Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

It took me a bit to get hooked by this book, but when I was, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a delightful, fractured, retelling of the story of Rumpelstiltskin. I liked the creativity, the humor, and the deeper explorations of what it means to be human. 

Rump's mother died before she was able to finish saying his name fully. You can easily imagine what life would be like for any kid with this name, but what if the world you lived in considered your name to connote your destiny?

Rump, his friend Red, and other kids spend their lives digging for gold and living in abject poverty. Even if they find gold they are attacked by swarms of nasty pixies with stings worse than bees. 

You would think that when Rump discovers that he can spin straw into gold, his life would get better. It doesn't. It gets worse. Thankfully Red and his grandmother are there to support him.

Eventually he heads off in search of his mother's family in hopes of discovering the rest of his name. This delightful book trailer will tell you everything else you need to know.