Rump has never known his full name. His mother died before she could tell him. When his grandmother dies, and Rump is left on his own, he wonders if he will ever know who he is. Then he finds a spinning wheel and discovers he can spin straw into gold. But that’s where his troubles start, because Rump has no idea of the value of this magical gift and no idea to what lengths others will go to get his gold. He leaves his home and searches for his mother’s family, hoping to find out who he is on the way.
261 pages 978-0307977960 Ages 8-11
Recommended by: Alice Cyphers, Librarian, Pennsylvania USA
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This funny fractured fairy tale goes behind the scenes of Rumpelstiltskin. New York Times Bestselling author Liesl Shurtliff "spins words into gold [Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor winner]."
In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.
To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.
A Texas Bluebonnet finalist and winner of the ILA award for middle grade fiction, Rump is perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted or Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm. And don't miss Liesl Shurtliff's other fairy tale retellings: Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk and Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood.---from the publisher
