What do you think?
Rate this book
Hilary McKay's Fairy Tales
Straw into Gold: Fairy Tales Re-Spun
This book was originally published in hardback as Hilary McKay's Fairy Tales.
Straw into Gold: Fairy Tales Re-Spun is a classic fairy tale collection to treasure. Featuring Hilary McKay's imaginative retellings of key favourites, this ten-story collection includes the much-loved tales of Rapunzel, Cinderella, the Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the Swan Brothers, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Red Riding Hood, the Twelve Dancing Princesses and Hansel and Gretel.
This gorgeous gift book features black-and-white line and tone illustrations throughout from the talented Sarah Gibb.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2017
21 people are currently reading
569 people want to read
About the author
Hilary McKay
136 books387 followersHilary McKay was born in Boston, Lincolnshire and is the eldest of four girls. From a very early age she read voraciously and grew up in a household of readers. Hilary says of herself as a child "I anaesthetised myself against the big bad world with large doses of literature. The local library was as familiar to me as my own home."
After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.
One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them
Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.
After reading Botany and Zoology at St. Andrew's University Hilary then went on to work as a biochemist in an Analysis Department. Hilary enjoyed the work but at the same time had a burning desire to write. After the birth of her two children, Hilary wanted to devote more time to bringing up her children and writing so decided to leave her job.
One of the best things about being a writer, says Hilary, is receiving letters from children. She wishes that she had written to authors as a child, but it never occurred to her to contact them
Hilary now lives in a small village in Derbyshire with her family. When not writing Hilary loves walking, reading, and having friends to stay.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 11, 2019
The tales are familiar. A young woman attends a ball with the aid of a fairy godmother. A girl escapes from an evil queen and her quest for vain gratification. A girl and her cloak journey through the woods. Fairy tales provide the simplistic and highly dramatic bones that have influenced countless retellings, reimaginings, reexaminations— pick your word.
It’s almost remarkable then that writers are still finding interesting and original things to pull from these stories. Yet that is exactly what author Hilary McKay has done with ten of these tales. Some of them range more on the classic side, with Cinderella remaining close to its source, though with a few clever twists on the idea of royal blood. Similarly, Rumpelstiltskin is the same piece only told from the point of view of the mysterious “hob”, whose loneliness makes him yearn for a child. McKay’s approach to both of these is charming and surprisingly tender.
However, the stories that put the original tale in the periphery work best. Particularly, Hansel and Gretel takes the form of a child’s class essay of what she did over her school break. The reader glimpses it over the shoulder of her teacher, who is preoccupied with her own problems as she acclimates to the school. It’s incredibly smart, and also makes for a nice break from the abundance of royal-based tales.
Illustrator Sarah Gibb provides lovely silhouettes to accompany each section. They straddle that line between whimsically elegant and modernly practical, matching McKay’s words perfectly.
By neither sticking to straight retellings nor moving all stories outside their base, McKay has succeeded in making something entirely new. It probably won’t replace the originals as quickly recited bedtime stories. However, it is a tome readers can pluck from the shelf to admire a master storyteller weaving masterful ideas into old tales.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
It’s almost remarkable then that writers are still finding interesting and original things to pull from these stories. Yet that is exactly what author Hilary McKay has done with ten of these tales. Some of them range more on the classic side, with Cinderella remaining close to its source, though with a few clever twists on the idea of royal blood. Similarly, Rumpelstiltskin is the same piece only told from the point of view of the mysterious “hob”, whose loneliness makes him yearn for a child. McKay’s approach to both of these is charming and surprisingly tender.
However, the stories that put the original tale in the periphery work best. Particularly, Hansel and Gretel takes the form of a child’s class essay of what she did over her school break. The reader glimpses it over the shoulder of her teacher, who is preoccupied with her own problems as she acclimates to the school. It’s incredibly smart, and also makes for a nice break from the abundance of royal-based tales.
Illustrator Sarah Gibb provides lovely silhouettes to accompany each section. They straddle that line between whimsically elegant and modernly practical, matching McKay’s words perfectly.
By neither sticking to straight retellings nor moving all stories outside their base, McKay has succeeded in making something entirely new. It probably won’t replace the originals as quickly recited bedtime stories. However, it is a tome readers can pluck from the shelf to admire a master storyteller weaving masterful ideas into old tales.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
January 28, 2020
If Hilary McKay rewrote the phone book, I would give it a try. Here, she's decided to take her own spin on classic fairy tales. The results are mixed, but the stories that are good are very good. It seems a shame that this collection isn't likely to find much of a readership, because McKay writes for an age group that is likely to consider themselves too old for fairy tales. I would have loved reading this aloud to my older son when he was around 10 or 11.
