My Three Favorite Retellings

Some retellings I think you should read or watch!

Hey, friends, and welcome to another post from The Kindness Cafe!

Over the past few months, I’ve talked a lot about storytelling, including the best back-to-school books, short stories, and my favorite tropes! But there’s one type of story that I haven’t mentioned: retellings!

In this post, I’ll talk about my three favorite retellings and why I think you should read and/or watch them! Each retelling offers a unique spin on the source material that elevates it and makes it so much better. There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get started.

1: Ella Enchanted (Book)

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Older Middle Grade/Younger YA, Fantasy, Fairytales

Plot: Ella has been cursed to be obedient all her life, but it doesn’t become a big issue until her stepfamily moves in. To make matters worse, Ella is falling in love with the crown prince, Char, making her stepsisters jealous and her gift dangerous to everyone around her. Ella sets out to reverse the curse, but what if she can’t make it in time?

Original Tale: Cinderella

Changes Made To The Plot: Ella and Char are both more fleshed out than in the original fairytale, and I think the addition of the curse makes the story even better! (Note: the movie makes a lot of additional changes that I don’t think captures the story as well as the book!)

Things To Be Advised About: Scary creatures, manipulative people, and a few action-packed scenes.

2: West Side Story (2021 Movie)

Featured: Stephen Spielberg (Director), Tony Kushner (Script), Stephen Sondheim (Lyrics)

Genre: YA, Historical Fiction

Plot: Maria and Tony live completely different lives, but once they meet at a school dance, they quickly fall in love. The only problem? Both of them are part of rival groups who don’t want to let either of them go, much less be together. Can Maria and Tony defy the odds, or are they trapped in their preexisting grudge forever?

Original Tale: Romeo and Juliet

Changes Made To The Plot: This movie is set in the 1950s and features two warring groups, white immigrants (Polish, Italian, Irish) and Puerto Rican immigrants. West Side Story takes the star-crossed lovers story and updates it with captivating dance, fun music, and updated social issues that take the plot from good to great!

Things To Be Advised About: ⚠️This content is for 14+⚠️ Mentions of adult substances, and lots of violence (or allusions to violence).

3: The Goose Girl (book)

Author: Shannon Hale

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Plot: Ani was supposed to be the next Queen of Kildenree. She’s smart, funny, good at ruling, and she can speak to the wind – what’s not to love? But when her mother sends her and her lady-in-waiting Selia to the land of Bayern, planning to marry Ani off, Ani finds herself cast out of royalty. Forced to be a goose girl while Selia takes all the credit, can Ani figure out how to reclaim the crown…before Selia becomes queen?

Original Tale: The Goose Girl

Changes Made To The Plot: Ani and Selia are more prominent characters in Shannon Hale’s version than in the original fairytale. There is also talk of war between the countries of Kildenree and Bayern, which makes Ani’s predicament even more dangerous!

Things To Be Advised About: Brief violence, talk of war, animal mistreatment.

Those are the three retellings I selected for this post! Have you read any of these? Do you want to? Pop a comment below with your answers; I’d love to know!

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