Fairy Tales with a Twist
As the classics are reimagined for movies and TV, books keep pace with clever updates.
| • | February 26,2013 |
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Quick: What's got more bite than vampires, is more terrifying
than zombies, and more soul-shredding than paranormal romance? It's --
drum roll, please -- fairy tales?
Yup, in TV shows, movies, and books, writers are drawing on age-old fairy tales for inspiration. Take these examples:
The recent film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters transforms the siblings from innocent victims to heavily armed avengers. And as the tagline of the action-packed trailer for the forthcoming Jack the Giant Slayer, an update of "Jack and the Beanstalk," says, "If you think you know the story, you don't know Jack."
Fortunately, there's a way for kids and teens to explore fairy tales without the CGI graphics. The trend is equally strong in books. Some authors do more than update the classics -- they put their protagonists in contact -- or cahoots -- with familiar fairy tale characters. Here are some of our favorites:
Yup, in TV shows, movies, and books, writers are drawing on age-old fairy tales for inspiration. Take these examples:
- ABC's moody, sometimes sexy hit Once Upon a Time, which reveals that fairy tale characters walk among us.
- Last year’s horror-romance mashup Red Riding Hood.
- Two takes on "Snow White" in 2012: the kid-friendly Mirror Mirror, followed by the high-body-count teen blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman.
The recent film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters transforms the siblings from innocent victims to heavily armed avengers. And as the tagline of the action-packed trailer for the forthcoming Jack the Giant Slayer, an update of "Jack and the Beanstalk," says, "If you think you know the story, you don't know Jack."
Fortunately, there's a way for kids and teens to explore fairy tales without the CGI graphics. The trend is equally strong in books. Some authors do more than update the classics -- they put their protagonists in contact -- or cahoots -- with familiar fairy tale characters. Here are some of our favorites:
- The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Glee star Chris Colfer (age 8+)
A modern-day brother and sister fall into the fairy tale world and meet characters from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Cinderella," and "Snow White" on their quest to get back to our world. - The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy (age 8+)
Prince Charmings from "Cinderella," "Rapunzel," "Sleeping Beauty," and "Snow White" band together to rescue runaway Cinderella. - A Tale Dark and Grimm and its sequel, In a Glass Grimmly, by Adam Gidwitz (age 10+)
The former is based on "Hansel and Gretel," the latter inspired by "Jack and Jill." The author/narrator injects himself periodically to warn readers when things are about to get "strange, bloody, and horrible." - The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer (age 13+)
Sci-fi and fairy tales mix in this YA series that began with 2012's Cinder, featuring a cyborg Cinderella (age 12+), and continues with the just-released Scarlet, starring a futuristic Little Red Riding Hood who's looking for her grandma while dodging half-man/half wolf villains. - Bewitching: The Kendra Chronicles, Book 2, by Alex Flinn (age 13+)
In this clever twist on "Cinderella," our witchy heroine contends with modern-day stepsisters and also runs into a familiar witch who bakes children who try to eat her gingerbread house.