Rumpelstiltskin Fairy Tale Retellings

Long overshadowed by much more popular fairy tales the story of Rumpelstiltskin was not graced with a Disney adaptation. To add insult to injury, most retellings paint Rumpelstiltskin as a villain and the king (who threatens to kill the miller's daughter if she can't spin straw into gold, which is an impossible task btw) as the hero.

Yeah, I don't like that part.

When writing my version of the retelling it allowed me to make some pretty major differences to the original – most notably I made Rumpelstiltskin the hero. But enough about that, here's a giant list of fairy tale retellings for you to find your next read! (Some of them even switched Rumpelstiltskin to the role of hero like I did!)

Rumpelstiltskin by K.M. Shea – Yes, here’s my version! Gemma is a quiet seamstress who is imprisoned in the castle dungeons when her drunken father makes false claims about her ability to spin straw into gold. Luckily, there just happens to be a mage, Rumpelstiltskin, in town who can help her. (Stil (the hero in this book) would be proud to tell you that he consistently ranks near the top in my hero polls.)

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde – I love this author so it’s no surprise she made this list! This book is actually a collection of 6 short stories all related to the fairy tale of Rumpelstiltskin. You might be tempted to skip this one since it’s short stories but it is really, really good! There is a bit of something for everyone in these stories and the way she describes the original story is what first inspired me to do my series of blog posts where I review the original fairy tale with my own humor inserted everywhere!

That’s not the whole list! I took this to my reader community, and they came up with a bunch more recommendations for you! (I asked them for no spice and low language but check reviews if that is a concern for you.)

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Queen of Gold and Straw by Shari L. Tapscott

Forged Gold by Abigail Manning

Goldheart by Kenley Davidson

The Princess Pact by Melanie Cellier

Repaying the Wrongs by Nellie Peters

Rump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

The Crimson Thread by Suzanne Weyn

The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

Pathways by Camille Peters

The Spinner and the Slipper by Camryn Lockhart

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Granny Rumple by Jane Yolen (in How to Fracture a Fairy Tale)

Straw Into Gold by Gary Schmidt

The Miller’s Girl by Nina Clare

My Unfair Godmother by Jannette Rallison

Lies of Golden Straw by E.L.Tenenbaum

Threads of Gold by Christine Pope

Twisted by Bonnie Hennessy

Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter by Breeana Puttroff

Rumplestiltskin by Jenni James

Thread and Spool by Holly Hook

The Curse of Gold by A. G. Marshall

Charlotte and the Cozy Cottage by Abigail Manning

Songs and Spun Gold by Erin Halbmaier

Spun of Gold by Jen Geigle Johnson

Hopefully that will bolster your “To Be Read” list for this year! (And please allow me to again plug The Rumpelstiltskin Problem–it’s so, so, so good!)

If you're looking for more fairy tale retellings I have a whole series of these blog posts featuring book recommendations, lists of books vetted by readers, and popular fairy tale retellings. Click here to start reading or use the Book Lists category to filter them.