10 Things I Loved About Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

I saw this book on a "librarian pick" shelf at my local library and I had to pick it up. So glad I did! I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by Shurtliff. You can check out her website or like her author page on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Here's the book trailer, which is hilarious and tells you everything you need to know about the book:

And now here are the 10 things I loved about Rump (without spoilers!):

1. FAIRY TALES. Because fairy tale retellings are awesomesauce. And telling the story from the "villain's" perspective? Brilliant - especially when we know virtually nothing about said villain.
2. Rump. I never thought I could completely root for and be absolutely sympathetic with Rumpelstiltskin. Shurtliff crafts such a great story keeping to the elements of the original fairy tale, but filling in all the background details which make Rump the hero rather than the antagonist.
3. Red. Every hero needs a sassy friend who will smack them upside the head when they're being particularly idiotic and Red is that for Rump. Plus she can create magic paths through the forest - always a useful skill.
4. The pixies. They are hilarious pests that create a lot of trouble for Rump throughout the book!
5. The gnomes. I seriously love that the gnomes are basically walking telegrams. Instead of writing letters you just find the nearest gnome, give them the message and they run around until they find the person the message is intended for. I'm fairly certain this occasionally involves some sort of locator magic. They are adorable.
6. Ida, Hadel, and Balthilda. I won't say too much because I don't want to give any spoilers, but I loved this trio of ladies (especially Ida) and their distinct personalities.
7. The trolls. Ba Ha Ha!
8. Names. In this world names are super important, so in Rump's village they don't name the village, their pets or animals, or anything other than themselves. So Rump calls his donkey Nothing and his goat Milk. I love that the donkey's name is Nothing. It is not only humorous, but it also plays into the larger themes of choice vs. destiny and the power of names.
9. The world building. It's very subtle and woven throughout the story but also very clear. You know where you are, the magic has specific rules that it follows, and the world always makes sense within its own parameters. This kind of consistency is so nice to see.
10. Happy ending! The ending of the fairy tale is a bit... ambiguous to say the least. But it ends with Rumpelstiltskin poofing or ripping himself in half or stomping into the floor and disappearing. Shurtliff plays with the traditional ending and still manages to give Rump a happy ending. Yeah!