Tales with a Twist: Retold Myths & Fairy Tales

Cinderella Tales:

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, 1997 -- Ella is blessed at birth with the gift of obedience, and must do everything she is told to do. This causes here many problems.
• Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 1999 -- After Ella moves into the palace to await her wedding to Prince Charming, she realizes that she doesn't want that type of life and goes about the difficult and dangerous task of breaking the engagement to seek her freedom and true love.
• Cinderella 2000 by Marvis Jukes, 1999-- Fourteen-year-old Ashley has her heart set on spending New Year's Eve 1999 at an exclusive country club party with an Almost Boyfriend, but her plan is endangered by her stepmother and two bratty stepsisters.
• Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, 1999 -- A retelling of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella, told from the point of view of one of the ugly stepsisters, turns the entire legend around in a thoughtful look at what it means to be beautiful.
• Bound by Donna Jo Napoli, 2004 -- A retelling of the Cinderella tale, using Chinese myth and history of the Ming dynasty.

Beauty and the Beast Tales:

• Beauty by Sheri Tepper, 1992 -- Beauty is put under a curse that enables her to travel to the future and time to both imaginary and real worlds.
• Beauty: A Retelling of the Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley, 1978 -- A classic retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast
• Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley, 1997 -- A retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story in which Beauty grows to love the Beast at whose castle she is compelled to stay, and is forced to follow her heart to make the best choice for their futures.
• Beast by Donna Jo Napoli, 2000 -- Elaborates on the tale of Beauty and the Beast told from the point of view of the beast and set in Persia.

Sleeping Beauty Tales:

• Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, 1992 -- Yolen intertwines the story of Sleeping Beauty and the Holocaust of World War II.
• Briar Rose by Robert Coover, 1996 -- A retelling of the "Sleeping Beauty," legend in which the prince, fighting his way through the briars, and the slumbering princess, imagine what life will be like when they finally meet face-to-face.
• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card, 1999 -- American graduate student Ivan Smetski, haunted by the vision of a sleeping princess he believes he saw as a ten-year-old boy while exploring the Carpathian forest, returns to his native land to investigate and, with one kiss, is drawn into a world that vanished a thousand years earlier.
• Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep by Gail Carson Levine, 1999 -- In this retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, Princess Sonora, who is ten times smarter than anyone else, vows to choose for herself the best time to be pricked by the spindle.
• Spindler's End by Robin McKinley, 2000 -- In this retelling of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty, an infant princess named Rosie is cursed by an evil fairy to die on her 21st birthday by pricking her finger on a spindle. That same day, Rosie is whisked away into hiding by a peasant fairy who raises her and conceals her royal identity. Then the twists in the plot begin.

Rumpelstiltskin Tales:

• Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli, 1999 -- DJ Napoli retells Rumpelstiltskin with an interesting twist of family ties. This strange little man helps the miller's daughter spin yarn into gold for the king on the condition that she will give him her first-born child.
• Straw Into Gold by Gary Schmidt, 2001 -- Pursued by greedy villains, two boys on a quest to save innocent lives meet the banished queen whose son was stolen by Rumpelstiltskin eleven years earlier, and she provides much more than the answer they seek.
• The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, 2001 -- A collection of variations of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, trying to make sense of an old story. In one, an elf helps the miller's daughter from a cruel king, and eventually helps her escape her unhappy life as a queen. In another, a greedy, lying miller's daughter steals gold from the palace and claims to have created it, and only the king's best story can make her leave.

Robin Hood Tales:

• Forestwife by Theresa Tomlinson, 1993 -- In England during the reign of King Richard I, fifteen-year-old Marian escapes from an arranged marriage to live with a community of forest folk that includes a daring young outlaw named Robert.
• In a Dark Wood by Michael Cadnum, 1998 -- On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe.
• Sherwood by Jane Yolen, 2000 -- Stories by various authors about the life of Robin Hood.
• Forbidden Forest: The Story of Little John and Robin Hood: a Novel by Michael Cadnum, 2002 -- Profiles Little John, from his quiet life before joining Robin Hood in an adventure of protecting a beautiful lady when she is accused of murdering her husband.

