Twice Upon a Time Series by Wendy Mass

I recently finished my fractured fairy tale unit with my students.  The stories my students crafted were so creative that I really enjoyed reading them.  There are several series that are based on fairy tales that have been altered somehow.  The Twice Upon a Time series by Wendy Mass is perfect for the upper elementary students.

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The Whatever After Series by Sarah Mlynowski

The Whatever After series by Sarah Mlynowski begins with a brother and sister discovering Snow White's stepmother's mirror in their basement.  The mirror transports them into Snow White's story where they save her from the poisoned apple.  If she doesn't eat the poisoned apple, then she doesn't meet the prince.  Abby and Jonah must figure out how to get the story back on track.

Fractured fairy tales are popular right now.  I know several of my students who would read the entire series. 

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The Graverobber's Apprentice by Allan Stratton

The Graverobber's Apprentice by Allan Stratton reads like a novel length fairy tale. Hans washed ashore in a wooden box and was adopted by a grave robber. He meets Angela, a young countess who is trying to avoid a cruel marriage.  The two team up to defeat evil and meet interesting characters along the way.

I did guess part of the plot (which I will not reveal here because I hate spoilers). I still found this a fun read and have in mind the type of students I will recommend it to: strong fifth grade readers and above.

I just linked up with Dilly Dabbles Book Share Wednesdays.

   
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Cinder by Marissa Meyer: Lunar Chronicles

Imagine fractured fairy tale meets science fiction and you have the Lunar Chronicles.  In this first book by Marissa Meyer, Cinder is a cyborg mechanic.  Her stepmother is nasty, but not her biggest enemy. Queen Levana from the moon has that title.  Cinder runs afoul of her at the Emperor's ball.

The Lunar Chronicles are filled with strong female characters.  Scarlet (Book 2) is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.  I recommend this series for middle school and above.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Have you read  Grimm Fairy Tales?  Not the Disneyfied version where there is little violence and everyone lives happily ever after, but the original ones where people cut off their own limbs and such?

This trilogy by Adam Gidwitz follows the original tales more closely.  He cautions readers at each turn that they might be scared of the events that follow.  I know that for my students that would encourage them to read further.

In the first book, Hansel and Gretel are the main characters in several of the tales that are strung together to make a novel instead of a collection of short stories.

The author recommends reading these aloud.  I don't know if I am that brave. 
If you are studying fractured fairy tales, here is a link to a related bulletin board idea called, "When Good Fairy Tale Characters Go Bad."

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