GrumpAuthor: Liesl Shurtliff
Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy
Format: eBook • Pages: 304
Published: May 29, 2018
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Source: Author/Publisher
Ever since he was a dwarfling, Borlen (nicknamed “Grump”) has dreamed of visiting The Surface, so when opportunity knocks, he leaves his cavern home behind.
At first, life aboveground is a dream come true. Queen Elfrieda Veronika Ingrid Lenore (E.V.I.L.) is the best friend Grump always wanted, feeding him all the rubies he can eat and allowing him to rule at her side in exchange for magic and information. But as time goes on, Grump starts to suspect that Queen E.V.I.L. may not be as nice as she seems…
When the queen commands him to carry out a horrible task against her stepdaughter Snow White, Grump is in over his head. He’s bound by magic to help the queen, but also to protect Snow White. As if that wasn’t stressful enough, the queen keeps bugging him for updates through her magic mirror! He’ll have to dig deep to find a way out of this pickle, and that’s enough to make any dwarf Grumpy indeed.
Fractured Fairy Tale
I’ve read one of Shurtliff’s other books and really liked it, but this one was just awesome!
I loved the slow lead in to the Snow White story. Shurtliff took her time, letting us get to know “Grump” and the dwarf community. This is important later in the story. I loved the fun and unique descriptions and their food! What they ate is awesome.
Once we actually got into the Snow White part of the story, it was close enough to be satisfying, but with unique differences that made it rich and interesting. I did not like the prince very much at first, but that didn’t detract from the story.
Highly recommended to middle grade readers who enjoy the fractured fairy tales. 5 STARS.
Leave a Reply