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The recent question about fractured fairy tales reminded me of a few  
really great reads:

Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley is a really fun  
book that could easily be used in a unit on fractured fairy tales,  
creative writing, team writing, or just for fun.  In this story, a  
girl and boy are assigned to co-write a short story, but they just  
can't quite agree and the results are a riot.  (I'm copying the  
following review from Booklist:  From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. A girl and a boy create a fairy tale in this lively picture  
book. The girl starts first, with a story about a princess and her  
eight ponies, while the boy interjects comments: "Please . . . don't  
call [the pony] Buttercup." When the boy has had enough, he steps in  
with a sword-wielding, motorcycle-riding hero who battles a giant,  
while the princess is assigned the boring job of making thread. Fed  
up with these developments, the girl delivers the final plot twist,  
turning her princess into a warrior who sends the giant scurrying  
back to his cave. The fun in this picture book comes in the  
contrasting styles of the illustrations, which include contributions  
from Carol Heyer and Scott Goto. The girl's story features bright  
colors, flowers, and long golden locks, while the boy's story is done  
in the dark, taut-muscled style of comic books. Throughout, O'Malley  
depicts the girl and the boy^B reacting to the twists of the plot. A  
funny take on the age-old battle of the sexes, with an ending suited  
for the new millennium. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved   )

Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter by Diane Stanley  (I'm just copying the  
following review info from Amazon.com:  Amazon.com
The children's classic "Rumpelstiltskin" undergoes an attitude update  
in Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter by Diane Stanley. Yes, the king  
imprisons the miller's daughter Meredith and threatens death if she  
doesn't spin mountains of gold, but this time it's a kind and cute,  
not a troll-like and evil Rumpelstiltskin who rescues Meredith from  
the king's wrath. Rumpelstilskin's heartfelt request for Meredith's  
first child as payment for the spun gold is accompanied by promises  
that he will read to the child and even coach Little League! Meredith  
cannot resist such promises, and the two escape from the palace,  
marry the next day, and settle on a farm far from the king. The story  
picks up some 16 years later. Meredith and Rumpelstiltskin have a  
"sunny and clever" daughter named Hope who delights in traveling to  
town to sell the golden coins spun by her father. On one such trip  
the greedy king crosses Hope's path and, after spying the gold coins,  
sets her to spinning gold in a cold palace cell. Hope cooks up a plan  
that results in prosperity for the people of the kingdom and her  
appointment as prime minister. Diane Stanley's irresistable prose and  
detailed illustrations make Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter a golden yarn  
that's sure to be spun over and over. (Age 5 and older) --This text  
refers to the Hardcover edition. )

If you or your students enjoy stories that pull from the fairy tale  
tradition, but with a twist (or three), check out the following  
chapter books.  What makes these fun to me is catching the references  
to all of the fairy tales I read as a child.  I think they would be  
enjoyable even without familiarity with the old stories (Cinderella,  
kissing a frog to find a prince, Hansel and Gretel,  
Rumpelstiltskin. . . . ), but if you have the background (or  
introduce those stories to the kids first) then turn them loose on  
these, it's like a treasure hunt and meeting up with long-lost old  
friends.

The Sisters Grimm:  The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley and  
Peter Ferguson
The Dealing with Dragons series by Patricia Wrede
The Frog Princess (Book 1), Dragon's Breath (Book 2) and Once Upon a  
Curse (Book 3) by E.D. Baker
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esme Raji Codell
The Princess Tales series by Gail Carson Levine

Ronda Y. Foust
School Media Specialist in Training, UTK
rstansb2@utk.edu
Oak Ridge, TN
http://thebookdragon.blogspot.com/



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