Frankenstiltskin

About this book

Resourceful Bryony is a taxidermist, whose skilful needle and ability to see what happened to dead creatures allow her to bring beloved pets back to life – well, almost.

But then her boastful father makes a foolish promise to a sinister king: Bryony can really bring your dead pets back to life. So Bryony is whisked off to a castle of horrors, where she finds herself in debt to a nameless magical creature who seems able to steal anything it wants from her. She is doomed unless she can guess its name.

This is a funny, clever and very enjoyable verse retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. The story takes Rumpelstiltskin back to its original darkly horrifying roots and adds a smart, likeable heroine who saves the day with a story. The lavish illustrations are warm and fun and a nice counterpoint to the gross and gory content.

Some of the horror imagery is very powerful and likely to stick in the mind, so this won’t be a book for every child. In addition to the horror content, some difficult vocabulary and one mild swear word mean adults should use caution when recommending it to younger readers.

About the author