Can’t get enough of the new fairy-tale-retelling trend? Don’t miss Liesl Shurtliff’s new dark, humorous stand-alone middle grade novel RED: THE TRUE STORY OF RED RIDING HOOD (on sale April 12, 2016)!
Liesl Shurtliff spins a spellbinding tale, shining the spotlight on one of the most beloved characters from her award-winning debut, Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. This isn’t the Little Red Riding Hood from the canonical children’s tale. Shurtliff’s Red is strong, independent, brazen, and not afraid of anything . . . except magic. But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is forced to confront her weakness. Readers will gobble up this bewitching fantasy as they join Red on her journey of discovery through the sinister dangers of the enchanted dark forest.
Liesl Shurtliff’s first book, Rump, won over kids and critics alike, earning an IRA Award, a Texas Bluebonnet nomination, a Whitney nomination, and a starred review from Kirkus, proclaiming it “as good as gold.”
In RED, Liesl Shurtliff is at her best. New York Times bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Chris Grabenstein raves that “Liesl Shurtliff has truly out-magicked herself. Red is the most wonder-filled fairy tale of them all.” RED will capture the hearts of readers who like it Grimm, as well as followers of ABC’s TV show Once Upon a Time.
Oh, reader, what big teeth you have! The better to devour RED: THE TRUE STORY OF RED RIDING HOOD.
Brooke's Review:
I want to thank Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.
I love a good fairy tale retelling. And I don't see many on the Middle Grade level. So when I was contacted about reviewing this book I jumped at the chance. I love the story of Red Riding Hood, though many of the versions we tend to see are quite a bit more fluffy than what was originally written.
Red is an interesting character. It took me a bit to start to like her. I loved the background about the magic that her family has, as we don't get to see anything like that when we read the actual fairy tale. She had a fierce independence I was not expecting. And she's quite a bit of a loner who has a hard time letting anyone in. I will be honest and say when her age was revealed I was a bit surprised. She really did seem much older than what she was.
The secondary characters are fun. I know this is not the only book in this series and Red does reference Rump, her best friend who she misses terribly. I would love some more background on their relationship. We also get to meet Goldie, and yes, it's that Goldie you are thinking of. I liked how Shurtliff incorporated a bit of that story into this one. And then there's the Huntsman who, of course, is not quite what he seems. The Beast is quite the twist in this story. I would like to see that story play out more as it's not exactly what we expect from Beauty and the Beast!
The book is filled with magic and fun. Red takes on many adventures in the woods with her friends. And you'll be surprised who are the actual friends and enemies in this book.
My only issue with the book was that the main character, who is only 12, speaks like an adult, or even a older young adult. The words she chooses to use are not something I would hear coming from a 12 year old (and I have a 12 year old at home as a reference point). It's not to say that perhaps being so independent has forced her to grow older before her time, but I was surprised at how she at times seemed like such an adult and then other times was so much more naive than I thought she would be. It was a bit of a conflict for me.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and can see my middle son picking this one up. I'd like to take a look at the other books in this series and see the other character's stories. I think it would be interesting to see how they all intertwine. Fans of the show Once Upon a Time will definitely fall right into this. A great read for anyone who loves fairy tales!
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.a Rafflecopter giveaway
RED: THE
TRUE STORY OF LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Pre-Pub Blog Tour Schedule
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