A few years ago, the blogosphere was excited about, and in love with, Vande Velde's Cloaked in Red, a book thta poked all the holes in the story of Little Red Riding Hood and then filled them in and new and interesting ways. It's a fantastic book.
Imagine my surprise and delight when I was in the stacks and discovered that Cloaked in Red was not the first time she had done this! The Rumpelstiltskin Problem came out in 2001 and takes a good, hard look at the many, many holes in this story.
1. Why the #%$! would the miller tell the king his daughter could spin straw into gold?
2. Why did the king believe him? If she really could, wouldn't the miller and his daughter be super rich?
3. If Rumplestiltskin could spin straw into gold, why would he accept a simple gold ring as payment for creating a lot more gold than that?
4. Why would the miller's daughter agree to marry a guy who kept threatening to behead her?
5. If someone is guessing your name, why are you dancing around a campfire singing it loudly?
Vande Velde has many possible explanations-- a troll who just wants to eat a baby. A father and king who've had a little too much to drink. An ugly, bitter woman who is lonelier than anything. A queen who just wants the king to notice their daughter...
Short, fun, and thought-provoking, you'll never look at the story of Rumplestiltskin again.
I do, however, wish they had kept the paperback cover. It's a little young, but must more appealing.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: vivian vande velde, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 8 of 8
By: Jennie,
on 2/20/2013
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Vivian Vande Velde, Fiction, Fairy Tales, teen, Add a tag
By: Catherine Nichols,
on 12/9/2011
Blog: The Cath in the Hat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Vivian Vande Velde, Steve Bjorkman, Cybils nominees 2011, early chapter books 2011, 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = CHAOS, Add a tag
What I liked best about this early reader is that each chapter is told by one of the animals. This approach allows readers to see conflicting points of view. Green Eggs and Hamster, the first-grade pet, is a bit ditzy (all that wheel spinning) but good at math and full of ideas. The school of tetras speak in one voice and advise the squirrel that there is safety in sticking together. Galileo and Newton, the science lab geckos, interrupt each other constantly. Their part in the story is written all in dialog, a nice touch. It isn't until near the end that we hear from Cuddles, the story's bad guy, or rather dog, and learn that he was acting in his master's best interests.
I liked everything about this book except for one thing--it's title. While humorous, when I first saw it on the list of nominees, I put off reading the story. From experience I've learned clunky titles often correlate to clunky books. Happily this was not the case. Highly recommended, 8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = CHAOS is a fun read, even if its title is quite the mouthful.
For an interview with its author, click here.
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = CHAOS
by Vivian Vande Velde
illustrations by Steve Bjorkman
Holiday House, 80 pages
Published: October 2011
This book was nominated for the 2011 Cybils Awards in the Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book category. I am a first-round panelist in this category, and this review reflects my opinion only.
By: Jennie,
on 8/26/2011
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Vivian Vande Velde, Edge of the Forest, Fiction, Juvenile, Add a tag
A review that originally ran in The Edge of the Forest:
Amy doesn’t have many friends, and is the easy target of the mean girl Kaitlyn. One day, walking to school, trying to time it so she arrives late enough to not make herself stand out and early enough so she’s not late, she meets a dog. This dog doesn’t do the normal doggy things, but instead asks very politely for help. A talking dog? It turns out that Sherlock is a science experiment from the local university and he escaped the lab to avoid having his brain dissected.
All Amy has to do is convince her parents to let her keep Sherlock and to keep him away from the graduate students who are trying to bring him back to the lab. However, with Sherlock’s helpful advice (plus the advantages of having an adorable dog) Amy is able to find the inner strength to make some friends and stand up to Kaitlyn once and for all.
Kaitlyn is the perfect mean girl, and their teacher, Sister Mary Grace is not the stereotypical nun, but rather the perfect balance of discipline and fun.
Smart Dog is honest and funny, veering into slapstick in areas. Middle grade girls will respond to the mean-girl drama and animal lovers are sure to fall for the lovable Sherlock.
Book Provided by... The Edge of the Forest, for review
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
By: Jennie,
on 12/3/2010
Blog: Biblio File (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: YA, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Little Red Riding Hood, Vivian Vande Velde, Add a tag
From the introduction (after several hilarious pages deconstructing "Little Red Riding Hood"
Okay, think about this. What makes a good story?
1. Memorable characters
We've got a mother, Little Red Riding Hod, a wolf, a grandmother, and a woodcutter. It's hard to call characters memorable when the only one who has a name is, in fact, named after apparel that nobdoy wears anymore.
2. Vivid setting
The woods. Okay, are we talking Amazon rain forest here or a couple of trees in someone's backyard? It's sloppy storytelling if we aren't given enough information to picture where our memorable characters are.