Other Tales:

• Grendel by John Gardner, 1989, c1973 -- This story takes the classic tale of Beowulf and rewrites it from the perspective of the monster, Grendel.
• Ten in a Bed by Allan Ahlberg, 1990, c1983 -- Nightly Dinah Price is stopped from going to bed by finding fairy tale characters already there. In order to get rid of them, she must tell them a bedtime story. Young juveniles up, in chapter book form.
• Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, 1991 -- Dean adapts the Scottish ballad of "Tam Lin" to a Midwestern university setting. In the early '70s, scholarly Janet Carter enters Blackstock College as an English major.
• Deerskin by Robin McKinley, 1993 -- After a childhood of being forgotten, Lissar and her faithful dog Ash are suddenly remembered by her father the king, and flee for their lives to escape his malicious attentions.
• Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli, 1993 -- After learning sorcery to become a healer, a good-hearted woman is turned into a witch by evil spirits, and she fights their power until she encounters Hansel and Gretel years later.
• Zel by Donna Jo Napoli, 1996 -- Based on the story tale of Rupunzel, the story is told in alternating chapters from the point of view from Zel, her mother, and the prince, and delves into the psychological motivations of the characters.
• Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli, 1998 -- The gods grant immortality to the mermaid Sirena when she rescues a human man from the sea and they fall in love, but his mortality creates great conflict between love and honor when he is called to defend Greece in the Trojan War.
• Tooth Fairy by Joyce Graham, 1998 -- Sam and his friends are like any normal gang of normal young boys. Roaming wild around the outskirts of their car-factory town. Daring adults to challenge their freedom. Until the day Sam wakes to find the Tooth Fairy sitting on the edge of his bed. Not the benign figure of childhood myth, but an enigmatic presence that both torments and seduces him, changing his life forever.
• Crazy Jack by Donna Jo Napoli, 1999 -- Napoli enriches the tale of "Jack and the Beanstalk" with a romance between Jack and a neighbor girl and the mysterious disappearance of Jack's father, all told in vibrant poetic language and studded with authentic details of country life in the 1500s.
• Confessions of an Ugly Sister by Gregory Maguire, 1999 -- On seeing her portrait, a servant girl modeling for an artist in 17th century Holland realizes she is ugly. But the portrait opens her eyes to the world of art, she becomes a painter and is transformed by her work so that when a prince charming appears she is no longer ugly.
• White as Snow by Tanith Lee, 2000 -- a retelling of Snow White darkly intertwined with the myth of Demeter and Persephone.
• Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl, 2001 -- Rather than marry a cruel king or a seemingly dim-witted prince, an enchanted goose girl endures imprisonment, capture by several ogresses, and other dangers, before learning exactly who she is.
• Daughters of the Forest by Juliet Morillier, 2000 -- A tale based on the Fairy Tale of Six Swans. Sorcha's six brothers are put under a spell and turned into swans. Only Sorcha can break the spell, but ultimately she will have to chose between saving her brothers and protecting the Briton lord who has defended her throughout her trials.
• I was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block, 2000 -- A pinkie-size, straight-talking fairy, who may or may not be real, helps Barbie and Griffin uncover the strength beneath their pain and teaches that love -- like a sparkling web of light spinning around our bodies and souls -- is what can heal even the deepest scars. Descriptive language and funky characters.
• Parisifal's Page by Gerald Morris, 2001 -- In medieval England, eleven-year-old Piers' dream comes true when he becomes page to Parsifal, a peasant whose quest for knighthood reveals important secrets about both of their families.
• Quiver by Stephanie Spinner, 2002 -- When her father commands that she produce an heir, the huntress Atlanta gives her suitors a seemingly impossible task in order to uphold her pledge of chastity, as the gods of ancient Greece look on.
• The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey, 2002 -- Betrayed by his first wife Shahrayar, the sultan, seeks revenge and marries a new wife each month just to kill his wife at the end of the first day. To save herself, Shahrazad weaves magical tales and entrances the sultan. The tales, which never finish, allow the sultan to get to know Shahrazad in this intriguing retelling of an Arabian Nights tale.
• Breath by Donna Jo Napoli, 2003 -- Why are so many animals and people of Hamln suddenly struck ill and acting in a totally bizarre manner? Could it have to do with the infestation of rats bring the plaque? That is what the people of Hamln believe, but one boy begins to question if that is really what is going on and faces an uphill battle to save his town.
• East by Edith Pattou, 2003 -- A young woman journeys to a distant castle on the back of a great white bear who is the victim of a cruel enchantment.
• Snow by Tracy Lynn, 2003 -- Based upon the classic fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this retelling presents readers with a heroine who is not the stuff of fairy tales and legends. Born in a Welsh fiefdom, a young Snow flees her stepmother and arrives in London, where she is immediately rescued by a band of outcasts

Collections:

