{"product_id":"rump-the-fairly-true-tale-of-rumpelstiltskin-isbn-9780307977960","title":"Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis funny fractured fairy tale goes behind the scenes of Rumpelstiltskin. \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestselling author Liesl Shurtliff \"spins words into gold [Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor winner].\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eIn a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning straw into gold. His best friend, Red Riding Hood, warns him that magic is dangerous, and she’s right. With each thread he spins, he weaves himself deeper into a curse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e To break the spell, Rump must go on a perilous quest, fighting off pixies, trolls, poison apples, and a wickedly foolish queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—he just might triumph in the end.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Texas Bluebonnet finalist and winner of the ILA award for middle grade fiction, \u003ci\u003eRump\u003c\/i\u003e is perfect for fans of Gail Carson Levine's \u003ci\u003eElla Enchanted\u003c\/i\u003e or Adam Gidwitz's \u003ci\u003eA Tale Dark and Grimm\u003c\/i\u003e. And don't miss Liesl Shurtliff's other fairy tale retellings: \u003ci\u003eJack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRed: The True Story of Red Riding Hood\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA fresh riff on the Grimm Brothers' \u003ci\u003eRumpelstiltskin\u003c\/i\u003e, told with wit from the impish point of view of the troublemaker himself.\u003c\/b\u003e\" —\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eLighthearted and inventive\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRump\u003c\/i\u003e amusingly expands a classic tale.\" —Brandon Mull, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFablehaven.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePeople Magazine\u003c\/u\u003e, August 12, 2013:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fresh riff on the Grimm Brothers' \u003ci\u003eRumpelstiltskin\u003c\/i\u003e, told with wit from the impish point of view of the troublemaker himself.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Denver Post\u003c\/u\u003e, May 6, 2013:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A startlingly original book.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eStarred Review, \u003cu\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/u\u003e, March 15, 2013:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“As good as gold.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/u\u003e, May, 2013:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“A beguiling take on a classic tale.... This captivating fantasy has action, emotional depth, and lots of humor.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eBookPage\u003c\/u\u003e, April 9, 2013:\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Shurtliff takes the traditional fairy tale and turns it on its head, interspersing humor with tenderness, action with insight. \u003ci\u003eRump\u003c\/i\u003e shows  the other side of Rumpelstiltskin, one of the most vilified characters  in fairy tales, and reminds readers that in a good story, very little is  as it seems.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Liesl Shurtliff does more than spin words into gold—she gets us rooting for Rumpelstiltskin, a most magical feat.\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor-winning author of \u003ci\u003eHattie Big Sky\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eLighthearted and inventive, \u003ci\u003eRump\u003c\/i\u003e amusingly expands a classic tale.\"\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—Brandon Mull, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eFablehaven\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eLiesl Shurtliff\u003c\/b\u003e was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the mountains for her playground. Just like Rump, Liesl was shy about her name, growing up. Not only did it rhyme with weasel, she could never find it on any of those personalized key chains in gift shops. But over the years she’s grown to love having an unusual name—and today she wouldn’t change it for the world!\u003cbr\u003e Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. Her first three books, \u003ci\u003eRump, Jack\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRed\u003c\/i\u003e are all \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestsellers and \u003ci\u003eRump \u003c\/i\u003ewas named to over two dozen state award lists and won an ILA Children’s Book Award. She lives in Chicago with her family, where she continues to spin fairy tales.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVisit her at lieslshurtliff.comMy mother named me after a cow’s rear end. It’s the favorite village joke, and probably the only one, but it’s not really true. At least I don’t think it’s true, and neither does Gran. Really, my mother had another name for me, a wonderful name, but no one ever heard it. They only heard the first part. The worst part.\u003cbr\u003e Mother had been very ill when I was born. Gran said she was fevered and coughing and I came before I was supposed to. Still, my mother held me close and whispered my name in my ear. No one heard it but me.\u003cbr\u003e “His name?” Gran asked. “Tell me his name.”\u003cbr\u003e “His name is Rump . . . haaa- cough- cough- cough . . .” Gran gave Mother something warm to drink and pried me from her arms.