A novel inspired by Little Women, set around MANCHESTER
5 Middle Grade Fairy Tales from Around the World
9th February 2021
‘Middle Grade’ children are aged 8 to 12. Many Fairy Tales are written specifically for this age group and here we make a few recommendations – 5 Middle Grade Fairy Tales from Around the World
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (China)
In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. While her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man in the Moon, Minli’s mother chides him for filling her head with stories. But inspired by these stories, Minli spends one of her precious copper pennies on a beautiful goldfish, which is said to be able to change the fortune of the owner. Her mother reprimands her for the silly purchase, but, it pays off when the goldfish talks and offers to show her the path to fortune and wealth! Minli is eventually joined by a dragon who can’t fly, and together they set out to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him to fulfill their dreams.
Fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, with timeless elements of the classic The Wizard of Oz mixed in, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a wonderous story of adventure, devotion, and friendship. Grace Lin has once again written a charming, engaging book for young readers.
Rumaysa: A Fairytale by Radiya Hafiza (South East Asia
Step into a Once Upon a Time where anything is possible . . . Radiya Hafiza’s enchanting and funny debut weaves together three stories, spinning the classic fairytale to show that anyone can be a hero.
‘Rumaysa, Rumaysa, let down your hijab!’
For as long as she can remember Rumaysa has been locked away in her tall, tall tower, forced to use her magic to spin straw into gold for the evil Witch and unable to leave. Until one day, after dropping a hijab out of her small tower-window, Rumaysa realizes how she might be able to escape…
Join Rumaysa as she adventures through enchanted forests and into dragon’s lairs, discovers her own incredible magical powers and teams up with Cinderayla and Sleeping Sara!
Rumaysa: A Fairytale is a magically fresh, empowering and funny debut, which retells three classic fairytales – Rapunzel, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty – with beautiful inside illustrations by Rhaida El Touny and cover illustration by Areeba Siddique.
The Dollmaker of Krakow by R M Romero (Krakow)
One night a little doll named Karolina comes to life in a toyshop in Krakow, Poland, in 1939 and changes the life of the gruff, broken-hearted Dollmaker. And when the darkness of the Nazi occupation sweeps over the city, Karolina and the Dollmaker must bravely use their magic to save their Jewish friends from a terrible danger, no matter what the risks. This powerful story is about finding friendship in the darkest of places and the importance of love in times of great pain
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Caribbean)
When eleven-year-old Corinne stumbles into the forest on her Caribbean island home, she rouses a jumbie–a malevolent spirit–who emerges to wreak havoc. Corinne must call on her courage and her friends and use ancient magic to stop the jumbie and save the island.
Princess BMX by Marie Basting (London)
Enchanted meets BMX in this hilarious, spellbinding adventure!
Trust me, the fairy tales have it so wrong. Dingy towers and wicked step-mums are the least of my worries: it’s the boredom that will kill me. Honestly, apart from the endless supply of cupcakes, being a princess is pretty rubbish. I used to think about locking myself in a tower and throwing away the key. Thank the good goblin I discovered BMX. If it wasn’t for BMX, nothing would have changed…
Enjoy your Middle Grade Fairy Tale Reading!
Fern, TripFiction’s Kid’s Lit Writer in Residence
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