3. Exciting plot
Try submitting a story to your creative writing teacher in which the main character bumbles cluelessly throughout the story, then gets rescued by another character who was never mentioned before. Go ahead and keep your fingers crossed for a passing grade.
4. Important themes--something about the subject to captivate our imaginations and connect with those who read the story.
It's hard to determine the theme of "Little Red Riding Hood." Don't go into the woods? Don't talk to animals who are capable of talking back? If you're going to make fun of your grandmother's appearance, make sure it truly is your grandmother and not a wolf who likes to dress in old-ladies' clothes?
However you look at it, "Little Red Riding Hood" is a strange and disturbing story that should probably not be shared with children.
That is why I've gone ahead and written eight new versions of it.
And eight wonderful new versions is what Vande Velde gives us. We have sinister wood cutters and bumbly blind ones. We have girls in the wood who are unsure of themselves and those who know exactly what they are doing. We have wolves of hunger, friendly wolves, werewolves, and wolves made of rags. We have cloaks that are smarter than their owners, cloaks that are altogether the wrong shade of red, and even one that is actually green.
Vande Velde takes us through several versions of the story, all of which make a lot more sense than the original. It's often funny and at times a bit scary. Each story focuses on a different aspect of the story-- Red's family, the woodcutter, grandmother, the wolf, the cloak... all with excellent results.
I love Vande Velde's take on the issues with the original and her ideas on how to fix the story. I enjoyed every version and this is a must-read for fairy tale fans.
Book Provided by... my local library
Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.
By: Trisha, Gayle, and Jolene,
on 6/30/2008
Blog: The YA YA YAs (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Reviews, Fiction, Susan Beth Pfeffer, vivian vande velde, The Dead and the Gone, Monthly Roundup, Ellen Hopkins, eco/logic exhibit, Impulse, Matt Kubo, Offthegrid:actionfunurbansurvivalism, remembering raquel, Add a tag
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Narrated entirely in prose Impulse is told through the perspective of three characters Tony, Vanessa, and Conner who meet in a juvie/rehab center. Tony is a runaway forced to live on the streets as prostitute after being molested as a child. Vanessa is a bipolar cutter who is trying to come to grips with her mother’s past institutionalization. Conner is the rich playboy who craves to be loved for who he is not what he’s done. Conner tries to gain this love by manipulating older women with his sexual magnetism. Although the book may be a daunting 688 pages, teen readers will find the flow of the poetry effortless to read, and storyline often painful but surprising.
Remembering Raquel Vivian Van Velde
In high school Raquel was the stereotypical wallflower, however upon her death everyone seems to have a story about her. Remembering Raquel is told from the perspective of several characters who knew Raquel intimately and not so intimately. As the novel unfolds the reader gets an insight of Raquel’s life through others perceptions of her often revealing the complexity of a person’s life through others eyes.
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales is left to fend for his two younger sisters after a meteor crashes into the moon. At first they are able to survive on can foods and sporadic electicity. However, food begins to run scarce in New York due to the bad weather caused by the moon’s pull. In addition, Alex’s sister Julie has contracted bronchitis which makes him reluctant to leave the city. However, after a plague hits the city Alex begins to realize that he must find a way to leave the city before they all perish. Pfeffer once again brings a compelling book about the strength of family in the midst of adversity. Readers will not be able to put this book down, and will think about how they would survive in the depths of hell on earth.
*The main character in The Dead and the Gone is able to survive towards the end by bartering valuables for food. Thus, after reading this book I began to think about bartering in a city setting that relies mostly on outside sources to provide produce. (This is especially true in Honolulu where almost all of our everyday neccessities are shipped in.) In relation to this check out Matt Kubo’s experimental project OffTheGrid: ActionFunUrbanSurvivalism, which will be part of the Eco/Logic exhibit. Heres a description of the project:
My contribution to Eco/Logic is a performance/experiment of sorts. I will sustain myself by hunting, gathering, and gleaning in the Honolulu area. I will only allow myself to eat what I am able to find, hunt, or barter for. My tools will include a fruit picker, a fishing pole, and a knife. I plan to commute to field locations by foot and bike, which will be modified to carry my supplies and implements. Locations of successful hunting and gathering will be documented. Field interaction with the community will be paramount, this aspect will be given much consideration and space to evolve.
