Inspired by Fairy Tales

A dark and spooky-looking woods

Fairy tales are woven into the fabric of culture worldwide. Often serving as cautionary tales, the stories were a tool for elders to teach kids about danger, so those living near forests have fairy tales about creatures in the woods and those near water have stories about monsters in the ocean. I read in a parenting book, Hunt, Gather, Parent, that you can create your own stories around whatever behavior you want from your child, e.g. “If you don’t shut the refrigerator door, the cold monster will grow larger and larger and eat all our food!” Fairy tales are also great and exciting stories. It’s no wonder that writers love to retell them with modern twists and rich detail. Here are some of my favorite fairy-tale inspired books.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)

Poor Ella is cursed to follow any order she is given, making her the perfect slave for her unkind stepmother and stepsisters. She sets off on a quest to end the curse and find her independence. This Cinderella retelling lets Ella become her own hero in the end, rather than relying on a prince. The movie version is great, too!

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (2007)

This retelling has a princess and her servant trapped in a tower after the princess refuses to wed. Hale’s story is based on a Grimm’s tale called “Maid Maileen,” according to the author’s website. The princess’s servant Dashti is the narrator of the story, and the reader sees through her reflections her changing relationship with the princess and her experience of first love.

The Princesses of Westfalin series by Jessica Day George (started 2009)

This trilogy includes retellings of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. Lyrical and compelling, George’s writing sings through the series. I hadn’t been familiar with the Twelve Dancing Princesses story, in which 12 sisters secretly spend their evenings dancing with 12 princes until a clever prince discovers their activities and gets to wed one as a reward from the king. George makes her hero a prince who knits and even included knitting patterns with the book!

A Tale Dark and Grimm series by Adam Gidwitz (started 2010)

Children who love to horrify their parents with gruesome details will love this MG series that tells the “true” stories of fairy tales. Gidwitz’s familiarity with his audience’s love of the forbidden makes these tantalizing and spine-chilling but fun to read. The narrator of the series addresses the reader directly with humor and asides, drawing the audience in. Siblings Hansel and Gretel leave their own story and take charge of their own destinies, weaving through other stories and adventures on their way.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (2016)

Laced with threads of Indian folklore, this YA novel had me spellbound. Maya’s father, the Raja, arranges her marriage to Amar, making her the queen of the mysterious Akaran. Despite her resistance to having her life decisions made for her, she is drawn to Amar. Akaran has many secrets that Maya begins to investigate. Can she solve the puzzles and save the Otherworldly realms and herself?

The Hazel Wood series by Melissa Albert (started 2018)

Alice’s mother made sure they never stayed long in one place, something that may have been related to Alice’s grandmother’s cult-classic book of dark fairy tales. When Alice’s grandmother dies and her mother is kidnapped, she must face what the family has been running from. She finds her way into the world of her grandmother’s stories to rescue her mother.

Fractured Fables series by Alix E. Harrow (started 2021)

This series begins with A Spindle Splintered, a Sleeping Beauty retelling. The novella, which can be read deliciously in one sitting, focuses on Zinnia, who is about to turn 21. Her birthday is significant because she has a rare disorder with which no one has lived past that age. Zinnia is magically pulled into the Sleeping Beauty tale. Within, she may find a way to extend her life and save others doomed to their fates. I adored this exploration of victims and heroes.

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Middle-grade Books for Feminists