Rating: 
Summary: Retell the Rumpelstiltskin story from everl point of view.
Review: Did you ever try to imagine what it would be like to be a character in a fairy tale? These six imaginative versions of the Rumpelstiltskin story are told from wildly different points of view. There are versions with mean and friendly trolls. In one story there is a haughty king and in another King Gregory has to work hard to evade a rather inept social climbing miller's daughter. One boastful father with an understanding daughter, tries to correct his mistake. In another version, a curious neighbor named Rumpelstiltskin gets involved with a conniving miller's daughter.Teachers often have students write a different end to a story. In this case you can show students how to write an entirely new version telling the story from the differing viewpoints of each character. Vivian Vande Velde has used the holes in the original story to tell an old favorite tale in a range of short stories that go from gruesome to hilarious. Cleverly done.
Rating: 
Summary: Repetitive and Boring
Review: I don't have much to say about The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde. For me, it was a repetitive fairy tale, of course that's what it was supposed to be like, but I just found it boring. Although the stories did not appeal to me, I still think that the creativeness on the author's part, was very good. I never knew that the story of Rumpelstiltskin was told in so many ways. I also thought that the order each of the stories was put in made sense. They seemed to transition well into eachother. Like if I just read one on how a miller told the king his daughter could spin straw into gold, the next one would be similar, but from slightly changed and from a different character's point of view.
The main conflict of all the stories was that the king wanted the girl to spin straw into gold, or else he'd chop their head off. Sometimes,
though, this wouldn't be the case. In the first one, Rumpelstiltskin only told the girl this because he wanted her to marry the king and have a child so
that he could eat it, which was pretty disturbing, but that's the way it goes. The plot varied in each of the stories, but they all had the same idea in
mind, which is why I found the entire book to be unentertaining, but I'm not into fairy tales anyways.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Concept, Excellent Stories
Review: I purchased the hardcover version sight unseen after merely hearing the book's premise, and it was well worth the price. Velde presents a series of stories to address the suprisingly many problems inherent to the old Rumplestiltskin tale. Each story contains a unique twist, and every story makes a good deal more sense than the original.
The first of these stories was a little shocking for my taste, involving a nasty troll who plots to eat the miller's daughter's baby. But then, I've read the fairy tale collections of the Brothers Grimm (for those of you who don't already know, there are many many many very much more gruesome stories in those) and Velde's variation is comparatively tame. I figure if I can handle the old dark fairy tales, I can handle a dark new one, too.
It is the only version of the tale that comes close to being objectionable, and it might be rather hard on children to make it the very first one they'll read upon opening the book. Then again, today's children are made of much sturdier stuff than we former children like to think. I doubt if it will be terribly traumatic for them.
That being said, my real favorites are the sunnier variations, where good wins out and every one lives happily ever after, and no babies lives are threatened (oh, come on, you don't <i>really</i> think that's a spoiler, do you?).
"Straw Into Gold" is real genius, with one particularly smart character pointedly remarking on the ridiculousness of the whole setup. This is normally a bad move - revealing the story's flaws mid-tale, I mean - but here it works for the story, and I love that Van Velde went for it.
(Interested readers may like to know that this story also appears in <i>Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird</i>, Van Velde's other 'fairy-tale-twist' collection.)
Every character involved in the original story gets a chance in at least one variation to be the one who outsmarts the bad guy. And every character involved in the original story also gets a shot at being portrayed <i>as</i> the bad guy. Well, except for the baby.
All of this makes for one fun book, and earns my copy a place on my bookshelves.
Van Velde, I salute you, and your fabulous imagination!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Concept, Excellent Stories
Review: I purchased the hardcover version sight unseen after merely hearing the book's premise, and it was well worth the price. Velde presents a series of stories to address the suprisingly many problems inherent to the old Rumplestiltskin tale. Each story contains a unique twist, and every story makes a good deal more sense than the original.
The first of these stories was a little shocking for my taste, involving a nasty troll who plots to eat the miller's daughter's baby. But then, I've read the fairy tale collections of the Brothers Grimm (for those of you who don't already know, there are many many many very much more gruesome stories in those) and Velde's variation is comparatively tame. I figure if I can handle the old dark fairy tales, I can handle a dark new one, too.
It is the only version of the tale that comes close to being objectionable, and it might be rather hard on children to make it the very first one they'll read upon opening the book. Then again, today's children are made of much sturdier stuff than we former children like to think. I doubt if it will be terribly traumatic for them.
That being said, my real favorites are the sunnier variations, where good wins out and every one lives happily ever after, and no babies lives are threatened (oh, come on, you don't really think that's a spoiler, do you?).
"Straw Into Gold" is real genius, with one particularly smart character pointedly remarking on the ridiculousness of the whole setup. This is normally a bad move - revealing the story's flaws mid-tale, I mean - but here it works for the story, and I love that Van Velde went for it.
(Interested readers may like to know that this story also appears in Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, Van Velde's other 'fairy-tale-twist' collection.)
