Have you ever wondered just what was going on when that odd little man with the long name stepped up and volunteered to spin straw into gold for th...
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May 19, 2011
Kaethe
rated it: 
Now this is a brilliant idea. As Vande Velde points out in her brief prefatory Author's Note, "Rumpelstiltskin" is folklore, and sometimes folklore isn't good as far as stories go. Really, most fairy tales not only copy one another, but they don't make the slightest bit of sense. Writing stories is best left to writers, is what I'm saying.
So, the core fairy tale is crap. Vande Velde then gives us six different stories based on the idea that all make more sense. The vil More...
So, the core fairy tale is crap. Vande Velde then gives us six different stories based on the idea that all make more sense. The vil More...
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Sep 09, 2007
Emma
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You probably already know the story of Rumpelstiltskin. Just in case you don't quite remember it, here are the details: A poor miller tells the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. But she can't. The king then brings the daughter to the castle to spin some straw into gold. She is very highly motivated to do so since the king will kill her if she doesn't. So, the girl is in a bit of trouble, right? Luckily, a little man drops by and offers to spin the straw into gold for the girl. Fir
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Feb 26, 2009
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velede is a collection of stories all based on Rumpelstiltskin. One story is about a prince who goes and get's to know his people more so his enemy won't come in and win them over. When he is out he meets a miller who says his daughter can turn yarn into gold. The prince is like well I have to meet her one day. That night Cathleen, the miller's daughter, shows up saying she has been invited. They allow her to spend the night. She makes this big sc
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Aug 16, 2010
Sabrina
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A fun little story about the ridiculous fairytale Rumpelstilskin.
In case for some reason, like you have lived under a rock for your entire life, you don't know the story of Rumpelstilskin, this paragraph will sum it up. Basically this girl, we do not know her name, has a father who for some bizzare reason decided to tell the king that his daughter could make gold out of straw. Of course such a feat is impossible for humans but the dimwitted king believes him, takes the daughter and l More...
In case for some reason, like you have lived under a rock for your entire life, you don't know the story of Rumpelstilskin, this paragraph will sum it up. Basically this girl, we do not know her name, has a father who for some bizzare reason decided to tell the king that his daughter could make gold out of straw. Of course such a feat is impossible for humans but the dimwitted king believes him, takes the daughter and l More...
Feb 09, 2010
MissDziura
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"In some cases, so many details have been lost that the story stops making sense. That's how I feel about the story of Rumpelstiltsking-it makes no sense," is Vivian Vande Velde's rationale for writing The Rumpelstiltskin Problem. The book begins with a very entertaining author's note where she questions the ins and outs of the popular fairy tale, pointing out things I have been thinking of as I have read through multiple versions of the story. Why does the miller tell the king his
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Aug 27, 2009
Dawn
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This is a fun little book of six short stories. Each one presents the Rumpelstiltskin tale in a different way as the author imagines answers to questions like "Who was Rumpelstiltskin and why did he want the baby anyway?" I enjoyed the author's skill in crafting stories with different points of view and such distinct voices. The stories were humorous and I could tell she'd had fun writing them. My favorites were the one where R. is an elf and the one told from the king's point of v
Aug 31, 2009
Emily
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In an introduction that had me laughing out loud, author Vande Velde compares fairy tales to the game "telephone." Because fairy tales were strictly oral for so long, many elements naturally changed over the years. In some cases, details of the original story may be missing, and the result does not always make sense. This, says the author, may explain her trouble with Rumplestiltskin, a story she feels makes no sense whatsoever. She outlines all the holes in the story and offers si
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Jul 11, 2011
Chris
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I love Vande Velde's introduction, in which she describes how stories passed down through the oral tradition can become so mutated and modified through constant retellings that much of the sense of the original story is lost. That's how I feel about the story of Rumpelstiltskin--it makes no sense, she writes. Then she deconstructs it humorously, pointing out all the little things about the current form of the story that bother her.
