You’ve all heard the story of Rumplestiltskin, right? You
know, the evil little man who steals the beautiful lady’s firstborn in exchange
for spinning straw into gold? I’m going to bet that you don’t know why
Rumplestiltskin could spin gold or why he was so short. Lucky for you, Liesl
Shurtliff decided to let us all know the true story of Rumplestiltskin in her
book, “Rump.”
In a town where names determine who you become, Rump
feels a bit robbed. His mother died before she said his whole name, and now he
will forever be known by a name no one should ever be called. Rump lives with his grandmother and
spends his days digging unsuccessfully for gold in the town’s mine. When his
grandmother becomes desperately ill and the miller refuses to give them food on
credit, Rump discovers a magical secret—he can spin straw into gold. What he doesn't know is that even though
magic comes easily to him, there are weighty strings attached to all things
created by it. So as Rumps spins more and more straw into gold, his life begins
to spin out of control. When his grandmother dies and the mischief has been
done, Rump sets off to fix the problems he caused and hopefully discover what
his true name really is.
Through the unraveling of Rump’s past and a desire to
change the present, Shurtliff lightly leads the reader to delve into ideas of
becoming, belonging, and character without becoming too heavy. Filled with
humor, compassion, and danger, “Rump” delightfully turns the old fairy tale
inside-out with not-so-sinister results. This title is great for grades 3-6.
--Andrea W., H.Q.
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