Every character involved in the original story gets a chance in at least one variation to be the one who outsmarts the bad guy. And every character involved in the original story also gets a shot at being portrayed as the bad guy. Well, except for the baby.
All of this makes for one fun book, and earns my copy a place on my bookshelves.
Van Velde, I salute you, and your fabulous imagination!
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Mysterious
Review: I really liked the way Vivian vande Velde took the first original story and put it into about five to six different story. The fist one is about rumplestilskin wanting to taste a baby,after eating everything he wanted to including his sister.That was called "a fairy tail in bad taste".This second one was very funny.It's about this miller who was in need of money,so he went around telling people that his daughter can spin straw into gold at that time the king was passing and heard what he said.And the miller told him he'll have his daughter drop by at the palace so she could spin some straw into gold for him .Everytime she spong gold the king noticed that something was missing from the room he had offered her. The king wanted her out of his house so he told her that there was another king who was richer and healtier than him. One day she told the king that she's going out to buy something.Two weeks later he had received an invitation to rumplestiskin and the other kings wedding.
Rating: 
Summary: Caution - First story not for children
Review: I thought the premise of this book was a clever one. To explain why the miller said his daugher could spin staw into gold, and why Rumplestiltskin would want a baby. I was shocked to find that in the first story that Rumplestiltskin had tasted all kinds of food, and wondered what a human baby would taste like. The story is titled " A Fairy Tale in Bad Taste." I think it was in bad tasted to include this book. It was to be a book in my daughters 4th grade classroom, but her teacher and I agreed that children don't need to be exposed to this kind of reading content. It is a reading level 5, and I'm not sure what level would enjoy this story. I sure didn't. The other tales were fine, and had cute twists to them. I would suggest you read this story before you give it to children. We may cut the story out and let the children enjoy the rest of the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Repetitive nature almost trumps thematic ties
Review: In this novel, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde, there is an intense usage of universal theme throughout the book. Because of the way that the book is composed (many stories with slight alterations to fit different cultures that they were told in) it gives the possibility of a theme that is presented through one "myth" to be seen in another just in different circumstances and perhaps different characterizations, etc., yet giving the same overall presentation of that thematic statement. The theme that was quite apparent throughout all of Velde's stories of Rumpelstiltskin is the constant mischievous deception by the girl of the story to the king about being able to sew gold from plain straw, and because of that, every time a creature, whether it be Elf or Ogre, names Rumpelstiltskin must come along and hitch the girl out of the lie she and/or her father has set herself into. Even though the setting does change throughout the telling, as do the character names and the exact happenings of how the theme appears and plays out there is always that theme of lies get you not what you want in life and in the person to get you out of those lies will be the one you least expect and may not one to begin with. Overall, The Rumpelstiltskin Problem is a fantastic compilation of stories that are tied together by their themes, but the repetitiveness of the book because of its stories being told over and over with minor alterations gives it a kind of dullness and lameness that a young adult novel should not possess.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and original
Review: Lately I have been enjoying a bunch of those fairy tale retellings where an author takes a classic tale, such as Beauty and the Beast or Rapunzel, and makes it funny or modern or feminist. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde takes the old story of Rumpelstiltskin and offers it up in six different ways. The book begins with a hilarious author's note where Vande Velde explains that the story of Rumpelstiltskin makes no sense. Why did the miller start talking to the king in the first place? Why would the troll named Rumpelstiltskin want a baby? Why did he want the poor girl's gold rings if he could spin a whole room of straw into gold? As Vande Velde asks, "What do you think your teacher would say if you handed in a story like this?" So Vande Velde decided to write six different versions of the story- some funny, some scary, and all unique. In one of them, Rumpelstiltskin is the one who comes out on top!
If you think you are too old for fairy tales, you are so wrong. Fairy tales were originally written for adults, and this book of Rumpelstiltskin tales is perfect for anyone looking for an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: You think you know Rumpelstiltskin?
Review: OK, it a fairy tale and middle school students are too old for such things. But wait, you haven't been pulled into the complexity of the tale and what the ture story is. These six short well crafted stories will draw in the most jaded student.
Rating:
Summary: Golden Fun : Rumpelstiltskin never made more sense!
Review: Okay, so we all know the Brothers Grimm had it all wrong; we know there had to be a reason the miller was willing to give up his only daughter. We knew it. Forget the Grimms. Take the Vande Velde Route, ie, the one that makes you laugh as well as making sense. Vande Velde delivers her audience many scrumptous tales of Rumpelstiltskin--all refreshing and unique. Not a one didn't leave me laughing and thoughtful. HOORAY! A Rumpelstiltskin that isn't a "Problem." Mix humor, good sense, and a dash of "strong heroines" and you've got your "Rumpelstiltskin Problem." Only one problem; sometimes a little dragging, but that is easily overlooked. So my advise to you? Pick it up at the library or store as soon as possible! It'll be worth the trip! Happy reading!
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