Read
February 4, 2018It’s been a while since I wrote a Goodreads review but I feel I owe it to the kind person who sent me this book. <3
I love everything Hilary McKay writes, but this – not being a straightforward single narrative – was a different reading experience. The pleasure in reading came not from wanting to find out what was going to happen to McKay’s so-likeable-yet-so-flawed characters, but from being able to pick up the book every morning and read a whole new story. There is also, of course, a certain amount of pleasure in the ah-ha moment of “Oh, I recognize this character! Oh, this is so-and-so’s DAUGHTER!” And even though you think you know all the stories, you really *don’t* know how you’re going to reach the moment in time when the tale is told.
And each of these is an exquisite retelling – a look at traditional fairy tales through the clear-visioned and full-hearted and ultimately rose-coloured lens of Hilary McKay’s expansive imagination and her lyric, humorous voice. She gives character to everyone – like an illustrator who’s able to paint individual portraits with a few adept, masterful strokes. In typical McKay fashion, there are very, very few total bad guys. There is a touch of tongue-in-cheek, and there is a touch of darkness.
It is also a pretty little book, a pleasure to hold and page through. Sarah Gibb’s beautiful silhouettes are a lovely complement to the text.
Essentially, expect the unexpected when you read these – they’re what you know, and nothing like what you think you know.
(I enjoyed the oh-so-subtle reference to Harold Monro’s poem “Overheard on a Saltmarsh” in “Straw into Gold,” the Rumplestiltskin story.)
I love everything Hilary McKay writes, but this – not being a straightforward single narrative – was a different reading experience. The pleasure in reading came not from wanting to find out what was going to happen to McKay’s so-likeable-yet-so-flawed characters, but from being able to pick up the book every morning and read a whole new story. There is also, of course, a certain amount of pleasure in the ah-ha moment of “Oh, I recognize this character! Oh, this is so-and-so’s DAUGHTER!” And even though you think you know all the stories, you really *don’t* know how you’re going to reach the moment in time when the tale is told.
And each of these is an exquisite retelling – a look at traditional fairy tales through the clear-visioned and full-hearted and ultimately rose-coloured lens of Hilary McKay’s expansive imagination and her lyric, humorous voice. She gives character to everyone – like an illustrator who’s able to paint individual portraits with a few adept, masterful strokes. In typical McKay fashion, there are very, very few total bad guys. There is a touch of tongue-in-cheek, and there is a touch of darkness.
It is also a pretty little book, a pleasure to hold and page through. Sarah Gibb’s beautiful silhouettes are a lovely complement to the text.
Essentially, expect the unexpected when you read these – they’re what you know, and nothing like what you think you know.
(I enjoyed the oh-so-subtle reference to Harold Monro’s poem “Overheard on a Saltmarsh” in “Straw into Gold,” the Rumplestiltskin story.)
April 16, 2019
This is like cotton candy: sugary sweet and insubstantial. And purposeless. I’m not sure what I expected from this, but it wasn’t to finish the volume wondering why it was written. There are very few memorable moments (Cinderella as the winning whimsical extrovert who recognizes the Prince by his boots - niiiiice parallel - and the literal blue blood; Sophie objecting that all mirrors tell the truth and that’s not magic, and her grandmother responding “Do they?”; that the Prince’s Problem is exactly what you might expect had McKay not framed it, cleverly, as a fairy tale element), but these are the only standout moments to me; they’re only in three of the ten stories and I’m not sure they justify even those three stories.
McKay’s distinctive style is certainly present, and those silhouetted illustrations are great. But this isn’t a book to me, or even a collection of short stories. The stories aren’t consistently unique or clever enough.
McKay’s distinctive style is certainly present, and those silhouetted illustrations are great. But this isn’t a book to me, or even a collection of short stories. The stories aren’t consistently unique or clever enough.
May 17, 2019
This is a collection of fairy tales, each with a twist of some sort. The twist range from the point of view of the storyteller, the point in time from which the story is told, and the circumstances surrounding the story. It's a decent collection, but mostly I was just bored. The stories were not engaging enough to keep my interest when or twisty enough to offer anything new. There were a couple of shining, profound moments, but those were too few and far between to count against how I had to force myself to pick up the book when it was time to read. Typically I'm able to say even if a MG book doesn't work for me how it might work for the intended audience. For once, I can't do that. I have no idea. I know many of the 5th-7th graders I work with are completely unfamiliar with the original version of fairy tales, so I don't know what they would get from this.
October 21, 2018
Such imaginative and fresh retellings of familiar fairytales. I particularly loved the retelling of Rumplestiltskin from his perspective - it made me feel so sorry for him!
Brilliant collection, full review to come!
Brilliant collection, full review to come!
