Grump by Liesl Shurtliff - ADVISABLE

Grump: The (Fairly) True Tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Liesl Shurtliff, 295 pages.  Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 2018.  $17.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS – ADVISABLE  

AUDIENCE APPEAL:  AVERAGE  

Borlen has always been drawn to the surface, unlike other dwarves who like to burrow deep into the earth’s surface.  Borlen always feels like a black sheep among other dwarves and it becomes more evident as he starts to work with a crew of miners, so when Borlen gets a chance to go to the surface he takes it.  Although there have been many warnings about the dangers of humans, Borlen is befriended by a queen who values his take on her kingdom.  As their friendship grows, however, Borlen realizes that the queen is wicked and he needs to try and keep other’s safe, even if the queen has an unforeseen power over him.  

I enjoyed this fun twist on Snow White.  Grump is an endearing character and to take the story from his perspective was entertaining and humorous.  I’m a bit annoyed with the rabbit on the front cover though, because Grump’s best friend is a bat and he’s adorable.  The best part of this book is the way the characters are seen from a different point of view and it would be fun to teach parts of this book in an English class. 

C. Peterson