Title: The Door in the Hedge
Author: Robin McKinley
Pages: 216
I really wanted to get my ORR done today, and not tomorrow, but I didn't have any new books checked out from the library. I was looking at my bookshelf for something to pop out at me, and "The Door in the Hedge" caught my eye. I have had this storybook for many years, and I still love it. It's not just one story. There are four retold fairy tales in it: The Stolen Princess, The Princess and the Frog, The Hunting of the Hind, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Before I received this book, I had read fairy tales very similar to the ones in this book - I think the author based her stories on the traditional ones. However, Robin McKinley does an awesome job of adding more details to her own versions. For example, in the original version of the Princess and the Frog, the princess is playing with her golden ball, she drops it in a pond, and an enchanted frog gets it back for her. In exchange for the favor, the princess has to let the frog live with her in her castle. In the end, the frog aggravates her so much that she throws it against a wall and it turns into a handsome prince, and they end up marrying. The one I read had a much more complicated storyline: the princess is given an enchanted necklace by an evil prince who wants to marry her. She knows that it will turn her into the prince's puppet, just like her younger brother, and she doesn't want to put it on. She goes down to a pond and accidentally drops it in. At first, she is pleased, because she won't have to wear it, but then she becomes frightened, because she knows the evil prince will be furious with her. A talking frog gives her back the necklace on one condition: that he can live with her in her palace for a while. She gets the necklace back, and notices that something is different about it. She can tell that it's not dangerous, and that it can't hurt her anymore. Later, the evil prince is humiliated by the frog. It croaks and he jumps, and all the courtiers of the palace start laughing. He throws the frog against the wall, where it splits and turns into his brother (a good prince), who he had thought he had destroyed. The two brothers have a battle, and the princess ends up killing the evil prince by pouring a jug of water from the pond over him. I honestly really enjoy this story, and I could read it five times in a row without getting bored. I like how the author was able to keep "The Princess and the Frog" recognizable, but change it to make it much more interesting. Also, the language throughout the whole book is awesome. It's not so difficult that I can't understand it, but it is kind of old-fashioned sounding, and there are some words I don't understand, which is nice. I give this book a 5/5 rating!
Author: Robin McKinley
Pages: 216
I really wanted to get my ORR done today, and not tomorrow, but I didn't have any new books checked out from the library. I was looking at my bookshelf for something to pop out at me, and "The Door in the Hedge" caught my eye. I have had this storybook for many years, and I still love it. It's not just one story. There are four retold fairy tales in it: The Stolen Princess, The Princess and the Frog, The Hunting of the Hind, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Before I received this book, I had read fairy tales very similar to the ones in this book - I think the author based her stories on the traditional ones. However, Robin McKinley does an awesome job of adding more details to her own versions. For example, in the original version of the Princess and the Frog, the princess is playing with her golden ball, she drops it in a pond, and an enchanted frog gets it back for her. In exchange for the favor, the princess has to let the frog live with her in her castle. In the end, the frog aggravates her so much that she throws it against a wall and it turns into a handsome prince, and they end up marrying. The one I read had a much more complicated storyline: the princess is given an enchanted necklace by an evil prince who wants to marry her. She knows that it will turn her into the prince's puppet, just like her younger brother, and she doesn't want to put it on. She goes down to a pond and accidentally drops it in. At first, she is pleased, because she won't have to wear it, but then she becomes frightened, because she knows the evil prince will be furious with her. A talking frog gives her back the necklace on one condition: that he can live with her in her palace for a while. She gets the necklace back, and notices that something is different about it. She can tell that it's not dangerous, and that it can't hurt her anymore. Later, the evil prince is humiliated by the frog. It croaks and he jumps, and all the courtiers of the palace start laughing. He throws the frog against the wall, where it splits and turns into his brother (a good prince), who he had thought he had destroyed. The two brothers have a battle, and the princess ends up killing the evil prince by pouring a jug of water from the pond over him. I honestly really enjoy this story, and I could read it five times in a row without getting bored. I like how the author was able to keep "The Princess and the Frog" recognizable, but change it to make it much more interesting. Also, the language throughout the whole book is awesome. It's not so difficult that I can't understand it, but it is kind of old-fashioned sounding, and there are some words I don't understand, which is nice. I give this book a 5/5 rating!
It's a good idea, a nice twist on the original tale. It's always fun to reread what you read a while ago, especially fairy tales and short stories. ;)
ReplyDeleteHahaha thats funny very cleaver i'd never thought of taking short childrens stories and modifying them.
ReplyDeleteI also love reading books that i used to enjoy when i was younger