After that, Vande Velde offers 6 reinterpretations of More...
After that, Vande Velde offers 6 reinterpretations of More...
Jan 22, 2011
Creativity's
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The Rumplestiltskin Problem is the perfect novel for anyone who loves retellings of fairy tales. Split into 6 different retellings, it explores all the different ways in which the original Rumplestiltskin doesn't make any sense (hint: there are a lot of ways). I really loved all the different stories. The characters in each, even though they were all based on the same originals, are so different, and the explanations for all the strange things actually make sense.
This is a really short More...
This is a really short More...
Nov 21, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
I really like the concept of this book, as well as the book itself. I am always wondering, “Why?” and “What if?” about stories. Since fairytales and folktales are fairly flat by the very nature of the genre, I have a tendency to want to know more. Sometimes I am curious about the background of a character or his/ her motivation. I want to know things like, “Is that character just evil by nature or did something happen to that character to make him/her so evil?” Often the cynic in me wonders
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Aug 13, 2009
Lisa
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The author points out that the entire premise of the Rumpelstiltskin story in inheirantly flawed. I had never considered this before, but she is right. One example: Why would any father make such and obviously false statement about his daughter to a king?
The book then goes on to give several more logical versions of the story. Some are better than others, but overall they are very clever and fun to read.
This would b a great springboard for a creative writing project for More...
The book then goes on to give several more logical versions of the story. Some are better than others, but overall they are very clever and fun to read.
This would b a great springboard for a creative writing project for More...
Jul 18, 2010
Amalia
rated it: 
A friend of mine picked this book up at a used bookstore and decided it would be something I would like! Well, I love children's literature, including fairy tales. I have a particular soft spot for fairy tale retellings so I can see what my friend saw I would see in this slim volume. Do you see what I mean?
Ok. Down to business. The six retellings in this book are all interesting twists on the original. I definitely preferred some over others and probably liked the last one the More...
Ok. Down to business. The six retellings in this book are all interesting twists on the original. I definitely preferred some over others and probably liked the last one the More...
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Aug 14, 2010
Jared
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Okay -- so the story of Rumpelstiltskin makes no sense. It's a fairy tale. Many (most?) fairy tales don't make sense, when you come right down to it. Vivian Vande Velde decided to try to make the fairy tale make sense. In this book she offers six different modifications of the fairy tale (rhapsodies on a theme?) that try to make the story coherent.
Unfortunately, there isn't much more in any of her stories than there is in the original. The book is short. A sixth of short is sho More...
Unfortunately, there isn't much more in any of her stories than there is in the original. The book is short. A sixth of short is sho More...
Feb 09, 2010
Samantha
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I enjoyed this version of the story. It contained several different plays on the traditional story. Some were slightly off, but they still did a successful job of maintaining the quality of the story. They provided different backgrounds of how the girl got in this position. I also liked the few that spun the entire thing into a plot that Rumpelstiltskin planned the entire thing - playing the king and girl both.
This version did not have illustrations. I liked how you could use these More...
This version did not have illustrations. I liked how you could use these More...
Feb 20, 2010
Ch_jank-caporale
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Each chapter of this book is another version of the Rumplestitskin Tale. The author asks the reader to consider some of the problems with each version, for instance, why would a man (dwarf?ogre?troll?) who can spin rooms full of straw into gold be interested in a tiny gold ring as payment for doing so? And why would a young woman marry a king who threatened to cut off her head for not doing so? As you can see, there are many Rumpelstiltskin problems!
This collection challenges the reader t More...
This collection challenges the reader t More...
Feb 09, 2010
Stephanie
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The Rupelskiltskin Problem, written by Vivian Vande Valde, takes the classic Grimm brothers fairy tale and twists it into an entirely different kind of story for the reader. I recommend this book for people who like original fairy tales retold in a hilarious way. This chapter book consists of six different versions of the tale. Velde moves from Rumpelstiltskin as a troll, an elf, and even a woman. She also rotates the personality of the miller’s daughter to be outgoing, shy, abrasive, and ru
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Feb 08, 2010
Heidi
rated it:
Ages 10-Adult
In six hilarious short stories, Vande Velde solves the Rumpelstiltskin problem--the many details of the story that do not make sense. She manipulates character flaws, motivations, and talents to explain the absurd details of the original story. The Rumpelstiltskin characters include a cannibalistic troll with a desire to taste human baby, a romantic elf, a disguised father, and a burrowing Russian “Domovoi.” Readers’ sympathies will shift with every innovative version. The More...
In six hilarious short stories, Vande Velde solves the Rumpelstiltskin problem--the many details of the story that do not make sense. She manipulates character flaws, motivations, and talents to explain the absurd details of the original story. The Rumpelstiltskin characters include a cannibalistic troll with a desire to taste human baby, a romantic elf, a disguised father, and a burrowing Russian “Domovoi.” Readers’ sympathies will shift with every innovative version. The More...
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Feb 08, 2012
L12 VANESSA
rated it: 
The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde is a chapter book for upper grades/young adults. The book begins with an author's note that is hilarious. The book contains six different versions to the orginal story Rumpelstiltskin. Some of the stories are funny and some are scary. Rumpelstiltskin is a different character in each story. He is an ugly giant, a handsome elk like man, a small furry animal, and a an ugly old women. I didn't like this book much because it didn't have pictures,
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Nov 08, 2010
Emily Michelle
rated it:
A rather entertaining book that attempts to make sense of the Rumpelstiltskin story, which, the author points out, is riddled with plot holes. The six retellings she comes up with are entertaining and written in Vande Velde's usual excellent style.
Most of the stories in this collection would get a four-star rating from me, but the whole book is bumped up to five stars by one of the stories, Straw Into Gold, which has been my favorite short story ever since I first read it in another Va More...
Most of the stories in this collection would get a four-star rating from me, but the whole book is bumped up to five stars by one of the stories, Straw Into Gold, which has been my favorite short story ever since I first read it in another Va More...
Jan 31, 2012
Elizabeth
rated it:
It's ok so far. But I had to return it to the library, so I'll read the rest later.
^^^ written a long time ago.
I finally finished it!!!! I borrowed like 50 books from my friends bookshelf one time, and this was one I took home! I think it's a really funny, good book. In the book, it retells the Rumpelstiltskin story like 5 or 6 different ways. And I really like about half of them, the other half just made me not like the story, or think one of the characters was stupid (whi More...
^^^ written a long time ago.
I finally finished it!!!! I borrowed like 50 books from my friends bookshelf one time, and this was one I took home! I think it's a really funny, good book. In the book, it retells the Rumpelstiltskin story like 5 or 6 different ways. And I really like about half of them, the other half just made me not like the story, or think one of the characters was stupid (whi More...
Aug 23, 2008
Janice (Janicu)
rated it:
Really amusing versions of what really happened in the Rumplestiltskin fairytale. As Vivian Vande Velde says in her foreward, the original tale makes no sense! This was a fun, fast read.
1) A Fairy Tale in Bad Taste - Rumplestiltskin is a troll, out to find out what human baby tastes like..He tricks a miller and his daughter into joking with the king. The joke is that the miller's daughter can spin straw into gold, but the king takes this seriously..
2) Straw Into Gold - After their More...
1) A Fairy Tale in Bad Taste - Rumplestiltskin is a troll, out to find out what human baby tastes like..He tricks a miller and his daughter into joking with the king. The joke is that the miller's daughter can spin straw into gold, but the king takes this seriously..
2) Straw Into Gold - After their More...
