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Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin


Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
By Liesl Shurtliff
Alfred A. Knopf, 2013. Fiction.

Twelve-year-old Rump, who lived in town were your name determined your destiny, lived up to his name. He was short and unremarkable but he knew if he could figure out his true full nameā€”the name his mother intended to give him but was unable to finish saying before she died giving birth to himā€”he could be somebody. One day he discovers his motherā€™s old spinning wheel and his ability to turn straw into gold. What he thought would bring relief to his dire conditions, giving him a way to provide for his sickly grandmother and to him, only brings complications when he has to turn his gold over for any price givenā€”including a princessā€™s baby. When his grandmother dies, he goes in search for his real name and to find a way to end his curse of the gold to his motherā€™s homeland and comes across other interesting fairy tale creatures along the way that also get a bad reputation in fairy tales.

Humorous leisurely take on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale that makes him the hero, not the villain. Fans of fractured fairy tales and Shannon Haleā€™s works will be pleased to add this to their reading list. Maxwell Glickā€™s narration has the perfect tone and pace for Rumpā€™s character and is available to listen to on Overdrive.

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