Fairy Tale Retellings: 15+ Fairy Tale Titles for Ages 8-12

Summer is here! And that means loads of time for kids to experience books in all their glory. This is also a great time to encourage kids to read the books they choose (without having to worry about school assignments) and to try out new genres that they might be interested in learning more about.
This series will offer titles for toddlers to teens and include a variety of formats. Each week will focus on a different genre and will follow the same format:

• Mondays – Titles for Ages 3-7
• Tuesdays – Middle Grade Titles for Ages 8-12
• Wednesdays – Young Adult Titles for Ages 13+
• Thursdays – Nonfiction pairings
• Friday – Recap of the Week

Middle Grade
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
“Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.” (Taken from Goodreads)
East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Jackie Morris

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella is cursed at birth and when she’s forced to attend boarding school, she chooses to go find the fairy that cursed her and demand to be free. A Cinderella story in which our heroine saves herself, but has all the elements of the traditional story you know and love

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
“From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become a queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must understand her own incredible talents before she can overcome those who wish her harm.” (Taken from Goodreads)

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
Have you ever heard of what happened to the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel after “happily ever after”? This is the story that tells those tales.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
“A spine-tingling tale rooted in Caribbean folklore that will have readers holding their breath as they fly through its pages.” (Taken from Goodreads)

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer
Alex and Conner fall into the fairy tale stories they know so well and after meeting witches, goblins, and trolls it proves more difficult to get home than they first thought.

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Dean Hale and Shannon Hale
“Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.” (Taken from Goodreads)

The Rat Prince by Bridget Hodder
“The Prince of the Rats, who’s in love with Cinderella, is changed into her coachman on the night of the big ball. And together, he and Cinderella are about to turn the legend (and the evening) upside down on their way to a most unexpected happy ending!” (Taken from Goodreads)

Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff
Learn the true story of Little Red Riding Hood, who’s not afraid of anything… except magic. But, when Granny falls ill, Red must face her fear to save her beloved Granny.

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff
Rumpelstiltskin has always been seen as a villain, but what everyone doesn’t know is that he’s been cursed and is only trying to save himself. This is his story.

The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
“On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey… until her parents mysteriously vanish later that day and a rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents’ fantastical stories—like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess—and a wealth of secrets about her origin they’ve kept hidden.” (Taken from Goodreads)

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley
“For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother–a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.” (Taken from Goodreads)

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
“In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Trickster: Native American Tales edited by Matt Dembicki
“In Trickster, the first graphic anthology of Native American trickster tales, more than twenty Native American tales are cleverly adapted into comic form.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Minli goes on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to help her change her family’s fortune.