Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin (#nerdlution)

We're into our second week of the second round of #nerdlution.  Today's round-up at Michelle Haseltine's blog:  One Grateful Teacher.  Each Thursday participants will link up to share their progress.   Here are a few of my DISCOVERIES this week as I read for #nerdlution.

This Week's Discoveries

A Book:
Rump:  The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

As part of my #nerdlution, I'm spending more time reading fiction.  My friends have been sending me link after link for books I must read.  Rump has been on this list for awhile.  I finally lucked into a copy from the library.  Unfortunately, they didn't have a digital copy for my eReader, but an audio copy was available. I'd rather read a book than listen to one, but this audio version was outstanding. Narrated by Maxwell Glick, this audio version was engaging from beginning to end.

Rump is the untold story of Rumplestiltskin.  This story begins when Rump is a young boy being raised by his gran.  Rump is often teased about his name, and he worries about his destiny with the name he has been given.  Rump likes to riddle and rhyme, but his life is complicated by the miller.  Rump and Gran are barely getting by with the little bit of food the miller gives Rump for his work in the gold mind.  Gold is getting harder and harder to find.  One day, Rump discovers his mother's spinning wheel and soon realizes he can spin straw into gold.  His best friend, Red, warns him to stay away from magic as it brings trouble.  It isn't long until Rump's good intentions, and a few unfortunate circumstances, weave a complicated mess.  Rump sets out to untangle his problems, but discovers who he is along the way.

This delightful journey of discovery, as Rump begins to unravel his story and find his destiny, is one I would read again.  The references to fairy tales, the subtle hints to the identity of Rump's friend Red, the interesting characters Rump meets along his journey, the beautiful language, and lines that just call to be reread over and over again all make this book one not to be missed.  I'll never look at the Rumplestiltskin fairy tale in quite the same way.

Liesl Shurtliff wrote so many lines I wanted to read over and over again, but enjoying the book in audio made this quite a challenge.  Thank goodness for the 15 second rewind button.  Beautiful lines like these make it hard to resist buying a copy.

"Maybe destiny isn't something that just happens.  Maybe destiny is something you do.  Maybe destiny is like a seed and it grows," Rump.  

"I could almost feel them with me.  That's its own kind of magic, to feel that people that are gone are still here," Rump thinking about Gran and his mother. 

You can imagine how excited I was to discover Liesl's Twitter page and realize she has two more books coming from Knopf/Random House:  Jack (2015) and Red (2016).  Woot woot!

A Picture Book or Two

This Is the Rope written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by James Ransome
I just loved the idea that an idea story could be written around the idea of a rope.  I enjoyed the way the rope tied the stories of generations of family together.  Beautiful!

Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
This book reminded me a bit of the Dinosaur vs. ___ stories written by Bob Shea.  I know my students will love it!  Niño takes on one bad challenge after another defeating the enemies.  Then….the biggest challenge of all….his baby sister awakening from a nap!  Can he do it?  This is a fun story with interesting information about Lucha Libre, a popular style of theatrical professional wrestling in Mexico.

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle
My class first discovered this story in its digital version.  We enjoyed it then, but to have the picture book is always better.  Of course, the flaps in this book make this wordless picture book even more interesting.  All readers can enjoy the story of Flora and Flamingo learning to dance together.



A Post (or a few)
Raising Readers and Writers:  Slice of Life Tuesday, Be True to Yourself  Julie reminds us about the importance of raising our daughters to be strong and confident.

Sharing Our Notebooks:  Lee Ann Spillane, Living Life Twice  Snow days are giving me time to catch up on blog reading.  This post is actually from a few weeks ago, but I always love a peek inside someone's writer's notebook.  Lee Ann shares her collection.  There is a lot to think about here:  art, visual representation, organization, coding, and much more.

A Year of Reading:  New Books in February  Franki recommends books to read in February.  There are so many here I want to read!  Stop by and check them out.