\u003cbr\u003e “Tell me his name, Anna. All of it.”\u003cbr\u003e But Mother never did. She took a breath and then let out all the air and didn’t take any more in. Ever. \u003cbr\u003e Gran said that I cried then, but I never hear that in my imagination. All I hear is silence. Not a move or a breath. The fire doesn’t crack and even the pixies are still.\u003cbr\u003e Finally, Gran holds me up and says, “Rump. His name is Rump.”\u003cbr\u003e The next morning, the village bell chimed and gnomes ran all over The Mountain crying, “Rump! Rump! The new boy’s name is Rump!”\u003cbr\u003e My name couldn’t be changed or taken back, because in The Kingdom your name isn’t just what people call you. Your name is full of meaning and power. Your name is your destiny.\u003cbr\u003e My destiny really stinks.\u003cbr\u003e I stopped growing when I was eight and I was small to begin with. The midwife, Gertrude, says I’m small because I had only the milk of a weak goat instead of a strong mother, but I know that really it’s because of my name. You can’t grow all the way if you don’t have a whole name.\u003cbr\u003e I tried not to think about my destiny too much, but on my birthday I always did. On my twelfth birthday I thought of nothing else. I sat in the mine, swirling mud around in a pan, searching for gold. We needed gold, gold, gold, but all I saw was mud, mud, mud.\u003cbr\u003e The pickaxes beat out a rhythm that rang all over The Mountain. It filled the air with thumps and bumps. In my head The Mountain was chanting, Thump, thump, thump. Bump, bump, bump. Rump, Rump, Rump. At least it was a good rhyme.\u003cbr\u003e Thump, thump, thump\u003cbr\u003e Bump, bump, bump\u003cbr\u003e Rump, Rump, Rump\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Butt! Hey, Butt!”\u003cbr\u003e I groaned as Frederick and his brother Bruno approached with menacing grins on their faces. Frederick and Bruno were the miller’s sons. They were close to my age, but so big, twice my size and ugly as trolls.\u003cbr\u003e “Happy birthday, Butt! We have a present just for you.” Frederick threw a clod of dirt at me. My stubby hands tried to block it, but it smashed right in my face and I gagged at the smell. The clod of dirt was not dirt.\u003cbr\u003e “Now that’s a gift worthy of your name!” said Bruno.\u003cbr\u003e Other children howled with laughter.\u003cbr\u003e “Leave him alone,” said a girl named Red. She glared at Frederick and Bruno, holding her shovel over her shoulder like a weapon. The other children stopped laughing.\u003cbr\u003e “Oh,” said Frederick. “Do you love Butt?”\u003cbr\u003e “That’s not his name,” growled Red.\u003cbr\u003e “Then what is it? Why doesn’t he tell us?”\u003cbr\u003e “Rump!” I said without thinking. “My name is Rump!” They burst out laughing. I had done just what they wanted. “But that’s not my real name!” I said desperately.\u003cbr\u003e “It isn’t?” asked Frederick.\u003cbr\u003e “What do you think his real name is?” asked Bruno.\u003cbr\u003e Frederick pretended to think very hard. “Something unusual. Something special . . . Cow Rump.”\u003cbr\u003e “Baby Rump,” said Bruno.\u003cbr\u003e “Rump Roast!”\u003cbr\u003e Everyone laughed. Frederick and Bruno fell over each other, holding their stomachs while tears streamed down their faces. They rolled in the dirt and squealed like pigs.\u003cbr\u003e Just for a moment I envied them. They looked like they were having such fun, rolling in the dirt and laughing. Why couldn’t I do that? Why couldn’t I join them?\u003cbr\u003e Then I remembered why they were laughing.\u003cbr\u003e Red swung her shovel down hard so it stuck in the ground right between the boys’ heads. Frederick and Bruno stopped laughing. “Go away,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e Bruno swallowed, staring cross-eyed at the shovel that was just inches from his nose. Frederick stood and grinned at Red. “Sure. You two want to be alone.” The brothers walked away, snorting and falling over each other.\u003cbr\u003e I could feel Red looking at me, but I stared down at my pan. I picked out some of Frederick and Bruno’s present. I did not want to look at Red.\u003cbr\u003e “You’d better find some gold today, Rump,” said Red.\u003cbr\u003e I glared at her. “I know. I’m not stupid.”\u003cbr\u003e She raised her eyebrows. Some people did think I was stupid because of my name. And sometimes I thought they were probably right. Maybe if you have only half a name, you have only half a brain.\u003cbr\u003e I kept my eyes on my pan of mud, hoping Red would go away, but she stood over me with her shovel, like she was inspecting me.\u003cbr\u003e “The rations are tightening,” said Red. “The king—”\u003cbr\u003e “I know, Red.”\u003cbr\u003e Red glared at me. “Fine. Then good luck to you.” She stomped off, and I felt worse than when Frederick and Bruno threw poop in my face.\u003cbr\u003e Red wasn’t my friend exactly, but she was the closest I had to a friend. She never made fun of me. Sometimes she stood up for me, and I understood why. Her name wasn’t all that great, either. Just as people laugh at a name like Rump, they fear a name like Red. Red is not a name. It’s a color, an evil color. What kind of destiny does that bring?","brand":"Yearling","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300986015973,"sku":"NP9780307977960","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780307977960.jpg?v=1767735967","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/rump-the-fairly-true-tale-of-rumpelstiltskin-isbn-9780307977960","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}