Review – Rump: The True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Yearling
Release Date: April 22, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-0307977960
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the second book I have read from Shurtliff, the first was Jack. It ended up being a wonderful fairy tale retelling/extension of Rumpelstiltskin that very entertaining and fun to read.

Poor Rump has such unfortunate luck; just as Rump’s mother was naming him she coughed and then died leaving only the first part of his name spoken…Rump. It’s an unfortunate name and Rump has had an unfortunate life. Rump thinks his luck has changed when he finds out he can spin gold out of straw, however then he finds he is only spinning himself deeper and deeper into a magical curse. Rump and his friend Red go on quest to break this curse and save the kingdom.

I really enjoyed this book, even more than I loved Jack. There is a lot of humor in here, wonderful story telling, entertaining characters, and lots of magic.

Rump has a great sense of humor (you would have to with a name like Rump) and there are some very funny scenes throughout. Rump has been dealt a tough lot in life, however he struggles through with optimism and determination. I really enjoyed him as a character. I also really enjoyed his friend Red with her snarky and no frills attitude about everything. She was awesome and I hope we see a book about her in the future.

The world is very fairy tale fantasy like and also very fun. Rump travels to places like Yonder and Beyond. You bump into a variety of fairy tale characters along the way; however this story focuses on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this humorous fairy tale retelling. I think middle grade readers and older who enjoy fantasy and/or fairy tales will really enjoy this book. I would also recommend A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz to those who enjoy humorous fairy tale retellings. This book is for a bit younger crowd and more light-hearted than Gidwitz’s series but it’s similar in a lot of ways as well.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge