Traditional literature, textured fairytale independent reading level grades fourth through six

Somewhere between [b:Artemis Fowl|249747|Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl, #1)|Eoin Colfer|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327945104s/249747.jpg|1334778] and [b:Ella Enchanted|24337|Ella Enchanted|Gail Carson Levine|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338459167s/24337.jpg|2485462] lies Rump, a book that is both gross and sweet. Recommended for third and fourth graders who like action, humor, and magic.

Overall, I liked this and will happily endorse it for pleasure reading, but it didn't measure up as a mock Newbery pick. The writing was heavy-handed at times. The magic behind the mystery (the mystery behind the magic?) didn't quite add up. It was certainly longer than it needed to be.

This might be a good book club pick for young readers. You could have a great discussion about all the fun fractured fairy tales there are out there. I'm sure kids will enjoy the world Shurtliff creates where your name is your destiny, trolls offer you sludge for dinner, and pixies climb up your pants and bite your rear. Speaking of which, we librarians could have a competition over how many "rump" puns we can fit into a booktalk! The bottom line is that you will enjoy Rump all the way to the end, so go read your tush off! ( )

Fractured fairy tales with some butt jokes thrown in - how can you go wrong? ( )

A Well written, intriguing, and fun story explaining the story of Rumplestiltskin. ( )

Great re-telling of the classic Rumplestiltskin story. 2016 Rebecca Caudill nominee book. Will probably use it as a read-aloud in the future. ( )