the prince . . . well, Cinderella decides her fairy-tale ending is going to look different–and be a whole lot more fun. Continue reading →

Whiskerella (Hamster Princess #5)

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35082438Whiskerella by Ursula Vernon

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: January 23rd, 2018
Publisher: Dial Books
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling, Action, Cinderella, Magic

BLURB:

Princess Harriet Hamsterbone is not the kind of princess who enjoys fancy dresses or extravagant parties. Cliff-diving, fractions, and whacking people with swords are more her thing. So when she’s forced to attend a boring ball in honor of a visiting ambassador, Harriet is less than thrilled–until a bewitchingly beautiful stranger arrives. Who is she? And where did she come from? The mystery leads to a not-so-wicked stepsister, an incontinent lizard, and a fairy’s spell that’s really more of a curse. Luckily, Harriet knows a thing or two about curses… Continue reading →

Rapunzel – Bethan Woollvin

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34437720Rapunzel by Bethan Woollvin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Distributor
First Published: October 1st, 2017
Publisher: Two Hoots
Recommended Age: 5+
Genres & Themes: Picture Books, Rapunzel, Feminism, Fairy Tale Retellings

BLURB:

The wicked witch has Rapunzel trapped – but not for long!  Rapunzel lives all alone in a tall, dark tower. Under the threat of a witch’s fearsome curse, the poor girl seems doomed to a life in captivity. But is Rapunzel frightened? Oh no, not she! Continue reading →

Once Upon a Time: A Story Collection

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Ever After High: Once Upon a TimeOnce Upon a Time: A Story Collection by Shannon Hale

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: October 21st, 2014
Publisher: Little, Brown BFYR
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

BLURB:

Read these exclusive introductions to all your favorite characters to find out what their lives are like at home! A new chapter is about to begin at Ever After High, and all the students are preparing to start their Legacy Year. In just a few weeks it will be Legacy Day when they will sign the Storybook of Legends and commit to live out their fairy-tale destiny, repeating the famous stories of their parents. Continue reading →

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

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15766776Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Publisher
First Published: April 9th, 2013
Publisher: Yearling
Recommended Age: 8+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Middle Grade, Fairy Tale Retellings, Adventure, Magic, Destiny, Family

BLURB:

In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone’s joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.

To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end. Continue reading →

Princess Princess Ever After

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30025791Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Received: Diamond Comics Distributors
First Published: September 20th, 2016
Publisher: Oni Press
Recommended Age: 10+
Pacing: Fast
Genres & Themes: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Fairy Tale Retellings, Lesbian, Fantasy, Humour

BLURB:

When the heroic princess Amira rescues the kind-hearted princess Sadie from her tower prison, neither expects to find a true friend in the bargain. Yet as they adventure across the kingdom, they discover that they bring out the very best in the other person. They’ll need to join forces and use all the know-how, kindness, and bravery they have in order to defeat their greatest foe yet: a jealous sorceress, who wants to get rid of Sadie once and for all. Continue reading →

The Hazel Wood – Melissa Albert

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Hazel WoodThe Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Received: Raincoast Books
First Published: January 30th, 2018
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Recommended Age: 12+
Pacing: Normal
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dark, Mystery, Fairytales, Family

BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: Her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother’s stories are set. Alice’s only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother’s tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong. Continue reading →