Customer Reviews

Rumpelstiltskin Problem

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Lately I have been enjoying a bunch of those fairy tale retellings where an author takes a classic tale, such as Beauty and the Beast or Rapunzel, and makes it funny or modern or feminist. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde takes the old story of Rumpelstiltskin and offers it up in six different ways. The book begins with a hilarious author's note where Vande Velde explains that the story of Rumpelstiltskin makes no sense. Why did the miller start talking to the king in the first place? Why would the troll named Rumpelstiltskin want a baby? Why did he want the poor girl's gold rings if he could spin a whole room of straw into gold? As Vande Velde asks, "What do you think your teacher would say if you handed in a story like this?" So Vande Velde decided to write six different versions of the story- some funny, some scary, and all unique. In one of them, Rumpelstiltskin is the one who comes out on top!
If you think you are too old for fairy tales, you are so wrong. Fairy tales were originally written for adults, and this book of Rumpelstiltskin tales is perfect for anyone looking for an interesting read.

Please don't rip out the first chapter of this book. It's fine as it is. Spoiler alert: no babies are actually devoured in print or otherwise!
As to its bloody-mindedness, it's a rewrite of a fairy tale, for heavens' sake. Vande Velde is extremely adept at giving an interpretation of these chestnuts. My personal opinion is that 'tweens and up will find it to be marvelous reading to giggle over.

I advise the reviewer who gave it one star to never, never let her child read Hans Christian Andersen-- particularly The Little Match Girl and The Little Mermaid (not the sugarplum Disney version). Likewise Little Red Red Cap (AKA Riding Hood) and Snow White (entrails, anyone?) from the Grimm brothers. Never mind that they serve as promises of chance for a better afterlife, warnings to mind your parents or your guardians as in the case of Snow White.

Life can be hard and mean. Sometimes there are villains. In fairy tales, at least, they usually get their due.

P.S. Anyone wanting to see Donna Jo Napoli's very touching (and young adult) take on Hansel and Gretel should try her book, The Magic Circle.

Okay, so we all know the Brothers Grimm had it all wrong; we know there had to be a reason the miller was willing to give up his only daughter. We knew it. Forget the Grimms. Take the Vande Velde Route, ie, the one that makes you laugh as well as making sense.

Vande Velde delivers her audience many scrumptous tales of Rumpelstiltskin--all refreshing and unique. Not a one didn't leave me laughing and thoughtful. HOORAY! A Rumpelstiltskin that isn't a "Problem."

Mix humor, good sense, and a dash of "strong heroines" and you've got your "Rumpelstiltskin Problem." Only one problem; sometimes a little dragging, but that is easily overlooked. So my advise to you? Pick it up at the library or store as soon as possible! It'll be worth the trip!

Happy reading!

Vivian Vande Velde has already proved herself a master of fantasy. Now she proves that she is a master of logic also!

Having noted the numerous and often laughable flaws in the fairy tale "Rumplestiltskin," Ms. Vande Velde entertains with her wry observations -- and droll retellings. For instance, how could a person with his foot caught "tear himself in two"? Is that physically possible? Why did Rumplestiltskin want the girl's gold ring if he can spin gold himself? Why the heck would he want a baby?

Well, VVV has the answer. She produces multiple retellings of the story: the miller's daughter is chasing the king. Rumplestiltskin is a woman. Rumplestiltskin is not just a repulsive little troll -- and has a secret identity. Surprise endings and weird twists (and very good questions) are presented, all in VVV's unique style and peppered with her sense of humor.

Though twelve bucks may seem like a lot for a small book, don't let the size deter you. In laughs per page, it more than pays off...

This book will keep you on your toes as you read the various variations of the tale of Rumpelstiltskin. I really enjoyed watching the same story unfold in many new directions!

OK, it a fairy tale and middle school students are too old for such things. But wait, you haven't been pulled into the complexity of the tale and what the ture story is. These six short well crafted stories will draw in the most jaded student.

