Liesl ShurtliffRump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin

This story is such a fun read! We read it as a family, and it kept my kindergarten-aged child all the way up to my junior high-aged child (and everyone in-between) entertained and asking for another chapter. Mixed in with the fun is a heart-felt and encouraging message for everyone trying to find their place in this journey of life. I highly recommend!

Two kinds of magic operate here. One is toxic, uncontrolled and at the story's core. The other is the actual magical sparkle spun by a masterful storyteller.The tale is a good one and most have no doubt heard some version of it before. This time, however, it unfolds from inside the mind of Rumpelstiltskin himself, a character traditionally marked as a villain. We see him now as a well-meaning, but inexperienced, bungling and over-matched "tweener" suddenly aware that he's misused magic and made a mess of things.The real strength of this book is the skill of the writer. She has fashioned an uninterrupted hum of action involving a cast of characters finely scaled to precisely the proper degree of "appealing" or "disagreeable" without crossing the line to genuinely "offensive." The story advances with balance, suspense, and well-placed humor. The result invites ongoing reader reaction ranging from dismay to approval to surprise.Even if your memory has muddled somewhat with time, it doesn't matter. The tale in these pages -- while departing from the original Grimm -- draws its audience into a fresh, exciting and, I believe, improved version, aka, a Liesl Shurtliff fairy tale.

One of the best books I’ve read to my students! I teach 5th grade and read-a-loud books don’t always hold their attention. This one grabbed us all! I usually read one chapter per day, but my students were begging me to read 2! Highly recommend!

"My mother named me after a cow's rear end."The first sentence of Liesl Shurtliff's book RUMP sets the stage for the book's protagonist and his life on The Mountain. Rump is not his entire name, mind you. As his mother attempted to utter it on her deathbed, Rump was all that she could muster before taking her last breath. The problem is that names are one's destiny and have magic powers. With a name like Rump, the future doesn't look very bright. Also, he's teased and tormented by the village bullies, Fredrick and Bruno, who call him "Butt".Though the book's first sentence is an attention grabber, especially for kids. The story begins at a rather plodding pace in its first 50 pages. Its aim is to reveal the "little man's" side of the story. How he got his name, and the journey to spinning straw for the queen in exchange for her first born child. It's quite a page-turning story, indeed, if you can hang in there and get through the beginning.As with most stories that interweave magic throughout the plot, there are pixies, trolls, and gnomes. Shurtliff presents them with a twist by making the gold-loving pixies as annoying and bothersome, trolls as loving through dirty creatures, and for me the most humorous, message delivering gnomes who take their jobs very seriously. When Rump discovers his mother's spinning wheel, that is when all the trouble begins. Warned by his Gran and his friend Red not to spin, Rump discovers that magic has a price and, at times, dire consequences.Throughout the plot, rhyme-creating, and self-deprecating Rump, is in search of his true and complete name to discover his true destiny. Unfortunately, his ability to spin straw into gold has him under the power of the Miller who is determined to exploit Rump and his dimwitted daughter, Opal, to his maximum benefit. Thus, he manages to marry Opal off to King Bartholomew, otherwise known as King Barf. Rump, feeling responsible for the fate of Opal, decides he must rescue her from a very unpleasant demise. Yet, the magic that Rump possesses doesn't always allow to him adhere exactly to his plan.Overall, this is a well-written book. There are some interesting plot twists and Shurtliff keeps it light-hearted with plenty of humor. Being familiar with the story Rumpelstiltskin makes this much more interesting and fun. Since it was one of my favorites growing up (I always liked that the queen guessed his name and kept her baby.), it was the primary reason I decided to give it a read. I found the author's note in the back interesting. Like Shurtliff, I have an uncommon first name. At least the spelling is unusual. So, I can relate to why she would tell Rump's story.(I could never get one of those name key chains either.)Four stars.

We are really enjoying this take on the fairytale Rumplestilskin. He likes me to read to him, and I love doing so. This is a nice story for us both.

It was great. Advice to read

This book is a great book and kept my daughter wanting to read more to find out what happened next

Highly recommend for upper elementary! Students were captivated by the story and humor

A wonderful adventure of how Rump turned straw to gold and how it lead to trouble, his true name, his inner power and friendship. A book that's difficult to put down.I can't say enough for this collection of books by this author. My 7yr old daughter and I have read Grump, Rump and currently on Red with Jack on our self to follow once we are done Red. All have been phenominal and I will be sad once we've finished them all. I hope the author is busy writing another.

Very entertaining...to look at it from a different point of view. It is a good reading for adults as well.

This is an excellent tale with some lovely characters. It joins together the story we all recognise with a totally different point of view. It provides reasons you don't even realise are needed behind the action of the original story. It transforms your idea of who are the heroes and who are the villains of the tale, and what constitutes a happy ending. It is beautifully written and ultimately very enjoyable, although I did struggle with the first few chapters simply because they were so depressing and sad - but from the ashes of Rump's dreadful early life grows a great tale of adventure, excitement, new friends, fearful enemies and moral dilemmas. Great reading.

My kids love this book (age 8-11). Such a great twist on a classic fairy tale. I also read this to my grade 4 students at school and they loved it. The kids are constantly begging me to read more.

This book is excellent quality, just a little dent on the bottom, but other than that everything is super cool, currently reading and enjoying it thoroughly. I hope to finish reading it soon, it's an instant like. :D