December 21, 2020
I have different ratings for each short story. Please check my status updates if you want to know my brief opinions.❤️
Favorite short stories:
"Roses Round the Palace" (Cinderella)
"Sweet William by Rushlight" (The Swan Brothers)
Favorite short stories:
"Roses Round the Palace" (Cinderella)
"Sweet William by Rushlight" (The Swan Brothers)
April 6, 2019
I love fairy tale retellings. This book is aimed at children but if you're like me and love rereading these old stories you'll really enjoy it. McKay gives you the stories you know with the same evocative language but updates them for a new audience. I think my favourite was Rumplestiltskin. I just found it really endearing. If you like different versions of fairytales, this is definitely worth a look. I gave it 5 stars because I felt like it was a near perfect version of what it was intended to be.
December 13, 2020
Actual rating: 4.3
Basically Straw into Gold is a collection of ten fairytale retellings such as Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Pied Piper, The Swan Brothers, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, also Hansel and Gretel. It's admittedly hard to grow tired of something as everlasting as a fairytale and while we could still clearly grasp the original vibes of every lore in this book, I found each of the twists refreshing and the choices of the perspective way creative.
After falling in love with every bit of this retelling, I realized that what I loved the most about Straw into Gold as a whole was the fact that it was retold very cleverly. Though I wasn't at all familiar with half of the tales retold, going through each story felt like a trip to Grimm's Fairy Tales universe (but of course less gruesome and more mundane). Magic was still the important key shadowing some of the tales but somehow Mckay managed to make them feel more honest and lifelike. "What I Did in the Holidays, and Why Hansel’s Jacket Is So Tight" was my favorite by far.
Basically Straw into Gold is a collection of ten fairytale retellings such as Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Pied Piper, The Swan Brothers, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, also Hansel and Gretel. It's admittedly hard to grow tired of something as everlasting as a fairytale and while we could still clearly grasp the original vibes of every lore in this book, I found each of the twists refreshing and the choices of the perspective way creative.
After falling in love with every bit of this retelling, I realized that what I loved the most about Straw into Gold as a whole was the fact that it was retold very cleverly. Though I wasn't at all familiar with half of the tales retold, going through each story felt like a trip to Grimm's Fairy Tales universe (but of course less gruesome and more mundane). Magic was still the important key shadowing some of the tales but somehow Mckay managed to make them feel more honest and lifelike. "What I Did in the Holidays, and Why Hansel’s Jacket Is So Tight" was my favorite by far.
March 16, 2021
Some really fun reimaginings of classic fairy tales. Some were more reimagined than others, though all were fun to read.
March 14, 2022
2.5 stars.
I feel like she did a good job of keeping to the style of writing generally seen in Grimm fairytales and there was usually some small quirk or different element to the story, but they usually weren't unique enough to stand out. My favorite was the Rumpelstiltskin retelling, as it had the most different take on it from the original and also evoked some sympathy for the poor hob.
I feel like she did a good job of keeping to the style of writing generally seen in Grimm fairytales and there was usually some small quirk or different element to the story, but they usually weren't unique enough to stand out. My favorite was the Rumpelstiltskin retelling, as it had the most different take on it from the original and also evoked some sympathy for the poor hob.
July 6, 2024
When I was a kid, I used to have 'The Brothers Grimm Book of Fairy Tales' and I read it a lot. It was nice to revisit some old favourite tales, told slightly differently with this version of tales by Hilary McKay. I'd never read 'The Swan Brothers' before so that was new to me. Overall an enjoyable collection of familiar short stories.
dnf
February 12, 2019DNF. I thought I would like this because I like retold fairy tales, but the prose is painful to read. Maybe it's supposed to be short and choppy and repetitive because people think that's the sort of thing children like, but I just think it's not very good. The first story (Rapunzel) also simply was not interesting. It was the basic Rapunzel story interspersed with a "clever" tale about a caged bird who was afraid to leave its cage, so readers can see that Rapunzel and her tower are like the bird and the cage. There were also things that didn't make sense (For example: the suggestion that Rapunzel was "never so bored or hungry" that she was happy to see the witch. She lives in a bare room with literally nothing to do. At all. Ever. But she still hates seeing the witch once a day and getting some food?) And there were asides that are probably only funny to adults: the Prince is a poor prince because he's a writer. Maybe the other stories are better, but I'm not interested in reading more.
November 25, 2020
I adore fairy tales. Grimm fairy tales, traditional fairy tales...ALL fairy tales. I have read a LOT of fairy tales and re-tellings in my day, and this was, without a doubt, one of the best collection of stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Every story was so well done with just little tweaks here and there to make them Mrs. McKay's, but I loved every story, and ending with the Seven Swans was perfect. I'm so sad to be finished with this book, and I have no idea what to read next now.
