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I love all things whimsy and fairy-tale-ish; and always have. I remember asking my Mom to read me my favorite fairy tales often when I was a child and my favorite book included Aesop’s fables, Greek mythologies, a collection of European folklore, and Grimm’s fairytales with all the details. As an adult, when life becomes too serious or I need a break from my thoughts, my favorite way to disconnect is to read fairy tales. This post is a list of my favorite retold fairy tales and I will come back and add to this list as I find more that I love!
I feel like it should be noted that I only recommend family friendly books. The building below is a favorite of ours in Munich, Germany.
Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles #1 by Marissa Meyer
I haven’t read a good retold fairy tale in a long time and this one was so unique! Cinder is a cyborg with the absolute worse step-mother to grace a version of Cinderella. Cinder is pretty busy repairing robots and finding spare parts until the Prince comes and asks her to repair an android. Even though she looks forward to working with the Prince, Cinder’s step-sister and only human friend ends up becoming sick with the plague. Cinder’s stepmother volunteers her for research even though no one has survived. Will Cinder actually be able to fall in love with the Prince like I hope? Will her stepmother stop being awful? Will her sister live? Meyer was also really great at dropping breadcrumbs so I could guess what was happening. I should note that this is the first in the series so you aren’t going to finish being completely resolved. The next book has some waiting time at the library for good reason so it might be a little while.
*The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale) by Melanie Dickerson
It has been a long time since I have read a fairy tale and reading this book made me realize this has definitely been missed! After inheriting a title, the anti-social Margrave of Thornbeck is ordered by the King to find a noble bride quickly. At the encouragement of his servants, the Margrave has a ball to meet his perfect match. The female protagonist, Avelina, has been given other instructions: to keep her identity secret and to make sure the Margrave doesn’t fall in love with her. Of course, the plot becomes more complex than just that 😉 and you definitely root for the main characters.
The book was an easy to read, the plot was easy to follow (and guess), and the book was very family friendly. It was nice to read this after a few heavier reads because I enjoyed the characters a lot, had a good time laughing at some of the adjectives describing the Margrave’s jaw line and broad chest, and I would happily recommend this book as an easy page turner. I will admit that I thought it would end faster than it would and couldn’t figure out what the author would write about for the rest of it, but I was still a fan as I am already planning on reading more of the author’s books in the future.
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I haven’t read this book in years, but I liked it enough to give it a good rating AND this is one of my favorite young adult authors. This is what Goodreads has to say:
You’ve heard the fairy tale: a glass slipper, Prince Charming, happily ever after…
Welcome to reality: royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, acting like “a proper lady,” and—worst of all—a prince who is not the least bit interesting, and certainly not charming.
As soon-to-be princess Ella deals with her new-found status, she comes to realize she is not “your majesty” material. But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat, especially when you’re crushing on another boy in the palace… For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk—and no ladylike behavior allowed.
I really enjoy Melanie Dickerson because her books are sweet, family friendly, and have a good plot. This particular book is based on The Little Mermaid. However, the plot in this book was very similar to the last one I read by her (or could it be said that this isn’t an author thing…fairy tales are just like that?). When I thought the book was about the end, I found myself saying “oh yeah, this must be a thing she does” at the same place percentage wise as the first book. That being said, I really enjoy reading books by the same author again.
Evangeline has beautiful red hair and a lovely singing voice, but is forced into a betrothal to a grimy older man. After running away, she falls in love with Westley le Wyse who thinks she is a mute servant. Will she be able to successfully hide or will she be forced to be a political pawn?
*The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson
I couldn’t relate to the Mattie, the main character at first, but the more I read the more I loved this book. I loved this twist on a classic, and as you read, you’ll see the twist on many classics; there were a few times I thought of other movies or books I loved and then they were quickly referenced as a confirmation. The story was different than expected, the boy craziness of high schoolers made me laugh hysterically, and I loved how the book ended with a few chapters with another character’s point of view. I feel like the modern day twist on this book is totally doable and I never rolled my eyes at high school bullies or the politics behind being a student high school president. I ended up loving all of the characters which was a fun chan
ge for a retold version of Cinderella! I ended up reading this book in less than a day. I’ve heard so many great things about this author now that I know I’ll have to read more from her!
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
I have never read a book by Shannon Hale that I have not absolutely loved; this book is no different! I read this book my first year of teaching back in 2011! Goodreads says:
Anidora-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s incredible stories, and learning the language of the birds. Little knowing how valuable her aunt’s strange knowledge would prove to be when she grew older. From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become a queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must understand her own incredible talents before she can overcome those who wish her harm.
Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry
I can easily say this is one of my favorite books. While this may not be a retold fairy tale, it has many fairy tale elements which is why I lump it here. I found this book in my middle school library at 12, read it again in high school at 17, again at 23, and recently just reread it again! The story line never gets old and I always read the book in just 1-2 days. I’m happy that the author connected her other titles on Goodreads so that I saw she wrote more books!! This book has it all: young adult, romance, historical fiction, fighting, and fantasy. The book is written in a Scottish dialect that becomes so natural to read and I love how the element of that really adds to the characters. Meg Wright, the main character, overhears her older sister kill the King of Scotland through witchcraft. This story ends up launching Meg into the middle of the drama: who can she trust??
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
This is another one of my all time favorites. I discovered this book in middle school and I haven’t stopped reading it since! I never get tired of the story. If you’ve ever seen the movie, please don’t let that scare you off because it isn’t that great. The plot: Ella is cursed by a foolish fairy with the gift of obedience. From that day on, Ella absolutely has to obey; whether it be to her harm or joy. Thankfully, Ella is smart enough to outwit some of her situations, learns languages, and figures out how to conquer ogres. Ella goes on a quest to find the fairy that originally cursed her, and of course, falls in love with the Prince Char. This book is so humorous and fantastic. Char is definitely one of my top book boyfriends and I will forever ship Char and Ella.
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
This is another retold fairytale that I read my first year of teaching. My best teaching friend Suzanne recommended so many of these great books to me! Goodreads says:
Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.
Captivating from start to finish, Jessica Day George’s take on the Grimms’ tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses demonstrates yet again her mastery at spinning something entirely fresh out of a story you thought you knew.
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
I really enjoyed this retold fairy tale! There are very few fairy tales that focus on male characters and I can tell that I will pick up other books from this author. The author also seemed to set up the book to put in background information for other books in the future which I loved.
