According to experts, "Fairy tales are essential stories for childhood. These stories are more than just happily ever after, they portray real moral lessons through characters and virtues shown in the stories. They do not only captivate the imagination of young minds, but also enhance their creativity and reasoning skills." A popular new subject matter for young adult novels is the "twisted tale" where the author significantly changes the story line to recognizable tales. Hopefully most teenage readers come to these new stories with a knowledge of the original so that they can recognize the clever changes the author has made. Hello Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious series) gives readers insight into the formative years of Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians. What Was Once Mine by Liz Braswell is the eleventh book in the Disney Twisted Tales series. This one wonders what would happen if Rapunzel's mother drank a potion from the wrong flower? If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (Dumplin') is a retelling of Cinderella that is a blend of the classic fairy tale and a reality TV show.
In Hello Cruel Heart 16-year-old Estella dreams of being a fashion designer in 1960s London but spends most of her time designing trick clothes to use in heists she and her friends Horace and Jasper do to stay afloat. When she has a chance encounter with trust funder twins Magda and Richard, they take her in and peddle her designs in exchange for accommodations and what she thinks is friendship. Her clothing designs are worn by their high society friends, as well as an up-and-coming rock band, whose lead guitarist becomes her boyfriend. But when they tire of her and make plans to leave on vacation without her, her alter ego Cruella exacts revenge. A vivid Swinging 60s setting and Estella's creative clothing designs add a colorful twist to the tale of a classic Disney villain. This is the prequel to the new live action film Cruella, starring Emma Stone, which continues the tale into the 1970s.
What Was Once Mine reimagines the Tangled version of Rapunzel with her mother drinking from the wrong flower. In this version the ailing pregnant queen drinks from the Moondrop flower rather than the Sundrop flower, giving Rapunzel silver hair and the ability to hurt rather than heal. For everyone's safety she is locked in a tower and watched over by the evil Mother Gothel. Rapunzel longs for freedom and to see the mysterious floating lights that appear on her birthday, but she is afraid of hurting people. When the handsome outlaw Flynn Rider and his buddy Gina help her escape, the trio ends up investigating the secret of Rapunzel's hair, while Gothel and other nefarious people try to find them. Although not vastly different from the original version of the story, this is an entertaining read, complete with a sympathetic princess and rogue friends, as well as devious villains, and a happily ever after.
If the Shoe Fits, a retelling of Cinderella, finds Cindy, a plus-size shoe designer appearing on a reality dating show, hoping to showcase her shoe designs and get a job. Cindy Woods, a recent fashion school graduate, is off to a nannying job, when her stepmother, a dating show TV exec, needs a fill-in for a cancellation on her show, "Before Midnight." Along with her two stepsisters, Cindy joins the two dozen girls hoping to win the hand of Henry Mackenzie, who is the heir to a fashion empire that is floundering. Coincidentally, Cindy and Henry meet on the plane to LA and hit it off. Expecting to be sent home fairly quickly, the witty likeable Cindy becomes an audience, as well as Henry's, favorite, and is surprised to last week after week. As the show moves from one glamourous setting after another, Henry and Cindy find ways to be together off camera. Assuming that Henry actually has the power to keep her on the show, Cindy ultimately realizes the producers are manipulating the show results and she may not get her romantic finale. Cindy's relationship with her supportive blended family, her aspirations as a shoe designer and her plus-size appearance are refreshing twists. Although the book is being marketed for more mature readers, the YA fans of the author's Dumplin' series will love her adult debut.