I purchased the hardcover version sight unseen after merely hearing the book's premise, and it was well worth the price. Velde presents a series of stories to address the suprisingly many problems inherent to the old Rumplestiltskin tale. Each story contains a unique twist, and every story makes a good deal more sense than the original.

The first of these stories was a little shocking for my taste, involving a nasty troll who plots to eat the miller's daughter's baby. But then, I've read the fairy tale collections of the Brothers Grimm (for those of you who don't already know, there are many many many very much more gruesome stories in those) and Velde's variation is comparatively tame. I figure if I can handle the old dark fairy tales, I can handle a dark new one, too.

It is the only version of the tale that comes close to being objectionable, and it might be rather hard on children to make it the very first one they'll read upon opening the book. Then again, today's children are made of much sturdier stuff than we former children like to think. I doubt if it will be terribly traumatic for them.

That being said, my real favorites are the sunnier variations, where good wins out and every one lives happily ever after, and no babies lives are threatened (oh, come on, you don't <i>really</i> think that's a spoiler, do you?).

"Straw Into Gold" is real genius, with one particularly smart character pointedly remarking on the ridiculousness of the whole setup. This is normally a bad move - revealing the story's flaws mid-tale, I mean - but here it works for the story, and I love that Van Velde went for it.

(Interested readers may like to know that this story also appears in <i>Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird</i>, Van Velde's other 'fairy-tale-twist' collection.)

Every character involved in the original story gets a chance in at least one variation to be the one who outsmarts the bad guy. And every character involved in the original story also gets a shot at being portrayed <i>as</i> the bad guy. Well, except for the baby.

All of this makes for one fun book, and earns my copy a place on my bookshelves.

Van Velde, I salute you, and your fabulous imagination!

You don't have to be a certain age to appreciate creativity, and these remakes of the old Rumpelstiltskin fable are certainly original. The wonder is the author comes through time after time, six times in all, with a fresh way of framing the timeworn characters. And characters they are -- each one different, each one oozing vanity, or avarice, or foolishness, or sometimes sweetness. I'd recommend reading this if you want to unleash your own creativity, no matter what kind of writing you do.

Did you ever think that the Rumpelstiltskin story could be told six different ways? In The Rumpelstiltskin Problem, by Vivian Valde Velde, each version is different because there's no original record of the story. The story is familiar to all, but the details are different or change each time it's told. In one, Rumpelstiltskin tells the miller to tell the king a joke. In another version the miller wants the king to like his daughter. However, in all of the stories the miller tells the king his daughter can spin straw into gold. Why would a responsible parent tell a lie about their child? Why did the king believe him? Why didn't the daughter tell the truth? The king puts her in a room full of straw and tells her," turn the straw to gold or you will be killed." She is locked into there room, crying, and a little man appears. In one story Rumpelstiltskin (the little man) spins the straw into gold for her, but in another, Rumpelstiltskin gets gold and the miller's daughter throws the straw out the window, yet in another, she watches Rumpelstiltskin do it once and then does it on her own. Each time the gold is given to the king. By making the king happy, the king and the miller's daughter have a baby. Each story also has a request for the first born child. Will Rumpelstiltskin get the first born? Or will the miller's daughter keep the baby? I thought that the Rumpelstiltskin Problem was a really good book. The author wrote an enjoyable story about a miller's daughter and a troll. I would recommend the Rumpelstiltskin Problem to kids who like books that tell the same story different ways. I think you should read this wonderful book.

Did you ever try to imagine what it would be like to be a character in a fairy tale? These six imaginative versions of the Rumpelstiltskin story are told from wildly different points of view. There are versions with mean and friendly trolls. In one story there is a haughty king and in another King Gregory has to work hard to evade a rather inept social climbing miller's daughter. One boastful father with an understanding daughter, tries to correct his mistake. In another version, a curious neighbor named Rumpelstiltskin gets involved with a conniving miller's daughter.

Teachers often have students write a different end to a story. In this case you can show students how to write an entirely new version telling the story from the differing viewpoints of each character. Vivian Vande Velde has used the holes in the original story to tell an old favorite tale in a range of short stories that go from gruesome to hilarious. Cleverly done.