• The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley, 1981 -- Robin McKinley here spins two new fairy tales and retells two cherished classics. All feature princesses touched with or by magic.
• Red as Blood - or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer by Tanith Lee, 1983 -- This is a collection of darkly twisted versions of the old familiar fairy tales. If you are fans of horror and gothic tales, this makes a great addition to your reading list.
• Black Thorn, White Rose edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, 1994 -- This is a second volume of "fairy tales for adults"-an enchanting, witty collection of 18 original stories that in general achieve relevance without losing their patina of magic.
• The Outspoken Princess and the Gentle Knight: a Treasury of Modern Fairy Tales edited by Jack Zipes, 1994 -- Zipes includes 15 accomplished modern storytellers, including Jack Sendak, A.S. Byatt and Ernest Hemingway, who offer fresh takes on traditional tales.
• Truly Grim Tales by Priscilla Galloway, 1995 -- Eight tales that play with well-known fairy tales in terms of perspective and addition of adult content. These are grim.
• Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, 1996 -- Now, in their third critically acclaimed collection of original fairy tales for adults, World Fantasy Award-winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling bring us twenty-one new stories by some of the top names in literature today.
• Black Swan, White Raven edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling,1997 -- This is the fourth volume of Fairy Tales' collections by Datlow & Windling. This collection is devoted to retelling and reinventing the old tales, while yet remaining faithful to the underlying nature of each.
• Curses, Inc. by Vivian Vande Velde, 1997 -- A witch who casts spells via the internet is the first of these modern creatures you will meet in this collection of stories.
• Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, by Emma Donoghue, 1997 -- A collection of thirteen stories that give old fairy tales a new twist.
• Silver Birch, Blood Moon edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, 1999 -- Here is the fifth volume of this very enjoyable series of re-told and re-manufactured tales that bear a faint resemblance to the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, The Pressed Fairy Books or whatever source may have been an inspiration.This book contains 21 tales using enchantment and horror, magic light and dark, in its pages.
• The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block, 2000 -- Nine classic fairy tales turned inside-out.
• Wolf at the Door: and Other Retold Fairy Tales edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, 2000 -- Did you ever wonder what happened to the seven dwarfs after Snow White ditched them, or what life was like for the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk?"
• Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest, 2002 -- Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have assembled 15 stories and three poems about the wilderness and its gods and spirits: the Green Man, the Deer Woman, Herne, faerie folk and many more.
• Swan Sister edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, 2003 -- The contributors to this book have transformed traditional fairy tales and legends into stories that are completely original, yet still tantalizingly familiar.
• Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm , 2004 -- In The Faery Reel, acclaimed anthologists Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have asked some of today's finest writers of fantastic fiction for short stories and poems that draw on the great wealth of world faery lore and classic faery literature, and update the old tales, or shine a bold new light on them.

Silly Fractured Fairy Tales:

• Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl, 1982 -- With his famous wicked humor and the cunning of a big bad wolf, master storyteller and satirist Roald Dahl retells his six favorite fairy tales. Get ready for Dahl’s diabolical version of what really happened to Cinderella, Goldilocks, the Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood.
• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, 1992 -- Enjoy ten funny tales for the young at heart. There are no lessons to be learned or morals to take to heart--just good, sarcastic fun that smart-alecks of all ages will love.
• Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life and Times by James Finn Garner, 1994 -- James Finn Garner has taken 12 time-tested tales and retold them with the newfound sensitivity of our times. After one finishes this collection, "happily ever after" will never seem quite the same. Quick and Clever.
• Once Upon a More Enlightened Time: More Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner, 1995 -- This book retells classic bedtime stories, stripped of any elements that might be offensive to women, gays, short people, minorities, giants, or wolves, as well as any details that might encourage aggression, cruelty, sexism, prejudice, littering, and so on. At the same time he pokes fun at our politically correct sensitivity, the author points out biases in our traditional stories that we may not have been aware of.
• Politically Correct, the Ultimate Storybook: Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, Once upon a More Enlightened Time, and Politically Correct Holiday Stories by James Finn Garner, 1998 -- Garner refashions over two dozen tales including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, plucking damsels and the disenfranchised from captive plot lines, increasing their self-awareness, spunk and dialogue ten-fold, then settles them comfortably back into tales where they can live happily ever after as confident, happy, successful entrepreneurs with a social mission.
• Tales from Brother Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde, 1995 -- Welcome to the fairy-tale world where Hansel and Gretel are horrible children who deserve to be baked and where Beauty is dismayed when her beloved Beast turns human. These tongue-in-cheek interpretations of thirteen best-known fairy tales will have readers in stitches.
• Legally Correct Fairy Tales by David Fisher, 1996 -- If you love a funny twist on everyday things or can laugh at cynicism, get a copy fast! Be forewarned, however, it's hard to put down and short enough to read in one or two sittings.
• Fractured Fairy Tales by A. J. Jacobs, 1997 -- This collection, illustrated with classic art from the animated series includes the comical retelling of 25 classics such as Pinocchio (who starred in his own variety show "The Pinocchio Doody Show"), Jack and the Beanstalk (did you know that Jack grew a beanstalk in the outfield so he could catch fly balls for his baseball team?), or King Midas (who became a dentist so he could give his patients gold fillings). This satirical humor loved for so long by so many, is a must-have for fans of the show and anyone who loves classic fairy tales--with a twist.

Return to Main Page