YA Litwit's Top Ten Fairy Tale Retellings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.  Each week a new Top Ten list topic is posted and book bloggers fill in their own choices.  I'm a list girl (as in, I don't function without them), so I thought this would be a good choice for me!  This week's topic is a tough one for me.  I'm inclined to choose Dystopia as my genre, but I have a feeling that there will be a lot of that this week, so I decided to do my second favorite genre instead- Fairy Tale Retellings!  I love fairy tales as they were meant to be told, and I love a good retelling of a classic.  I've read Grimm's Fairy Tales (and Hans Christian Andersen's) over and over and over, and they will never get old, but whenever there is a fresh take on one, I am all over it.  Here are some of my favorites...

Top Ten Fairy Tale Retellings

*in no particular order*

1.  A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz~ I love this book to pieces!  Adam Gidwitz brilliantly weaves several lesser-known fairy tales with a major one, Hansel and Gretel, inserting his own narrative, to create an amazingly unique story.  If you haven't read this, you NEED to (check out my review HERE).  His second installment, In a Glass Grimmly, comes out in September, and I can't wait!!

(Goodreads)

2.  Reckless by Cornelia Funke~ Most of you are familiar with Cornelia Funke because of her Inkheart trilogy, but I think this is her best book.  This is another retelling that weaves several tales together, and it is brilliant and creepy and awesome.  Do yourself a favor, and check out the hardcover version because there are gorgeous pencil drawings (by the author) at the beginning of each chapter that aren't included in the paperback.

(Goodreads)

3.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer~ I didn't even intend to read this because the synopsis turned me off.  I thought, "Androids and cyborgs?  No, thank you!".  Well, I was wrong.  This book was amazing and original, and truly epic.  I can't wait for the upcoming books in this series!  Read my review of this book HERE.

(Goodreads)

4.  Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George~ I think Jessica Day George is one of the most talented fantasy writers writing today.  Her style of writing makes the genre attractive to people who don't necessarily love dragons, princesses, and medieval lore. I first read her MG book, Dragon Slippers, a few years ago and adored it, so when I came across this, I had to pick it up.  I loved it, and its sequel, Princess of Glass. I'm pretty excited for the release of book #3, Princess of the Silver Woods, which comes out in November.

(Goodreads)

5.  The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker~ I love this book.  E.D. Baker does a fabulous job with Fairy Tale retellings, and this is my favorite of hers.  A retelling of Sleeping Beauty from her twin sister's POV (who doesn't happen to be affected my magic and is the only person in the kingdom to stay awake when Sleeping Beauty pricks her finger).  It's a very cute and original spin on an almost worn out tale.

(Goodreads)

6.  Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce~ Another master at the Fairy Tale Retelling genre.  I'm a huge Jackson Pearce fangirl, and I love this book.  Obviously, it's a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, and it's awesome!  Scarlett and Rose are two of my favorite kick-ass female heroines, and I love Jackson's take on the "big bad wolf".  Read my review HERE.

(Goodreads)

7.  Sweetly by Jackson Pearce~ This one is a rather loose, modern-day, retelling of Hansel and Gretel, and I have to say, I liked this one even better than Sisters Red.  That said, I'm hopeful that I am going going to love the third installment or this series, Fathomless (September 4th, 2012), even more.  Read my review HERE.

(Goodreads)

8.  A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan~ This is a loose, post-apocalyptic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, and it is done remarkably well.  I went into reading it not knowing that it was a retelling, and kind figured it out as I read.  This was one of my favorite books of 2011, and definitely one of the most underrated.  Read my review HERE.

(Goodreads)

9.  Fairest by Gail Carson Levine~ Gail Carson Levine is one of the original masters of this genre, and she does it so well.  This is my favorite of her books, and I can't even pinpoint why; I just love it.  Whenever she has a new book come out, I get it right away because I'm never disappointed.

(Goodreads)

10.  My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison~ So much better than I expected it to be!  I loved this book!  It was witty and funny and nearly perfect.  A must read for the girl who likes a little romance without all the swoony, love-at-first-sight, make-me-want-to-vomit-on-my-shoes nonsense.  Read my review HERE.

(Goodreads)

11.  The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale~ I couldn't leave out this book, so I have 11 in my top ten, but oh well...  Shannon Hale is another master, and this book was a classic as soon as it hit the shelves.  I loved it, both my daughters loved it, and every person I have recommended it to has loved it.

(Goodreads)