Synopsis:
Have you ever wondered just what was going on when that odd little man with the long name stepped up and volunteered to spin straw into gold for the miller’s daughter? If you stop and think about it, there are some very peculiar and rather hard-to-explain components to the story.

Vivian Vande Velde has wondered too, and she’s come up with these six alternative versions of the old legend. A bevy of miller’s daughters confront their perilous situation in very different ways — sometimes comic, sometimes scary. Most of the time, it’s the daughter who gets off safely, but sometimes, amazingly, Rumpelstiltskin himself wins the day. And in one tale, it is the king who cleverly escapes a quite unexpected fate.

Review:
A Fairy Tale in Bad Taste
This was a unique take on who Rumpelstiltskin was and why he wanted a baby. It did give a bit more depth on who Rumpelstiltskin was, and some more backstory than the original tale. The ending was a bit surprising but also fair considering.

Straw Into Gold
I quite enjoyed this take on the classic tale, where Rumpelstiltskin helps multiple times. I absolutely loved the ending, and only wish such a short tale had been longer.

The Domovoi
This was a great take on WHY Rumpelstiltskin appeared and wanted to help spin straw into gold for no reward. I also quite liked the moral of the ending– “Some people… just aren’t happy unless they aren’t happy..” (Page 59)

Papa Rumpelstiltskin
This was one of the better tales in who/what Rumpelstiltskin is and why he wanted so desperately to help the miller’s daughter. Cute!

Ms. Rumpelstiltskin
This was another short story that did a great job of fleshing out the character of Rumpelstiltskin to showcase why someone may have wanted the miller’s daughter’s baby in the first place. The ending was also quite enjoyable.

As Good As Gold
This one I quite loved- one in which the King isn’t the big instigator of such drama. The ending was perfection.

I would recommend this little book for anyone who loves retold fairy tales and quick little reads.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