July 8, 2020
A few weeks back, we posted a list of fairy tail retellings for teens. These novels retold the stories of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and other famous tales in modern times, or with new twists to the stories.
Since there were so many good recommendations to share, we had to split the list into two parts. Below, you'll find the second list, which features retellings for such tales as Little Red Riding Hood, The Frog Prince, Rumpelstiltskin, and others.
Enjoy these young adult and middle-grade (MG) novels that use fairy tales as the basis for the story, and let us know - what's your favorite fairy tale adaptation or retelling?
"CLOAKED"
Also available as an e-book
I’m not your average hero. I’m just a poor guy working an after school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop. I’m helping my mom make ends meet, ok? But then a little magic changed everything. It all started with a curse. And a…frognapping? And a hot princess who’s asked me to lead a rescue mission. With no fairy godmother is sight, but I fell in love. Before I knew it I was spying on enchanted swans, talking with a fox named Todd, and got nearly trampled by a giant in the Keys. I don’t believe it all either, but I know it’s all true, the second I got cloaked.
"ENCHANTED"
Also available as an e-book
The first in a series of fairy tale novels. It’s not easy being the overlooked and unhappy youngest sister, especially when you are the seventh girl in a family of girls all named for days of the week. Sunday’s only joy is writing stories, although what she writes has a tendency to become true. Then Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories and the two become friends. Soon, it’s clear that their relationship is becoming something more and magical. One night, Sunday kisses her frog and leaves, not realizing that she’s broken his curse and turned him back into Rumbold—the crown prince and a man her whole family hates!
"FROGKISSER! "
Also available as an e-book
Princess Anya is forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband. Plagued with the ability to break curses with a magic kiss. Now she’s forced to go on the run when her evil stepfather decides to make the kingdom his own. Aided by a talking dog, a thief trapped in the body of a newt and some mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest. And if she plays it right, this will free her land and teach her about the uses and abuses of power and finding friends.
"THE PRINCESS SPY"
Also available as an e-book and an audiobook
One of the books in the “Fairy Tales Romance” series, Margaretha has always been a romantic. She hopes that Lord Claybrook, her latest suitor, will be her one true love. Then an injured man is brought to her castle, claiming to be an English lord who has been attacked by Claybrook and left for dead. The fact that Margaretha is the only one who speaks the stranger’s language and the only one who understands his story. Soon she finds herself unable to pass the message on to her father and convinces herself that the injured man is confused. “Lord Colin” retrieves a lost heirloom from the well and asks her to spy on Claybrook as repayment. She knows she could never be a spy—she can’t ever keep a secret and she knows that “Lord Colin” is not her potential true love. Then she overhears Claybrook and discovers her romantic ideas may have been clouding her judgement about the whole situation.
"PRINCESS IN THE SILVER WOODS"
Also available as an e-book
The final book in the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” series features Petunia, the youngest of King George’s dancing daughters. Invited to visit an elderly friend in Westfalin, Petunia is looking forward to the change of scenery. In order to reach Westfalin, she needs to pass through a strange forest, where two legged wolves are rumored to exist. These wolves are intent on redistributing the wealth of all noble citizens who have entered their territory. The these wolves are more handsome than dangerous, and it’s not until Petunia reaches her friend’s home, that she realizes that the kindly grandmother may be an enemy bent on restoring a curse.
"SISTERS RED"
Also available as an audiobook
Scarlett march lives to hunt the Fenris—werewolves that took her eye when she defending her sister. Armed with a hatchet and a blood red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at slaying the wolves. She’s determined to protect all other girls from a horrible death and she will not rest until every single wolf is dead. Rosie, Scarlett’s sister, thought her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts alongside her sister. But as more girls start dying in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself attracted to a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett’s only friend. Does loving Silas mean losing her sister? The first in the “Retold Fairytales” series.
"SCARLET"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison, even though she’ll be on the Commonwealth’s most wanted. Half way around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandma has gone missing. There are many things that Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the danger she’s lived in her whole life. When Scarlet meets Wolf, a street fighter who may have information on her grandmother, she doesn’t want to trust this stranger, but she’s drawn to him. Now they have unravel one mystery and they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now they all have to stay one step ahead of the Lunar Queen. The second book in the Lunar Chronicles.
