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Apr 9, 2013

Tween Tuesday: Rump by Liesl Shurtliff

4 yummy and sweet double chocolate chips cookies.

Cover Love:
Yes, I love this cover.  And I think it will be very attractive on display in my library!

Why I Wanted to Read This:
I adore fairy tale re-tellings and have never seen a re-imaging of a fairy tale from the villains point of view!  Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:
In a magical kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke.
Rump has never known his full name—his mother died before she could tell him. So all his life he's been teased and bullied for his half-a-name. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. For Rump discovers he can spin straw into gold. Magical gold.

His best friend Red Riding Hood warns him that magic is dangerous—and she's right! That gold is worth its weight in trouble. And with each thread he spins, Rump weaves himself deeper into a curse.

There's only one way to break the spell: Rump must go on a quest to find his true name, along the way defending himself against pixies, trolls, poison apples, and one beautiful but vile-mannered queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—Rump just might triumph in the end.
Romance?: Nope.

My Thoughts:
This is how a retelling should be done!  Rump becomes a fulfilled, fleshed out character.  He is someone we care about.  The other characters are pretty secondary, Red is interesting and I think that if this is book is successful maybe we could see a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (fingers crossed).  There are villains in this book for sure, but Rump is not one of them.

The ending is not too big either.  Rump does what he needs to do, but doesn't bring down the system.  I kind of wish he would have though because it is a broken land he lives in.  But the author followed the classic Rumplestiltskin story very well.  I also loved how she created what was needed to fit the story.

I do wish we had gotten to know his mother's family better.  And that he had been more open with them about what was going on in his life.  However, it gave him a chance to solve things on his own. That's one thing that I think will be attractive to MG readers, the fact that Rump solves his own problems.  He has guidance along the way, but overall, he is able to get himself out of the bargains and traps that came along with is weaving.

I loved the world that Rump is set in.  It seems small and manageable (for a reader).  I like that we are introduced to several different types of magical creatures or non-magical creatures.  I think there would be a way for several stories and fairy tale re-tellings to be told within this world.

To Sum Up:  Very good fairy tale retelling.  And not your usual princess retelling--this one about a villain.  Very fun story!

Book requested and received from Random House via NetGalley.  Thanks!!

2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this too and the unique take on Rump's life. Thanks for the great review.

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    1. I just think it's so awesome to retell a fairy tale from the "villain's" point of view! The author just did an excellent job making it all believable and Rump relate-able.

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