May 28, 2009
Julie
rated it:
This is really cute and will inspire my son to write! We are reading it together after we watched the Faire Tale Theatre version of Rumpelstiltskin. Here, the author explains that she had some very obvious questions about the validity of such a story, and to answer her questions, she wrote 6 alternate versions of the story. My son finds these to be "much better" and we're getting a chuckle out of each. Shows kids how writers can take a basic plot idea and run with it in various ways
Jun 05, 2007
Q
rated it:
Let's consider Rumplestiltskin for a minute... we all know the story. There are some severe problems with it- even more so than normally seen in fairy tales. Among them:
1. Why in the world would the miller tell the king something as stupid and obviously false and impossible as "my daughter can spin straw into gold"?
2. How the heck did he MEET the king in the first place?
3. Why does the daughter go along with this... and what is her freaking name, any More...
1. Why in the world would the miller tell the king something as stupid and obviously false and impossible as "my daughter can spin straw into gold"?
2. How the heck did he MEET the king in the first place?
3. Why does the daughter go along with this... and what is her freaking name, any More...
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Jul 03, 2009
Wendy
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This was a cute book with 6 different versions of the classic fairy tale 'Rumpelstiltskin'. The only version that I really did not care much for was the 1st one - 'A fairy tale in bad taste' - about a troll named Rumpelstiltskin who wanted to eat a human baby. My favorites were the 2nd story - Straw Into Gold & the last story - As good as gold. I really enjoyed the author's note at the beginning of the book explaining why she did not like the original version of the story.
Aug 06, 2009
Ruth
rated it:
Cute, quick read. The premise is that the Rumpelstiltskin story makes no sense. What kind of father would tell the king his daughter could spin straw into gold if he knew she couldn't? Why would the king believe this crazy story? What motive would a weird little man have to spin straw into gold for only a small gold ring as payment? What would he want with a baby? and so on and so on.
So she writes six short retellings of the story, each with different characterizations of the charact More...
So she writes six short retellings of the story, each with different characterizations of the charact More...
Sep 02, 2009
Sandra
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The book begins with posing the problems involved in the Rumpelstiltskin story: what would a miller be doing talking to a king? Why would the miller tell the king his daughter could spin gold? Why would the little man want the gold the girl gives him if he could spin gold anyway? Why would the little man WANT a baby? The rest of the book is several retellings of the fairy tale, all of which answer these questions--in fanciful and fun ways. Positive.
May 28, 2009
Moe
rated it:
I learned from this book that there is many problems with Rumpelstiltskin because if the miller said that his daughter could spin straw into gold then why didn't the king ask him "why are you so poor, then?" Why did Rumpelstiltskin want a stupid ring when he could spin straw into gold? This story is just silly! In this book, by Vivian Vande Velde, 6 different stories could represent the story that ACTUALLY makes sense!
Oct 14, 2011
Sarah
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I loved this book. The introduction was hilarious. I can still remember actual quotes from this, and I read it monthes ago, it was that good. the stories were entertaining, and, a nice breath of fresh air, because THEY ACTUALLY MADE SENSE. They actually even had morals, unlike other fairy tales where you finish it and go, "Why are all the women in these things subservient? All these men have sick senses of humor..."
Jul 05, 2011
Meagan
rated it:
I LOVE the fact that in this collection of short rumpelstiltskin stories you can choose for yourself which version of the time-honored tale to believe. Is the little green man who dances round the fire the bad guy? Or is it the king? Or the would-be princess? All of them, none of them- these are all options according to Vivian Vande Velde. Let your imagination run loose among the possibilities...
Sep 24, 2009
Kathleen
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The author begins this book by pointing out several of her problems with the story of Rumplestiltskin. And then, in the stories to follow, she proceeds to offer stories that solve the problems, or at least help the story make better sense.
This is a delightful and clever story collection. I recommend it to anyone who loves reinterpreted fairy tales. There's something here to please any such readers.
This is a delightful and clever story collection. I recommend it to anyone who loves reinterpreted fairy tales. There's something here to please any such readers.
