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STELLAR STORIES: Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging, and Being Yourself

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Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging, and Being Yourself
By Matthew Gray Gubler
Random House, 2019. Intermediate.

Rumple Buttercup knows that he is weird-looking. He has only five teeth, and they’re all crooked, and he only has three hairs on his head, plus green skin. He lives in a sewer, with only Candy Corn Carl, the imaginary friend that he made out of candy and trash. Rumple dreams of living outside the sewer grate, where he would be able to participate in all of the fun that he sees happening every day. But he knows that his appearance makes him look like a monster, and that people would think he was weird. So he hides out in his sewer, pretending to be a part of the outside world, but feeling more sad and lonely each day. But when something unexpected happens, he’s surprised to learn the outside world isn’t quite what he thought it would be.

Rumple Buttercup is a sweet character, who longs for friendship and fun. His story is fun to follow because we can all relate to being self-conscious about what makes each of us unique, and we can all learn the lesson of acceptance of ourselves and others. We may not have green skin, but we all know what it’s like to want to hide what we think makes us weird.
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