"Seven famous fairy tales are here presented with modern-day young women in mind — re-retellings have scarcely been more inventive"
Spindle-sharp, with wolfish wit, and the sophisticated allure of fresh-spun gold, Annet Schaap’s Girls is an absolute delight. With a feast of familiar fairy tales re-written and repositioned for our age, this packs potent punch.
Flipping several stories on their head and inside out, among them Rumplestilskin, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and Bluebeard, there’s a wry matter-of-factness to the tone (kudos to Laura Watkinson who translated Girls from its original Dutch), with witty one-liners adding edge.
“Ah, men promise all kinds of things…” remarks the mother character in Frog. Meanwhile, Blue unpacks the patriarchy with cutting verve: “She has everything. She is allowed to do anything. To clean his shoes, to brush his coat”, while the “he” of this statement remarks, “What is it with you women?
Why can’t you just leave things well alone? Eve and the apple, Pandora and the box. You simply can’t resist, can you?”
Centring female aspiration, and the impulse to realise it, Girls is written in a lucid style that’s impactfully offset by strange goings-ons and juicily clever possibilities and outcomes. This captivating collection pulsates with agency, wit and the wonder of forging your own way through the forest, or through anywhere else, for that matter.
'Wickedly delicious... Surprising, subversive and totally addictive' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs
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'Wickedly delicious... Surprising, subversive and totally addictive' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken LegsFrom the Carnegie Medal shortlisted author of Lampie, this new collection of seven dazzling fairytale retellings is full of bravery, adventure and dark wit.A determined girl gives up on kissing a frog.A fearless heroines comes face-to-face with a not-so Big Bad Wolf.A monstrous princess, held captive on a deserted island, yearns to break free.Within this book are seven famous fairy tales turned into enchanting, inspiring and sometimes hair-raising stories for today's world, about girls with their own dreams and desires.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Girls and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Girls features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Recommendations, Gritty Reads, Star Books, Traditional Tales, Featured Books for 11+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. £8.09, down from the £8.99 cover price. In Stock.
Girls was written by Annet Schaap and published by Pushkin Children's Books an imprint of Pushkin Press
Girls has 185 pages
£8.09, reduced from £8.99. In Stock.
