Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Liesl Shurtliff.

Ms. Shurtliff has already published three other fractured fairy tale novels for middle grade readers: Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin, Jack: The (Fairly) True Tale of Jack and the Beanstalk, and Red: The (Fairly) True Tale of Red Riding Hood. However, I think she’s fully hit her stride with Grump, the story of a grumpy, misfit, surface-loving dwarf who accidentally becomes both Snow White’s nemesis and her savior.

The fairy tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (or Dwarfs) has been the inspiration for several books and movies:

Black as Night by Regina Doman.
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine.
The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson.
Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen.
1937 Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The 2011 TV series Once Upon A Time features Snow White, Prince Charming, and the Evil Queen as the main characters.

I think I like this one, Grump, the best of all the ones that I have read or seen. It’s funny. Grump and the other dwarves are endearing without being too twee. They’re portrayed as underground dwelling creatures who hate and fear humans and who feast on jewels, rocks, and other minerals. They are especially fond of rubies. Snow White is spunky and good at the same time, not so feminist that she can’t use a little help from the dwarves and from her prince, but also not so helpless that she can’t learn and grow and find ways to take care of herself when necessary.

If you like Shurtlieff’s other fairy tale take-offs, then you’ll probably enjoy this one. Also, I would recommend it to fans of Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide books and perhaps to readers of Gail Carson Levine’s books, too. Oh, and it breaks the mold of this year’s trend to have outcast, friendless, bullied girls as main characters. In this book, the protagonist Grump is an outcast, misfit, friendless, bullied male dwarf.

More fairy tale books, both fractured and straight.

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This book may be nominated for a Cybils Award, but the views expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect or determine the judging panel’s opinions.