Every story was so well done with just little tweaks here and there to make them Mrs. McKay's, but I loved every story, and ending with the Seven Swans was perfect. I'm so sad to be finished with this book, and I have no idea what to read next now.
March 24, 2018
This book is all the old fairytales but all have a little twist to them to make them a bit different to the originals. Quite interesting to see what has been done with each one and it is a quick read.
I think a young child would struggle a bit with the length but I would recommend to slightly older children.
I think a young child would struggle a bit with the length but I would recommend to slightly older children.
October 9, 2024
This book ended so sad. 😭
Morever,
This still was amazing! 😄
I loved how all the story's had their own little twist in them. But, the seven swan brothers was, so sad 😭😭😭 Elsa was left all alone for seven years, and she was only nine years old!! Oh, I'm going to cry all over again now... 😢
I enjoyed this book so much!! 😄
So, Five Stars!! 💛💫
Morever,
This still was amazing! 😄
I loved how all the story's had their own little twist in them. But, the seven swan brothers was, so sad 😭😭😭 Elsa was left all alone for seven years, and she was only nine years old!! Oh, I'm going to cry all over again now... 😢
I enjoyed this book so much!! 😄
So, Five Stars!! 💛💫
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2018
The stories are a bit different from the originals but I still enjoyed reading them. 3.5 stars
January 2, 2021
Review on my Wrap Up Vlog
https://youtu.be/OOcKZ5f0UWc
https://youtu.be/OOcKZ5f0UWc
September 7, 2023
I had hoped for some more original twists to the fairytales, but unfortunately that was not the case. Still loved reading the fairytales.
December 16, 2023
some of the retellings were great and most were just the same and nothing new.
Read
April 20, 2025TBR Jar prompt: read a fairytale retelling
February 19, 2021
McKay's language doesn't seem all the poetical to me. And folk & fairy tales are about the ideas, anyway, the themes and tropes that have made it into our collective consciousness... which means fractured wonder tales have to say something both new and worthy, preferably a counterpoint, another perspective, or a topsy-turvy, not just an extension thereof.
There are a *lot* of books to read instead of this. Many are much better. I don't particularly recommend this. Try also/instead The Rumpelstiltskin Problem or Zel or Giants Have Feelings, Too/Jack and the Beanstalk or Cloaked in Red or The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea....
Discussions & writing in classrooms & homeschools come up with some pretty terrific ideas, too.
But I did like some of the concepts and a few of the tales here.
Imo, Pied Piper (read the Browning) and Snow White (at least in this the dwarves are good housekeepers and the girl must learn to be) and 12 Dancing Princesses are lame. Princess & Pea (which btw is my favorite Andersen tale [which McKay did not credit!!]) is worthy. Over the Hills and Far Away is actually quite wonderful (perhaps because it combines two tales and is therefore made more original). The others are ok in their way.
But the fact that McKay mentioned a book by the very wonderful Eleanor Farjeon,The Silver Curlew, in her bibliography makes me smile.
There are a *lot* of books to read instead of this. Many are much better. I don't particularly recommend this. Try also/instead The Rumpelstiltskin Problem or Zel or Giants Have Feelings, Too/Jack and the Beanstalk or Cloaked in Red or The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea....
Discussions & writing in classrooms & homeschools come up with some pretty terrific ideas, too.
But I did like some of the concepts and a few of the tales here.
Imo, Pied Piper (read the Browning) and Snow White (at least in this the dwarves are good housekeepers and the girl must learn to be) and 12 Dancing Princesses are lame. Princess & Pea (which btw is my favorite Andersen tale [which McKay did not credit!!]) is worthy. Over the Hills and Far Away is actually quite wonderful (perhaps because it combines two tales and is therefore made more original). The others are ok in their way.
But the fact that McKay mentioned a book by the very wonderful Eleanor Farjeon,The Silver Curlew, in her bibliography makes me smile.
October 16, 2022
Great retellings if fairytales. These don’t lose the magic.
November 11, 2020
"The Tower and the Bird, or, Rapunzel." Jess and Leo buy a caged bird and try to set it free, but it won't leave the cage. In a parallel story, Rapunzel is trapped in her tower, and even when set free, it's still part of her. I liked this way of telling the story, and the focus on why a person or a bird might stay in its prison even when given the option to leave. We are complicated creatures.
"Straw Into Gold, or, Rumplestiltskin." A hob is given a name by a little girl, and is moved to learn to spin straw into gold. Meanwhile, Petal, the lazy and demanding miller's daughter, makes a rash promise to the king, and the hob agrees to help--for a promise. This retelling from the hob's point of view is a nice, bittersweet twist on the tale.
