The Rumpelstiltskin Problem
by Vivian Vande Velde

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Book Reviews of The Rumpelstiltskin Problem

Book Review: Excellent Concept, Excellent Stories
Summary: 5 Stars

The first of these stories was a little shocking for my taste, involving a nasty troll who plots to eat the miller's daughter's baby. But then, I've read the fairy tale collections of the Brothers Grimm (for those of you who don't already know, there are many many many very much more gruesome stories in those) and Velde's variation is comparatively tame. I figure if I can handle the old dark fairy tales, I can handle a dark new one, too.

It is the only version of the tale that comes close to being objectionable, and it might be rather hard on children to make it the very first one they'll read upon opening the book. Then again, today's children are made of much sturdier stuff than we former children like to think. I doubt if it will be terribly traumatic for them.

That being said, my real favorites are the sunnier variations, where good wins out and every one lives happily ever after, and no babies lives are threatened (oh, come on, you don't <i>really</i> think that's a spoiler, do you?).

"Straw Into Gold" is real genius, with one particularly smart character pointedly remarking on the ridiculousness of the whole setup. This is normally a bad move - revealing the story's flaws mid-tale, I mean - but here it works for the story, and I love that Van Velde went for it.

(Interested readers may like to know that this story also appears in <i>Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird</i>, Van Velde's other 'fairy-tale-twist' collection.)

Every character involved in the original story gets a chance in at least one variation to be the one who outsmarts the bad guy. And every character involved in the original story also gets a shot at being portrayed <i>as</i> the bad guy. Well, except for the baby.

All of this makes for one fun book, and earns my copy a place on my bookshelves.

Van Velde, I salute you, and your fabulous imagination!

Summary of The Rumpelstiltskin Problem

The skeptical author sets out to remedy these flaws in six different imaginative retellings full of sassy humor that teens will relish. Sticking closely to the spirit and setting of the original, she changes only one or two building blocks in the plot structure and comes up with some surprising results. In one story, the miller's daughter is an obnoxious groupie pursuing the polite and gentle king; in another, Rumpelstiltskin is female; and in a third, the dwarf appears as a troll with a yen to eat human baby who sets up the whole scenario as an attempt to get his hands on a toothsome infant. ("Tastes just like chicken," scoffs his brother-in-law.)

Teen readers will appreciate the wit and freshness of these smart-mouth renditions of a traditional story. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell

Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths Books

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