Reading Recommendations: Fresh Retellings
A new month means another batch of reading recommendations! July’s theme is focused on retellings of classic stories of the past that offer a fresh take on an old tale. I hope you enjoy these picks!
Pumpkin
Single mother Malika “Pumpkin” Tavares lost faith in fairytales after she fell for a toad. Now she believes she’s not cut from the storybook, heroine cloth and searches for Mr. Good Enough amongst the sidekicks and supporting men of the town.
Love at first sight isn’t a cliche for town royalty Armand “Manny” Charmayne. For generations the Charmaynes have spotted their soulmates by seeing a golden aura the first time they laid eyes on The One.
When Manny meets Pumpkin he sees…nothing, but sparks fly off the richter scale. The more he gets to know her the more he considers defying fate, if only he can convince her to take a chance on love again.
Pumpkin is a modern-day twist on the Cinderella story with a single monther who has long stopped beliving in fairytales and wants more for herself and her son. Her family isn’t supportive and she grapples with how she can reach her dreams. What’s cool about this retelling is that it does have a little bit of magic with the golden aura ability that Manny has.
I liked that it’s a fairytale -esque novel with a single mother as the main character and how Pumpkin talks about the high standards single mothers are held up to. I liked Pumpkin’s character a whole lot with her determination to keep trying and also recognize when she’s messed up. . I though this was a well thought out Romance story with a solid lead character and it’s discussions of family and relationships.
Please Be My Star
Erika knows that people find her weird and off-putting. Instead of making friends, she finds solace in talking to herself and obsessing over handsome actors and pop stars. When she starts attending a new school, her loneliness takes on a life of its own and she develops a new obsession: the cutest boy in her theater class, Christian. For some reason, Christian is kind to her and even agrees to star in the play that she wrote for him, and Erika starts to find a creative voice that might lead to new friendship and romance. But the more time Erika spends with Christian, the more she wonders what he sees in a creep like her. Can Erika somehow write her way into the center of her own heartfelt love story? Or does Christian have an ending of his own in mind?
Please Be My Star offers a unique retelling of the famous novel/musical, The Phantom of the Opera as a YA romantic comedy. Wonderfully illustrated (similar to a manga style) and written, Elliott has crafted a relatable story for teenagers during their coming-of-age period in life. The graphic novel has role reversal in this retelling as the main character Erika, has a deep passion for writing and creating stories, and the boy in her theatre class becomes her muse. I could relate to myself as an adult with Erika’s experience of geeky interests that may seem “weird” and that overbearing feeling of wanting acceptance.
James
When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.
r! I’ve read from Everett before but this retelling of Huckleberry Finn exceed my expectations. It’s hard to put this book in words but what made it so memorable was the writing (especially the irony and wit of the main character). The quest for family and dignity all unfold through an immersive adventure on and surrounding the Mississippi told from the point of view and insight of person that was silenced in the original work. How Everett uses “language” as device in the novel is one of the key elements I enjoyed so much.
The Lost Sunday
Nina lives in a dusty town, haunted by the six angry wolves of the week—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each day brings never-ending chores and drudgery. Legend speaks of a seventh day to rest—Sunday—but everybody knows an evil witch stole it and keeps it locked away.
When Nina finally says enough is enough, she sets out on an ambitious quest for rest, but will she be able to vanquish the witch and bring back the lost Sunday?
This graphic novel is based upon a Brothers Grimm story called Frau Holle. I was not too familiar with the story’s original source material but I still enjoy every moment. Never did a story that reminded me and many others of the “Sunday Scaries” faced every week seem so whimsical and delightful. Told through Nina’s perspective, we empathize with her struggle of having no free time to rest and being a cog in the wheel (#adulting). It it through her packed daily schedule we see why it is so essential for her to need balance in her life which makes the reader reflect on their lives as well. What awaits readers inside the pages of this graphic novel is a magical ride through vivid colored pages, and fun character deigns with zany landscapes.
The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay
Seventeen-year-old Nick Carrington wants nothing more than to leave Greenwood, Oklahoma, behind and make a name for himself in the papers. But when tragedy strikes, dreams turn into a twisted reality. Forced to start anew in Harlem, only a letter of acceptance from the prestigious West Egg Academy is able to pull him back into the world.
But the supposedly integrated private boys’ school is more of a catchy headline than a fact, with the same prejudices Nick left behind back home. And his secret but growing feelings for the founder’s wickedly charismatic son, Jay Gatsby Jr.— who dances past society’s conventions with practiced ease—only add more complications.
When Nick’s cutting pen exposes dangerous truths about West Egg and leads to perilous consequences, he and Jay must decide whether to spend a lifetime outrunning trouble or be the ones to light the match. Can they not only fight back but triumph? Or will the powers that be win yet again?
Douglass does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the original story while also adding new elements that readers will enjoy. Set during the roaring 20s, the novel follows Nick Carrington who leaves Oklahoma after tragedy and meets Jay Gatsby while starting a new life in New York. Though the young men come from very different worlds their newfound relationship connects them on a deeper level. But when truths of their world at West Egg become exposed it’s a dangerous race against time to expose the truth to world.
This novel is a highly immersive read from the authors great descriptions of the glamour of the era but also doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of racism, bullying, social class, among other issues the main cast of characters face. Douglass allows his readers to get lost in Nick and Jay’s world while also balancing the thin lines they teeter through every day. Each chapter is detailed and engaging making sure that the plot never loses steam throughout the novel.
That concludes my reading recommendations for retellings! What books do you recommend or what are your favorites? Comment below!
