Literature and film are filled with retellings of classic stories with a modern twist. In fact Shakespeare is quoted as saying, "There are only ten plots under the sun." The reimagining can change an number of elements in the story including the setting, the order of events or by adding a character or changing the main characters, In the Cinderella plot an under-regarded boy or girl overcomes all odds and comes out a winner. Sue Lynn Tan's Never Ever After reimagines the classic tale and sets it in China. Marissa Meyer reimagines Bluebeard in her new book House of Saphir. Blue Beard ( "Le Bleu") is dead, but his ghost haunts his castle and Mallory Fontaine is hired to get rid of his ghost. Kennedy Plumb's retelling of The Snow Queen, Secrets in Ice, changes the main characters to sisters. Nikki Sinclair accepts that her parents and sister died in an accident, until she begins receiving pleas for help from her sister.
The first book in a new duology Never Ever After, is a dark retelling of Cinderella, steeped in Chinese folklore. The protagonist, Yining, is a skilled thief. She is given an enchanted ring which becomes essential to her well-being. When it is stolen by her step-aunt, she tracks it to The Iron Mountain. There she becomes involved with the heir to the throne, Prince Zixin, who wants to marry her, and the calculating, secretive Jin, advisor to a rival court in the Thorn Valley. She steals an invitation to a ball at the Palace of Nine Hills and finds that her heritage is tied to royalty. Desperate to get the ring back to save her life, she gets involved in unraveling a mystery filled with palace intrigue and powers.
House of Saphir, a retelling of Bluebeard, introduces Mallory Fontaine, a fraudulent “witch” who does tours of Count Bastien Saphir’s (Le Bleu's) home. He brutally killed three of his wives (the fourth escaped) and has returned to haunt the estate. When his great-great-grandson Armand shows up on one of her tours, he offers her a reward to get rid of Le Bleu’s ghost. Mallory and her sister Anais decide he is the perfect mark. Although Mallory can see ghosts, she has no magical powers. But when another woman is murdered at the House Saphir, Mallory is at the center of the investigation―and she is almost certain the killer is mortal. She finds herself falling for Armand but worries that he might be the culprit. If she has any hope of getting the reward she was promised, she’ll have to solve the murder and banish the ghost, all while upholding the illusion of witchcraft.
Changing the main characters to sisters, Secrets in Ice, is a modern retelling of The Snow Queen. Nikki Sinclair’s parents and sister were seemingly killed in a car accident 10 years ago. The police ruled it a triple homicide, but their bodies were never found. Nikki, heiress to a huge fortune, lives on her family’s estate. When she begins getting texts that her sister Lizzy is still alive, she wonders if her sister is really dead. She enlists the help of true crime podcaster Kieran Bergstrom to help find her. This is a story of a sister's love, seeking justice against all odds,. The mystery is complex, involving politics, money and family secrets. Analyzing the elements that have been changed in a reimagining is a great way to teach students, not only about classic plot lines, but how to change elements and make the story their own. After reading a classic connection, ask kids to choose a classic story and make it their own.