"DUST CITY"
Ever since her father was arrested for killing Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf, Henry, has kept a low profile at the Home for Wayward Wolves. When a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed. Now with the help of his roommate, Jack and a daring she-wolf, Fiona, Henry has to venture deep into the heart of Dust City, a dangerous metropolis where fairydust is the drug of choice and controlled by a mob of water nixies. Can Henry solve the mystery? Or will he become the latest big bad wolf?
"CRIMSON BOUND"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Once Rachelle was good—training to protect her village from dark magic. But she had a reckless streak; straying away from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes horribly wrong and Rachelle is forced to make a difficult choice that binds her to the evil she hoped to defeat. Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving her realm, fighting deadly creatures in an effort to atone for her sins. The king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates more than anything. Rachelle forces him to help her hunt for the legendary sword that might save their world. They must navigate an opulent world of the elite, where beauty and power reign and no one can be trusted. The two of them become allies, and discover a love that may be their undoing.
"TOWERING"
Also available as an e-book
The final novel in the “Kendra” series is a retelling of Rapunzel! Rachel was taken to live in a tower by a woman she calls Mama. She was so excited and felt like a princess in a castle. Many years later Rachel knows that the tower is a prison and plans her escape. She is encouraged by the speed of her golden hair’s growth and now it’s long enough to reach the ground. And she’s begun dreaming of a man with green eyes. Could he be out there in the world? Is he destined to save her? Or will she find a way to save herself?
"CRESS"
Also available as an e-book and an audiobook
In the third book of the “Lunar Chronicles,” Cinder and Scarlet are on the run. They are plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope is Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since she was a child with only her netscreens for company. Cress is an excellent hacker and has been forced to work for Queen Leveana. Cress has just received orders to track Cinder and Scarlet. When a daring rescue of Cress goes wrong, the group is splintered and Cress finally has the freedom she wanted, but it came at a much higher price than she’s ever expected. Meanwhile, Levana will let nothing stand in the way of her marriage to Kai, especially Cinder. Cress, Scarlet and Cinder may not have planned to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
"RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE"
Also available as an e-book
Rapunzel escapes the tower on her own and discovers a world that she’d never known before. Planning to rescue her real mother and seek revenge on her kidnapper, Rapunzel and her long braids team up with Jack the Giant Killer and together they perform daring deeds and rescues all over the west, eventually earning the justice they deserve.
"A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD"
Also available as an audiobook
A gold thread promises Charlotte a chance to save her family’s beloved mill: a future, jobs, and security, especially against her grasping uncle. And maybe the chance at true love. But in order to get the thread, Charlotte must strike a bargain with the spinner of gold, Jack Spinner. The gold conjures a shadowy past; secrets that ensnare generations of Charlotte’s family. And what does the mill, her family and her love, what do those matter to a stranger who can spin straw into gold.
"SNOW IN SUMMER"
Also available as an e-book
Summer is as beautiful as the flowers in her father’s garden, with her lily white skin, black hair and ruby lips. Her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale. Her parents sing and dance with her, her family dotes on her and she’s about to get a new baby brother. When the baby dies taking Summer’s mom with him, her fairy tale turns sad and grim. Thing get worse, when her father marries a woman who brings magical mirrors and poisons into Summer’s world. Stepmama puts on a pretty face, but Summer is sure she’s up to no good—and she might be powerless to stop her.
"FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS"
Also available as an audiobook
Xifeng is beautiful and the stars says she’s destined for greatness. She’s meant to be Empress Feng Lu, but only if she embraces the darkness within her. Growing up as a peasant, Xifeng wants to fulfill the destiny promised to her by her cruel aunt, who has read in the cards and seem glimmers of Xifeng’s majestic future life. But is the price too high? In order to achieve that greatness, she must spurn the man who loves her and use the magic that runs through her veins. After all the god who set her on her journey will not be satisfied until his power is absolute.
"FAIREST"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Pure evil has a name and hides behind a mask. But who really is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet and Cress, Levana lived a very different story. One that has never been told before.
"NAMELESS"
Also available as an e-book
When Camille was six, she was discovered alone in the snow by Enrico Vultusino, godfather of the Seven—the seven most powerful families in magic New Haven. Papa adopted the mute child, naming her after his deceased wife. Now Cami is sixteen and though she’s no longer mute, but she keeps her scars hidden and only opens up to her best friends Ruby and Ellie. Even though she’s the heiress to the Vultusino fortune, she also knows that she’s not really part of the Family. Unlike them, she’s mortal and her past lies buried in trauma. What secrets does Cami’s past hold? Now she’s looking to find where she came from and why her past is threatening.
"THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE "
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Twisting together Snow White and Sleeping Beauty’s tales, master story teller, Neil Gaiman has created a brilliant version of these two classic fairy tales.
"WINTER"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Princess Winter is loved by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness. Her beauty is said to be more breathtaking than that of her step mother, Levana, in spite of the scars she has. Winter despises her stepmother and knows that she won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend, Jacin. Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with Cinder and her allies, Winter might even be able to launch a revolution and win.
"GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
Mina’s mother is dead and her father, a magician, is vicious. Her heart has never beat with love for anyone. In fact she’s never felt her heart beat at all, something she’s always thought was normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees the king, she forms a plan. She will win the king’s heart and become queen and know love. But she’ll have to become a stepmother. Lynet looks just like her dead mother. One day, she understands why: at her father’s orders, a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image. Lynet would rather be fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish, when her father makes her queen of the Southern Territory, displacing Mina. Now Mina is looking at Lynet with hatred and Lynet must decide what to do and who to be, to win back the only mother she’s ever known.
"TENDER MORSELS"
Also available as an e-book
Liga suffered horribly in her life. Now she lives in comfort in her own personal heaven, a gift given in exchange for her terrible earthly life. Her two daughters have grown up in this place, protected from violence, especially the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world beckons and magic men and wild bears break down the borders of the refuge. Now, these three will have to survive in a world where beauty and brutality twist together.
"ENTWINED"
Also available as an e-book and as an audiobook
When Azalea feels that everything is before her—balls, beautiful dresses and handsome suitors—it’s all taken away. She’s trapped. The Keeper understands. He’s been trapped too, for centuries. He offers her an invitation. Azalea and her eleven sisters step through the enchanted passage to dance in his silver forest, but at a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things and Azalea doesn’t realize how tangled she is in his web until it’s too late.
"PRINCESS OF THE MIDNIGHT BALL"
Also available as an e-book
The first book in the “Twelve Dancing Princesses” series. Rose is one of the twelve princesses forced to dance through the night in an underground palace. The key to breaking the spells lies in magic, knitting needles, a cloak of invisibility and, of course, true love.
"WILDWOOD DANCING"
Also available as an e-book
In the castle Piscul Draculi, a father lives with his five daughters. The second oldest, Jena, spends most of her time exploring the mysterious forest with her companion, a frog. The best thing about the castle, by far, is the hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every full moon they pass through to an enchanted forest of the Other Kingdom. There they dance all night the fey creatures of this magical realm. When Father fall ill, cousin Cezar arrives, supposedly to help the girls survive the winter, but Jena suspects there are other motives. Jena’s sister has fallen in love with a dangerous creature in the Other Kingdom, and it’s up to Jena to stop it. Everything is at stake, Jena’s home, her family, the Other Kingdom. Jena will be tested to save her world.
"HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS"
Also available as an e-book
Once upon a time, there were twelve sister princesses. But now loneliness fills the grand halls and rooms now that four of the girls have died. Each death was more tragic than the last—plague, a fall, a drowning and a plunge. The villagers whisper that the family is cursed by the gods. Annaleigh becomes suspicious that her sisters’ deaths were not accidents. They had been sneaking out every night to dance until dawn in silk gowns and slippers. Annaleigh isn’t sure whether she should stop them or join them. Who are they actually dancing with?
"THE COTTAGE IN THE WOODS"
Also available as an e-book and an audiobook
Ursula is a young bear working as a governess at the Vaughn estate. Although she is eager to work with her young charge, Teddy, she is also frightened by the strange things that happen after dark in the huge house. Ursula is sure that she’s heard footsteps in the hallway and someone is falling her during her walks. Then, there is Mr. Bentley, a young bear, also employed by Mr. Vaughn whose superior manner is driving her to tears, yet he does make her heart race. In the Enchanted Forest, Ursula works to unravel these mysteries, but she will have to be careful. There is true love, justice and an adorable girl with golden locks at stake.
Julie Kinney / Adult Services Librarian
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