Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with one of my #Bookaday Reads-RUMP by Liesl Shurtliff

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The end of June is fast approaching. As some of you know I am taking part in Nerdy Book Club's #bookaday Summer Reading challenge. Wasn't going to start until end of June when school is out in these parts (Alberta, Canada), but..too fun to not start. Will also say this is more like a book every other day or so challenge. So, for this Marvelous Middle Grade Monday I will be sharing one of my reads so far. This is one that a few of you have already read and loved. I can see why the love is there.

From Goodreads: In a magical 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.

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.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I truly enjoyed this book. Loved it, actually and with each page turn was so impressed with the author's writing skill and how she drew me into Rump's story and had me laughing and crying for him. He is a true hero in my books and absolutely the kind of character you want to cheer on and on for. The journey he embarks on is one that he thinks he has no choice on and yet he learns that he really is in charge of his own destiny. Plus, this is a darn witty imagining of the Rumplestilkin tale that weaves in a variety of other fairy tales and the people and creatures therein. By doing so she gives even greater depth and fun to this story. I should add that not a single use of other fairytales whether just referenced or an integral part of the main story was gratuitous and at the same time I don't think you have to know every tale that is referenced to be able to enjoy the book. This is a character kids will relate too. A kid trying to find his way, make friends and feel like he belongs. When I was finished and preparing this post I went to the author's site to see if there would be more because I didn't want to end my stay and plus her writing is so good I want to read more of it. The answer can be found here. And that answer is yes. She is working on a companion novel that is set in the same world.  I am already looking forward to heading back.

As for sharing this with kids when I start to work full time in the library this fall? You can bet I will be.


Happy Marvelous Middle Grade Monday all! Here is the link so you can head back to Shannon Messenger's website and carry on with your reading list building and seeing what others think of books you've read.