Fairytales becomes classics for a reason: they have adventure, romance, and magic! These well known stories become inspiration for many authors as they reimagine the plot and characters from different twists. What if Cinderella was a cyborg? Or if Rapunzel was a lab experiment? There are endless ways to change the tales we know and love to find a new idea or a character we’d never really examined before. Here are five fairy tale retellings to find at your local library or bookstore.
"A Curse Dark as Gold" by Elizabeth Bunce
In this retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, a young girl inherits the family mill and must find a way to keep it running. It’s part ghost story, coming-of-age, mystery, and romance. It’s best not to know too much about the plot before reading, so go check it out!
"Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
Many know the movie of the same name, but the two stories share few similarities. Ella is a girl that was given the curse/gift of obedience when she was a baby. This means when she’s told to do something, she has no choice. Comes in handy when she needs motivation to do something, but she can also be made to kill everyone she loves, so it’s a bit of a give and take. Ella can speak almost every language in the region, including Ogre, Giant, and Chimera. She’s a girl that goes after what she wants and doesn’t let anyone stop her along the way. Having a cute prince flirt with her doesn’t hurt, though.
"Tiger Lily" by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Peter Pan is always the center of his story. But in this retelling, Tiger Lily takes the lead as her life is narrated through Tinker Bell’s eyes. We see her as a fierce girl with a chip on her shoulder that doesn’t let anyone make her feel small. The book is dedicated to ‘the girls with messy hair and thirsty hearts,’ which perfectly describes Tiger Lily and how her story comes to unfold.
"The Sleeper and the Spindle" by Neil Gaiman
If you like the show "Once Upon a Time," this is the book for you. It combines a ‘sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty’ with a darker tone than Disney movies. These princesses are warriors, fighting for their kingdoms at any cost. Neil Gaiman is also the mind behind masterpieces such as "Stardust" and "Coraline," so this book is definitely going to have charm and wit on every page.
"Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" by Gregory Maguire
Cinderella’s story has be told and retold for centuries. But a perspective rarely seen is that of the ugly/evil stepsisters. This retelling looks at the classic story asks if they were truly evil, or just cursed with plain looks. Iris gets swept up in a mysterious world of green and facades, where she has to questions everything she’s ever known about herself or her beautiful new stepsister. Gregory Maguire also wrote the "Wicked" books and "Mirror Mirror," among other popular retellings.