By: Trisha, Gayle, and Jolene,
on 6/30/2008
Blog: The YA YA YAs (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Reviews, Fiction, Susan Beth Pfeffer, vivian vande velde, The Dead and the Gone, Monthly Roundup, Ellen Hopkins, eco/logic exhibit, Impulse, Matt Kubo, Offthegrid:actionfunurbansurvivalism, remembering raquel, Add a tag
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
Narrated entirely in poetry Impulse is told through the perspective of three characters Tony, Vanessa, and Conner who meet in a juvie/rehab center. Tony is a runaway forced to live on the streets as prostitute after being molested as a child. Vanessa is a bipolar cutter who is trying to come to grips with her mother’s past institutionalization. Conner is the rich playboy who craves to be loved for who he is not what he’s done. Conner tries to gain this love by manipulating older women with his sexual magnetism. Although the book may be a daunting 688 pages, teen readers will find the flow of the poetry effortless to read, and storyline often painful but surprising.
Remembering Raquel Vivian Van Velde
In high school Raquel was the stereotypical wallflower, however upon her death everyone seems to have a story about her. Remembering Raquel is told from the perspective of several characters who knew Raquel intimately and not so intimately. As the novel unfolds the reader gets an insight of Raquel’s life through others perceptions of her often revealing the complexity of a person’s life through others eyes.
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Seventeen-year-old Alex Morales is left to fend for his two younger sisters after a meteor crashes into the moon. At first they are able to survive on can foods and sporadic electicity. However, food begins to run scarce in New York due to the bad weather caused by the moon’s pull. In addition, Alex’s sister Julie has contracted bronchitis which makes him reluctant to leave the city. However, after a plague hits the city Alex begins to realize that he must find a way to leave the city before they all perish. Pfeffer once again brings a compelling book about the strength of family in the midst of adversity. Readers will not be able to put this book down, and will think about how they would survive in the depths of hell on earth.
*The main character in The Dead and the Gone is able to survive towards the end by bartering valuables for food. Thus, after reading this book I began to think about bartering in a city setting that relies mostly on outside sources to provide produce. (This is especially true in Honolulu where almost all of our everyday neccessities are shipped in.) In relation to this check out Matt Kubo’s experimental project OffTheGrid: ActionFunUrbanSurvivalism, which will be part of the Eco/Logic exhibit. Heres a description of the project:
My contribution to Eco/Logic is a performance/experiment of sorts. I will sustain myself by hunting, gathering, and gleaning in the Honolulu area. I will only allow myself to eat what I am able to find, hunt, or barter for. My tools will include a fruit picker, a fishing pole, and a knife. I plan to commute to field locations by foot and bike, which will be modified to carry my supplies and implements. Locations of successful hunting and gathering will be documented. Field interaction with the community will be paramount, this aspect will be given much consideration and space to evolve.
By: Erin,
on 3/8/2008
Blog: Miss Erin (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: vivian vande velde, Add a tag
by Vivian Vande Velde
"It's amazing how much dying can do for a girl's popularity." When this book starts, Raquel Falcone is dead. Remembering Raquel is from the points of view of various people; some who knew her well, some who didn't know her well, and some who didn't know her at all.
This is a slim, quick read, but nonetheless weighty. It explores a variety of emotions: grief, regret, guilt. It makes you really think about life, and living, and how you never know when or how you or somebody else will die. One girl says, "So, all of a sudden I'm thinking: How will I know? What if my life is about to end--bam!--NOW?"
It's a touching, beautifully-told story. Despite the topic, it is in no way depressing. It has its sad moments, but it also has funny ones, and touching ones. Somehow, the author has managed to write an uplifting book out of the subject matter. I'm very glad to have read it.
By: Jason Boog,
on 6/29/2007
Blog: ThePublishingSpot (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing tips, Publishing Spotted, job postings, metafiction, Add a tag
What if we were all just characters in somebody else's novel, dude?
A post over at GalleyCat reports on two new web projects that extend novels into the real world, building websites for fictional characters from books. Check out the fake band Metal Assassin, created for Mark Haskell Smith's novel Salty. Then read the New York Daily Herald, a fake newspaper designed for Nicholas Kulish's novel, Last One In.
Have you written about international literature recently? If you think you have what it takes, the action-packed site, Words Without Borders is looking for a new blogger.
Two great, haunted novelists read together in New York this week. In a single sentence, Maud Newton links to all the best articles about the event. I have nothing to add: "Günther Grass & Norman Mailer discussed Nazi ties and U.S. presidential hopefuls at the NYPL earlier this week. (Via & via.)"
Publishing Spotted collects the best of what's around on writing blogs on any given day. Feel free to send tips and suggestions to your fearless editor: jason [at] thepublishingspot.com.
Still waiting for Once Upon A Time to explain all that...but they have their own plot holes to deal with.
Hope your reading slump goes away quickly! Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right book...
How about the lady-in-waiting who's sent out to look for him and just happens to run across the one spot in an enormous forest where he's riding around a fire conveniently singing his name? I've been trying to finish a story about the lady-in-waiting for a while -- she HAD to know more about Rumpelstiltskin than she was letting on :).
Sorry, the "Unknown" comment was me.