"The Roses Round the Palace, or, Cinderella." Cinderella does a favor for her friend Buttons, who works for the Prince,. The prince loves roses and hands them out at the ball, for mysterious reasons. Only Cinderella's does not prick her. This is a fairly straightforward retelling with a British twist, as I think Buttons is a common character in Cinderella pantomimes (?).
"The Fountain in the Market Square, or, The Pied Piper of Hamelin." This is told from the point of view of the mayor of Hamelin, who doesn't care for noise or children or rats. He cheats the Pied Piper, and is happy with the results--things are so much quieter. I didn't care for this one--it was depressing.
"Chicken Pox and Crystal, or Snow White." Snow White's granddaughter Sophie finds a sliver of mirror that seems to speak to her, and to show her a far more beautiful self than she sees in her own mirrors. Then she gets chicken pox, and her grandmother tells her a story with seven dwarves. I liked this one because the frame story was an actual story.
"The Prince and the Problem, or, The Princess and the Pea." A prince named Charming had been cursed so that if he did not marry a princess, his palace would fall down, and his mother devised a method of identifying one that involved mattresses. However, the prince was rude and not interested in any princesses. A princess arrives in a storm and befriends the kitchen maid. This was rather fun, and I liked the ending.
"Over the Hills and Far Away, or, Red Riding Hood and the Piper's Son." Orphaned Polly grows to be the only one in her village brave enough to visit Granny in the woods, and she loves her reluctant adoptive parents' pig, Diamond. When an obnoxious local boy, Tom, disappears along with Diamond, the village suspects wolves. Polly thinks otherwise. I didn't love or hate this one. I wasn't sure I understood it all, and it stretched pretty far away from the original(s).
"Things Were Different in Those Days, or, The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Violet, her mother, and the dotty Old King are the only ones remaining in the palace. Violet's mother takes in lodgers for money, and finally tells Violet why there's a locked room with twelve beds. This was one of my favorite fairy tales as a kid, and I didn't like this version--very depressing.
"[Long title], or, Hansel and Gretel." Angelika Maria is a stylish young woman who impulsively takes a job at a tiny forest school full of sticky children. When she asks them to write about their holidays, she gets backwards stories from Hansel and Gretel. This one only works because people already know the Hansel and Gretel story, so it's rather fun to read Gretel's backward account. Although I liked the frame story, I thought it needed a little more explanation.
"Sweet William By Rushlight, or, The Swan Brothers." This retelling of The Wild Swans, as I knew it, is told by the youngest, William; the one who was not completely cured because his sister ran out of time weaving her nettles. He remembers the joy of being a swan, of flying, and longs to have it back. I liked this haunting retelling, which acknowledges that while the brothers were cursed, they were also given a tremendous gift that maybe was harder to give up than the original tale shows.
"Straw Into Gold, or, Rumplestiltskin." A hob is given a name by a little girl, and is moved to learn to spin straw into gold. Meanwhile, Petal, the lazy and demanding miller's daughter, makes a rash promise to the king, and the hob agrees to help--for a promise. This retelling from the hob's point of view is a nice, bittersweet twist on the tale.
"The Roses Round the Palace, or, Cinderella." Cinderella does a favor for her friend Buttons, who works for the Prince,. The prince loves roses and hands them out at the ball, for mysterious reasons. Only Cinderella's does not prick her. This is a fairly straightforward retelling with a British twist, as I think Buttons is a common character in Cinderella pantomimes (?).
"The Fountain in the Market Square, or, The Pied Piper of Hamelin." This is told from the point of view of the mayor of Hamelin, who doesn't care for noise or children or rats. He cheats the Pied Piper, and is happy with the results--things are so much quieter. I didn't care for this one--it was depressing.
"Chicken Pox and Crystal, or Snow White." Snow White's granddaughter Sophie finds a sliver of mirror that seems to speak to her, and to show her a far more beautiful self than she sees in her own mirrors. Then she gets chicken pox, and her grandmother tells her a story with seven dwarves. I liked this one because the frame story was an actual story.
"The Prince and the Problem, or, The Princess and the Pea." A prince named Charming had been cursed so that if he did not marry a princess, his palace would fall down, and his mother devised a method of identifying one that involved mattresses. However, the prince was rude and not interested in any princesses. A princess arrives in a storm and befriends the kitchen maid. This was rather fun, and I liked the ending.
"Over the Hills and Far Away, or, Red Riding Hood and the Piper's Son." Orphaned Polly grows to be the only one in her village brave enough to visit Granny in the woods, and she loves her reluctant adoptive parents' pig, Diamond. When an obnoxious local boy, Tom, disappears along with Diamond, the village suspects wolves. Polly thinks otherwise. I didn't love or hate this one. I wasn't sure I understood it all, and it stretched pretty far away from the original(s).
