Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
by Liesl Shurtliff
May 29, 2018
Knopf BFYR
Amazon / B&N / Indiebound
Source: ARC from pub
From the New York Times bestselling author of Rump, comes the true story behind another unlikely hero: a grumpy dwarf who gets tangled up in Snow White's feud with the wicked queen.
Ever since he was a dwarfling, Borlen (nicknamed "Grump") has dreamed of visiting The Surface, so when opportunity knocks, he leaves his cavern home behind.
At first, life aboveground is a dream come true. Queen Elfrieda Veronika Ingrid Lenore (E.V.I.L.) is the best friend Grump always wanted, feeding him all the rubies he can eat and allowing him to rule at her side in exchange for magic and information. But as time goes on, Grump starts to suspect that Queen E.V.I.L. may not be as nice as she seems. . . .
When the queen commands him to carry out a horrible task against her stepdaughter Snow White, Grump is in over his head. He's bound by magic to help the queen, but also to protect Snow White. As if that wasn't stressful enough, the queen keeps bugging him for updates through her magic mirror! He'll have to dig deep to find a way out of this pickle, and that's enough to make any dwarf Grumpy indeed.
Everyone knows the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, right? Wrong! The true story doesn't really start with Snow White, it starts with a dwarf named Borlen (nicknamed Grump) who dreams of visiting the forbidden Surface. You see dwarves lives wayyyy underground, where they mine for delicious gems, live to be very old, and never ever go above ground...because The Surface is home to the feared greedy humans. But the call of The Surface is too strong for young Borlen, who ventures above and meets Queen Elfrieda Veronika Ingrid Lenore (aka Queen E.V.I.L) who really doesn't seem that bad. She treats Borlen well and feeds him yummy rubies. But then she orders him to do something awful to her stepdaughter, Snow White, and he is unable to disobey because he's bound by magic. What's a grumpy, yet determined young dwarf to do?
Liesl Shurtliff returns to her charming middle-grade (Fairly) True Tale series with Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and takes readers on a rollicking adventure full of unexpected twists, bewitching magic, laugh-out-loud mishaps, and lovable characters!
Once again, Liesl Shurtliff takes a beloved fairy tale and sprinkles it with loads of imagination, humor, and heart to create a captivating reimagining that feels both timeless and refreshingly new. From the cozy, gem-filled underground home of the dwarves to the dazzling castle home of Queen E.V.I.L and the beautiful forest Snow and the dwarves find themselves in, readers will love exploring this fun world. Shurtliff's creative take on dwarves and dwarf culture is wonderfully whimsical and thought out, especially the importance and meaning of the various stones and gems they mine and ingest.
One of the most fun things about a reimagining is getting to see different aspects of beloved characters and Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves definitely does not disappoint when it comes to this. Shurtliff's Snow White is an endearing mix of feisty heroine and slightly spoiled princess, while Grump and his six dwarf companions are allowed to be so much more than the silly names they're usually associated with (Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful, Sneezy, Doc, Happy, Sleepy). And readers will have fun trying to match Shurtliff's other six dwarves with those original silly names.
Bursting with adventure, mischief, heart, and humor, Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is an exciting page-turner and effective reimagining for the middle-grade crowd!
MY RATING
4/5 Cupcakes
Liesl Shurtliff is the author of the New York Times Bestseller RUMP and other (Fairly) True Tales. She 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! Before she became a writer, Liesl graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in music, dance, and theater. She now lives in Chicago with her husband and four children.
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