“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
I’ve been wanting to write a post about fairy tale retellings for a while now, and given the topic of last week’s post, I thought now was a good time to do it. First of all, if your only exposure to fairy tales is Disney, you’re not alone, but you’re missing out. Go ahead and read the fairy tales as written by The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Charles Perrault. Some of the stories will be mostly the way you remember them from the Disney movies, but you’ll find that some of them are very different. I remember the first time I read Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. I. Was. Shook.
Once you’ve done that, if you’re up for it, take a look at some fairy tale retellings. What I love about this particular genre is the fact that it’s simultaneously familiar and unique. It’s amazing how many interesting ways someone can tell the same story. The authors who write fairy tales are able to take a formula that everyone knows—Cinderella, for example—and make it new again. Interesting. Fresh. If that sounds fun to you, here are a few you could start with.
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Ever since I saw Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, this has been my favorite fairy tale, but it wasn’t until college that I read Robin McKinley’s version. I picked it up at the insistence of my roommate. It’s her favorite book, and she rereads it every year. She demanded that I read it, even loaning me her own dog-eared copy. I admit that I haven’t read it every year since then, but I went out of my way to buy a copy of my own. If you like this fairy tale, this is a version you should really pick up. It’s very sweet and extremely well-written.
Entwined by Heather Dixon
How is it that Disney hasn’t done a Twelve Dancing Princesses movie? This seems like a no-brainer. Anyway, if you’re a fan of the TDP, you should go ahead and read Entwined. It’s one of the most interesting takes on this fairy tale that I’ve ever read, with well-rounded characters, high stakes, and a super creepy villain. I loved this one.
The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy by Jessica Day George
Jessica Day George is one of my favorite fairy tale authors. She writes some books that are for children, but these are more Young Adult and they’re super fun. Princess of the Midnight Ball is another Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling, Princess of Glass is, of course, Cinderella, and Princess of the Silver Woods is Little Red Riding Hood meets Robin Hood. They’re all just delightful.
PSA – Jessica Day George also wrote a retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, a Norwegian fairy tale that’s kind of like Beauty and the Beast and kind of like the Cupid and Psyche myth. Her book is called Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, and it’s excellent.
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I discovered this book in middle school. Maybe it’s the power of nostalgia, but I feel like it still holds up. This retelling of Cinderella asks the question, “What would happen if Cinderella found out that the prince was kind of an idiot and royal life was terrible?” It’s such an interesting take on the original tale with a heroine who exercises a tremendous amount of agency throughout the book. I just can’t sing the praises of this one enough. I actually just found out there’s a sequel, and you know it’s on my to-read list!
Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
I picked this one up kind of on a whim. I didn’t have super high expectations. I was mostly just hoping it would be an entertaining take on Cinderella. I didn’t expect moments of exquisite prose or brilliant flashes of insight. This book, written from the perspective of one of Cinderella’s stepsisters, allows anyone who has ever felt less than, or not enough, to feel seen. It’s one of the darker books on this list, but it’s well worth the read.
These are just some of my favorite fairy tale retellings, but they’re certainly not the only good ones I’ve read. My list is long. If you’ve read widely in this genre, what are some of your favorites? Let me know!
Happy Reading!
