Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
by Liesl Shurtliff
Published: April 9, 2013
Genres: Fairy Tale, Middle Grade, Retelling
Format: Hardcover (272 pages)
Source: Purchased
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.
Rump is a fun, humorous retelling of a traditional fairy tale that we all know, Rumplestiltskin. The writing was charming. The characters were funny and interesting. Here’s a little demonstration of both the delightful writing and the great main character, Rump, who wrote this poem.
Home is a place to get out of the rain
It cradles the hurt and mends the pain
And no one cares about your name
Or the height of your head
Or the size of your brain
– Liesl Shurtliff, Rump, pg 8
This book was written before Once Upon a Time came out, but I can’t help comparing the two since they are both intelligent retellings. There’s a scene in this book where Red is talking about the consequences of magic and I couldn’t help but hear my favorite character, Rumplestitlskin from Once Upon a Time, say “All magic comes with a price!” Another similarity to Once Upon a Time is the ability of this story to get us to empathize with the “villain.” I was really impressed that Liesl Shurtliff was able to keep the plot so close to the traditional fairy tale but give us back story and motivations in a way that made me see the story in a new light and not see Rump as the bad guy. It also kind of felt like a prequel because of the back story about his parents that the author went into.
Rump has a beautiful message about the importance of names and labels and our destiny. It’s a story about not only learning from your own mistakes but the mistakes of others.
My one and only (and very small) complaint is that it felt like it ended very quickly.
Overall, it was a charming fairy tell retelling about finding your destiny that will appeal to everyone – especially if you are a Once Upon a Time fan.
Content Rating: Everyone. There is some very mild potty humor.
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About Liesl Shurtliff
Liesl Shurtliff was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the mountains for her playground. Just like Rump, Liesl was shy about her name, growing up. Not only did it rhyme with weasel, she could never find it on any of those personalized key chains in gift shops. But over the years she’s grown to love having an unusual name—and today she wouldn’t change it for the world!
Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. She now lives in Chicago with her husband and three young children, where she still dreams of the mountains. Rump is her first novel.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
I’ve been meaning to read Rump for awhile now. I’m so glad to hear that you really enjoyed it. I really need to move it up on my list. But there are SOO many books I want to read.
I have wanted to read this! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Oh my this one sounds wonderful. I’ve seen it around and haven’t really paid it much attention but now I want to read it. I’m a fan of Once Upon a Time (although I’m on season 1 still…………) so this sounds perfect!