Fractured Fairy Tales
My previous Spotlight List posts, like
Fairy Tale Retellings, Little Red Riding Hood Retold, and
Sleeping Beauty Retold may have tipped you off to the fact that I love fairy tale retellings
. What these lists may not have conveyed, however, is my great love of humorous stories. I like to laugh. So it should come as no surprise that I absolutely adore fractured fairy tales.
What are fractured fairy tales? Basically the author takes a fairy tale, writes a retelling, but turns everything on its head all the while poking fun at all of the classic features of fairy tales. The best fractured fairy tales manage to present this humor in a good natured manner so it comes across more like friendly ribbing and not outright mockery.
At least, that's what I consider the best. Here are some of my favorites that, while written for MG audiences, are still totally appropriate for older readers as well.
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Release Date: 1990
Pages: 212
Goodreads Page
Princess Cimorene is not your average princess, and she's perfectly happy with it. In fact, she has no interest in being a typical princess and to prove her point, she runs away to live with the dragon Kazul. There she finds adventure, conspiracy, mystery, and friendship.
Witches, dragons, princesses, wizards, and princes make up the cast of this fantastic fractured fairy tale. The genre is lovingly turned on its head and treated to a near-constant stream of tongue in cheek rubs. Cimorene is sweet and spunky, but it is the dragon Kazul who stole my heart. This is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, but it can easily be read as a standalone.
Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl
Release Date: 2000
Pages: 224
Goodreads Page
After sharing her meager food with an old woman, Alexandra is transformed from a poor goose girl into a princess with hair that sheds gold dust, tears of diamonds, and unparallelled beauty. This sounds good, right? Think again. Her gifts land her the attentions of two rival princes who lock her in a Rapunzel-like tower while they decide who gets to marry her. A daring escape orchestrated by her intrepid geese kicks off this tale and sends Alexandra on a journey where she encounters hungry ogres, greedy kings, and a prince who may not be as stupid as he first appears.
While Alexandra could use an attitude adjustment, her sarcastic quips are hilarious. Filled with funny moments,
Goose Chase is a delightful, quick read that is sure to appeal to fans of fractured fairy tales.
A Hidden Magic by Vivian Vande Velde
Release Date: 1985
Pages: 192
Goodreads Page
Jennifer *IS* your typical princess, and she's just fine with that. When she meets the handsome Prince Alexander, she knows she should fall madly in love with him. Except she doesn't really. He's kind of a jerk. But Jennifer knows her duty as a princess and so she tries to love him anyway. When Alexander's rudeness gets him cursed by a local witch, it is up to Jennifer to save him. Enlisting the help of a cute wizard, Jennifer sets out to undo the witch's curse, but the more she tries to comply with her princess duty, the more she finds herself starting to disagree with tradition.
It's no secret that I adore Vivian Vande Velde's books. While not my favorite of all her books,
A Hidden Magic is a quick, funny read that left me with a smile on my face. Jennifer's status as an "ordinary" princess sets her apart from many of the feisty anti-princess girls that usually star in fractured fairy tales.
The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool by Margaret Gray
Release Date: October 1, 2002
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Pages: 176
Goodreads Page
Princesses are supposed to be beautiful, but Princess Rose is decidedly ugly. Looking to impress the handsome Prince Parsley, Rose begs her fairy godmother for the gift of beauty. Rose quickly learns that beauty isn't all it's cracked up to be (and neither is Prince Parsley). Desperate to undo the gift, Rose enlists the help of the wise fool Jasper (wisdom has been banned, so the intelligent Jasper has to go undercover as a fool) to help her undo her wish.
I was in near-constant laughter throughout this whole book. The messages are sweet, the characters adorable, and the "fractured" parts absolutely hilarious. There is a prequel to this book (The Lovesick Salesman), but they can be read in any order and both are standalones.
Rapunzel: The One with All the Hair by Wendy Mass
Release Date: June 1, 2006
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 208
Goodreads Page
Rapunzel is locked in her tower and trying to find a way out. She's frustrated, offended, and VERY displeased. The Prince is bored in his castle with no adventures to keep him busy and an annoying cousin pestering him. The two storylines run parallel for most of the book and then intersect toward the end.
This is another one that had me chuckling throughout. The prince's dry humor and Rapunzel's exaggerated lamentations gave each narration a distinct, but equally hilarious, voice. Though much is original, Wendy Mass also manages to stick pretty close to the traditional story.
What are some of your favorite fractured fairy tales? I know there are a ton I haven't mentioned here. Have you read any of these books? Feel free to add links to your reviews!
Want to see more Spotlight Lists?
Click HERE to see more of my lists