"Things Were Different in Those Days, or, The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Violet, her mother, and the dotty Old King are the only ones remaining in the palace. Violet's mother takes in lodgers for money, and finally tells Violet why there's a locked room with twelve beds. This was one of my favorite fairy tales as a kid, and I didn't like this version--very depressing.
"[Long title], or, Hansel and Gretel." Angelika Maria is a stylish young woman who impulsively takes a job at a tiny forest school full of sticky children. When she asks them to write about their holidays, she gets backwards stories from Hansel and Gretel. This one only works because people already know the Hansel and Gretel story, so it's rather fun to read Gretel's backward account. Although I liked the frame story, I thought it needed a little more explanation.
"Sweet William By Rushlight, or, The Swan Brothers." This retelling of The Wild Swans, as I knew it, is told by the youngest, William; the one who was not completely cured because his sister ran out of time weaving her nettles. He remembers the joy of being a swan, of flying, and longs to have it back. I liked this haunting retelling, which acknowledges that while the brothers were cursed, they were also given a tremendous gift that maybe was harder to give up than the original tale shows.
August 27, 2019
Straw into Gold is a compilation of fairy tales that were retold by Hilary McKay. I’m going to be honest and say that I did not read all of them, and I only read the stories that were based on fairy tales that I liked. I was going to read the rest of them if I liked these, but the ones I did read did not impress me. The stories themselves were just strange. The first one I read, “The Roses Round the Palace or Cinderella”, started out well enough, but the Prince was dislikable to me. He had a strange obsession with roses, and he also went and speared everyone who came to his party with prickers to tell if they were of royal blood or not, by handing them a rose with a thorn. The same issue of an annoying prince came with “The Prince and the Problem or The Princess and the Pea”. However, I liked this story better because it was less ...weird, and the romance was alright. “Over the Hills and Far Away or Red Riding Hood and the Piper’s Son” was also a story that I was alright with, but I was confused about what was happening right at the climax because of the way the author worded it. I think that this story had the best romance, and I actually enjoyed that aspect a lot. The next story, “Things Were Different in Those Days or The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, ---which I skim read---was gruesome and sad. I didn’t like it at all. Again, I really skim read “What I Did in the Holidays and Why Hansel’s Jacket Is so Tight (by Gretel, aged 10) or Hansel and Gretel”, and while the way it was told was clever, it didn’t really grab my interest. There were also strange parts in it. The final tale, “Sweet William by Rushlight or The Swan Brothers”, was depressing. It just might be tied with The Twelve Dancing Princesses for the most disliked story from this book.
Now, all this being said, the book did have some clever and funny moments like when Cinderella read the dress code on the back of the invitation, ASAP: As Sumptuous As Possible. It was also clever when she incorporated the many different fairy tale characters in Hansel and Gretel’s class by humorous offhand remarks. “ ‘Does anyone know why Punzel, R, has not been in school this term?’ ‘She’s been stuck up a tower for ages,’ said Gretel.” (Pg. 266) The author also had a very interesting idea in her introduction about why the king was so annoyed with his daughters for wearing their shoes out each night. "(Which sounds like something he could have made less fuss about, until you do the math: well over four thousand pairs of slippers a year. Satin slippers too!)"
However, despite the occasional good point, I really didn’t like this book. Overall, I would not recommend Straw into Gold.
Now, all this being said, the book did have some clever and funny moments like when Cinderella read the dress code on the back of the invitation, ASAP: As Sumptuous As Possible. It was also clever when she incorporated the many different fairy tale characters in Hansel and Gretel’s class by humorous offhand remarks. “ ‘Does anyone know why Punzel, R, has not been in school this term?’ ‘She’s been stuck up a tower for ages,’ said Gretel.” (Pg. 266) The author also had a very interesting idea in her introduction about why the king was so annoyed with his daughters for wearing their shoes out each night. "(Which sounds like something he could have made less fuss about, until you do the math: well over four thousand pairs of slippers a year. Satin slippers too!)"
However, despite the occasional good point, I really didn’t like this book. Overall, I would not recommend Straw into Gold.
August 30, 2019
I was excited to come across Straw Into Gold on the library shelves. I have loved fairytales since I was a little girl. By the time I was six years old I had read through the huge volume The Complete Fairytales of the Brothers Grimm multiple times. I am thrilled to find clever new retellings of classic (and lesser-known) fairy tales; I absolutely delight in smart, funny parodies or fractured fairytale versions. Unfortunately, Straw Into Gold was disappointing for me.
McKay retells several familiar fairytales: Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, but the stories and characters are actually changed very little. Fairy tales are usually populated by broad characters that have specifically defined traits. One reason adults are sometimes critical of fairy tales is that they often employ archetypes, stories and characters on either end of a dialectic: good or evil, lazy or hardworking, clever or stupid, etc. Thoughts and ideas tend to be very concrete with little to no room for abstract thinking. I think that's probably one of the reasons I personally enjoy the genre; I struggle with black-and-white thinking in much of my daily life and am relieved to read something where that particular obstacle has been removed for me.
This is probably the root of why I didn't enjoy Straw Into Gold. The new tales felt watered down to me. In stories where characters were added (Snow White) they were uninteresting and added nothing to the story, which became a morality lesson used by a parent to effect a change in her child's behavior rather than a story of its own. Some of the new versions altered the original story in a way that made it into a sad recounting (Rumpelstiltskin) with no consequence for malicious behavior. This is absolutely true in real life, but--for me--defeats the purpose and structure of the fairy tale itself.
My mother would have preferred Straw Into Gold to the actual Grimm's Fairy Tales--as she often refused to read some of the more violent parts of the stories, feeling they were inappropriate for young children. If your goal is to read aloud to your children from a book of fairy tales that does not contain the bite of the original stories, Straw Into Gold is a good option. The stories are softer and more palatable. (In my opinion they are also more boring.)
If, however, you revel in the elements of the original fairy tale genre, I highly recommend instead: Marisa Meyers' Lunar Chronicles series beginning with Cinder (Middle grade/YA/Adult read), The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales & Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (YA), The League of Princes series by Christopher Healy beginning with The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (middle grade) or Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm trilogy(middle grade--but warning that this one is hilarious but also more in the original vein of Grimm's Brothers when it comes to violent consequences for bad behavior).
McKay retells several familiar fairytales: Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, The Pied Piper, but the stories and characters are actually changed very little. Fairy tales are usually populated by broad characters that have specifically defined traits. One reason adults are sometimes critical of fairy tales is that they often employ archetypes, stories and characters on either end of a dialectic: good or evil, lazy or hardworking, clever or stupid, etc. Thoughts and ideas tend to be very concrete with little to no room for abstract thinking. I think that's probably one of the reasons I personally enjoy the genre; I struggle with black-and-white thinking in much of my daily life and am relieved to read something where that particular obstacle has been removed for me.
This is probably the root of why I didn't enjoy Straw Into Gold. The new tales felt watered down to me. In stories where characters were added (Snow White) they were uninteresting and added nothing to the story, which became a morality lesson used by a parent to effect a change in her child's behavior rather than a story of its own. Some of the new versions altered the original story in a way that made it into a sad recounting (Rumpelstiltskin) with no consequence for malicious behavior. This is absolutely true in real life, but--for me--defeats the purpose and structure of the fairy tale itself.
My mother would have preferred Straw Into Gold to the actual Grimm's Fairy Tales--as she often refused to read some of the more violent parts of the stories, feeling they were inappropriate for young children. If your goal is to read aloud to your children from a book of fairy tales that does not contain the bite of the original stories, Straw Into Gold is a good option. The stories are softer and more palatable. (In my opinion they are also more boring.)
If, however, you revel in the elements of the original fairy tale genre, I highly recommend instead: Marisa Meyers' Lunar Chronicles series beginning with Cinder (Middle grade/YA/Adult read), The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales & Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo (YA), The League of Princes series by Christopher Healy beginning with The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (middle grade) or Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm trilogy(middle grade--but warning that this one is hilarious but also more in the original vein of Grimm's Brothers when it comes to violent consequences for bad behavior).
January 31, 2025
This is such a delightful collection of fairy tale retellings in the spirit of the Brothers Grimm but with a modern and relatable voice. Each of them retains that slightly dark atmosphere that is weird enough to be interesting but still appropriate for all ages. While I didn't love every one of them, I appreciated each of them and I'm so glad I read this. I also really adore the artwork --- it reminds me of the shadowbox art I had on my wall as a kid. Just lovely.
I would like to go back and read more about the origins of the stories. I think the only one that was brand new to me was the last one about the Swan Brothers. I assumed it was a retelling of Swan Lake but it seems that's not the case. I'm curious, though, which of those swan stories actually did come first.
I was interested to find out that the story of Rumplestiltskin is at least 4,000 years old! Wow! McKay's version will definitely break your heart; and the Pied Piper --- so sad. In fact, many of these were sad but also served to tell a bit of an Aesop-esque moral tale without any preachy elements.
The happiest story was Snow White, my least favorite was the Swan Brothers, and Little Red Riding Hood is definitely a contender for the weirdest. Great collection that I know I'll come back to!
I would like to go back and read more about the origins of the stories. I think the only one that was brand new to me was the last one about the Swan Brothers. I assumed it was a retelling of Swan Lake but it seems that's not the case. I'm curious, though, which of those swan stories actually did come first.
I was interested to find out that the story of Rumplestiltskin is at least 4,000 years old! Wow! McKay's version will definitely break your heart; and the Pied Piper --- so sad. In fact, many of these were sad but also served to tell a bit of an Aesop-esque moral tale without any preachy elements.
The happiest story was Snow White, my least favorite was the Swan Brothers, and Little Red Riding Hood is definitely a contender for the weirdest. Great collection that I know I'll come back to!
March 30, 2020
This short story collection tells fairy tales from another character's perspective. Filled with Hilary McKay's trademark deadpan humor and lots of warmth. I enjoyed all the stories, but of the ten, I'll tell you my three favorites:
Over the Hills and Far Away which was the combined story of Red Riding Hood and Tom the Piper's Son, in which Red, called Polly, is the adopted and much ignored daughter of an innkeeper and his wife, and granny is not really her granny, but a nice old lady who lives in the woods. Tom is a neighborhood boy who teases Polly, but then one day disappears. And the wolf may not actually be a wolf.
Chicken Pox and Crystal, which was the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, told to one of the characters' grandchildren by one of the main characters of the story.
Sweet William by Rushlight, which is a retelling of the Swan Brothers as told by the youngest brother. In this telling, the witch/stepmother isn't all bad, and grants young William a wish.
Give this to people who love fairy tales and their twisted cousins.
Over the Hills and Far Away which was the combined story of Red Riding Hood and Tom the Piper's Son, in which Red, called Polly, is the adopted and much ignored daughter of an innkeeper and his wife, and granny is not really her granny, but a nice old lady who lives in the woods. Tom is a neighborhood boy who teases Polly, but then one day disappears. And the wolf may not actually be a wolf.
Chicken Pox and Crystal, which was the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, told to one of the characters' grandchildren by one of the main characters of the story.
Sweet William by Rushlight, which is a retelling of the Swan Brothers as told by the youngest brother. In this telling, the witch/stepmother isn't all bad, and grants young William a wish.
Give this to people who love fairy tales and their twisted cousins.
October 27, 2020
This book of retold fairy tales was, on the one hand, unique and inventive, and on the other, traditional. Within each new framework story was the traditional tale. What made them retellings is the backstories, essentially what the characters were doing before their traditional tale started, and the new story, what happened after the traditional tale ended. For the most part, not a lot within the stories was new or different.
One of my favorites was the Rapunzel retelling from the point of view of Rapunzel's twin children. They rescue a bird that was trapped in a cage, just like their mother was trapped. The bird is very scared to leave until Rapunzel whistles to it. The birds were her only friends in captivity, so she learned to whistle like them.
Many of these tales have rough edges, or not entirely shiny elements. Rapunzel and her family's palace is shabby, Cinderella's Prince is shallow. It changes your perception.
The illustrations were all black, white and gray and all silhouette. No color, very simple. I had really hoped for some colorful, detailed vibrant illustrations, so that was a small let down.
A new take on beloved tales.
One of my favorites was the Rapunzel retelling from the point of view of Rapunzel's twin children. They rescue a bird that was trapped in a cage, just like their mother was trapped. The bird is very scared to leave until Rapunzel whistles to it. The birds were her only friends in captivity, so she learned to whistle like them.
Many of these tales have rough edges, or not entirely shiny elements. Rapunzel and her family's palace is shabby, Cinderella's Prince is shallow. It changes your perception.
The illustrations were all black, white and gray and all silhouette. No color, very simple. I had really hoped for some colorful, detailed vibrant illustrations, so that was a small let down.
A new take on beloved tales.
May 23, 2019
DNF. The best part of this book of short stories are the black-and-white illustrations.
This retelling of well-known Western fairy tales travelled a well-worn path for me, a frequent reader of fairy tales, myths and legends during my childhood and youth. However, the book did not hold the elements of surprise or imagination or as reported in the book’s publicity in the book, “using details never revealed before,” that would warrant MacMillan publishing a fresh retelling. It also didn’t capture the magic and wonder I felt while reading the stories as a child, waiting for the suspense to be resolved or the romance to happen.
Of the ten stories, I got up to number 7, Red Hiding Hood, before I gave up. They are: Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, The Swan Brothers, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Hansel and Gretel.
This retelling of well-known Western fairy tales travelled a well-worn path for me, a frequent reader of fairy tales, myths and legends during my childhood and youth. However, the book did not hold the elements of surprise or imagination or as reported in the book’s publicity in the book, “using details never revealed before,” that would warrant MacMillan publishing a fresh retelling. It also didn’t capture the magic and wonder I felt while reading the stories as a child, waiting for the suspense to be resolved or the romance to happen.
Of the ten stories, I got up to number 7, Red Hiding Hood, before I gave up. They are: Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rumpelstiltskin, The Pied Piper of Hamlin, The Swan Brothers, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Hansel and Gretel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews