A Wolf at the Door: and Other Retold Fairy Tales

By Tristan Ellwell

These are not your mother's fairy tales...

Did you ever wonder how the dwarves felt after Snow White ditched them for the prince? Do you sometimes wish Cinderella hadn't been so helpless and petite? Are you ready to hear the Giant's point of view on Jack and his beanstalk? Then this is the book for you.
     Thirteen award-winning fantasy and science fiction writers offer up their versions of these classic fairy tales as well as other favorites, including The Ugly Duckling, Ali Baba, Hansel and Gretel, and more. Some of the stories are funny, some are strange, and others are dark and disturbing -- but each offers something as unexpected as a wolf at the door.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Release date: Mar 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442460393

Book preview

Introduction

by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow

The stories in this book are based on classic fairy tales—but probably not the way you’ve ever heard fairy tales before. Most people think that fairy tales are stories meant for very young children, but hundreds of years ago tales of magic were loved by folks of all ages. The fairy tales we all know today—like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and all the rest—used to be darker, stranger, and more complex, until this century. Then they were turned into children’s tales, banished to the nursery (as J. R. R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings once pointed out) like furniture adults have grown tired of and no longer want. The stories were changed and simplified when they were rewritten for very young readers. And it’s these sweet and simple versions that most of us know today.

But if you go back to the older versions, you’ll see why people both old and young liked to gather before the hearth fire and listen to these marvelous stories on long, cold winter evenings. Fairy tales were scarier then, and the heroes and heroines were more interesting. Cinderella, for instance, was a smart, feisty, angry girl in the oldest versions of the story (dating back all the way to ninth-century China), not the helpless dreamer who has to be saved by a prince, as we know her today. Happy endings were not guaranteed. Red Riding Hood was gobbled up by the wolf, Rapunzel’s lover was blinded by the witch, and the Little Mermaid died when her fickle prince took a human wife. The old fairy tales, like all the best stories, were filled with all the dark and bright, all the failures and triumphs, that life has to offer. No wonder our ancestors have loved them for hundreds and hundreds of years.

All of the writers in this book loved fairy tales when they were young, and they didn’t stop loving and reading them even when they grew to adulthood. Each writer has taken a favorite tale and made a brand-new story from it—stories full of strangeness, humor, dark magic, and wonder.

These are tales to lead you into the Dark Woods, where witches live and animals talk and magic appears when you least expect it. And here are a few standard words of advice when you enter that enchanted forest: Be kind to old women on the path (they may be fairies in disguise). Use magic wishes carefully (you’ll get exactly what you wish for). Don’t eat the food the fairies offer (it will trap you in their realm forever). And be sure to leave a trail of stones to find your way home again. . . .

If you’d like to know more about fairy tales, here are three good collections: Spells of Enchantment, edited by Jack Zipes; Strange Things Sometimes Still Happen, edited by Angela Carter; and Favorite Folk Tales From Around the World, edited by Jane Yolen. On the Internet, check out these Websites: Legends, The Endicott Studio and SurLaLune.

The Months of Manhattan

by Delia Sherman

Liz Wallach was a pretty good kid. She mostly did her homework on time and pretty much got along with her father and was usually polite to her girlfriends. She wasn’t perfect, by any means. She had been known to lie about brushing her teeth and she couldn’t for the life of her tell her left from her right. But for a ten-year-old, she wasn’t bad.

Liz lived with her father in a big apartment on the Upper West Side of New York City. Sometimes she went to stay with her mother in San Francisco or her grandmother on Cape Cod. She liked school. Things were good.

Then Beth Dodson came into her life.

Beth Dodson was the daughter of one of Dad’s girlfriends. When the girlfriend became Liz’s stepmother, Liz and Beth became stepsisters. Liz was ready to be happy about this. She’d always wanted a sister, and she kind of liked it that their real names were the same: Elizabeth.

But Beth had been perfectly happy being an only child, and she didn’t like it at all that they had the same name. That was only one of the things she didn’t like. She didn’t like school and she didn’t like Chinese food and she didn’t like New York. It was big and noisy and dirty, and there were too many people living in it.

Maybe she’s shy, said Liz’s father hopefully. Maybe she’ll get over it.

But Beth had no intention of getting over hating New York, or anything else. She whined constantly: about having to walk three blocks to the bus stop, about having ballet lessons at Mme. Demipointe’s École de Danse.

She fought with her mother, and wouldn’t speak to Liz or her stepfather except to say that she wished she were still living in New Rochelle with her daddy and playing soccer on Wednesday afternoons.

Things weren’t so good anymore.

It was November, just before Thanksgiving vacation, when Liz got a special history assignment. She had to go to the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and look at the furniture and write a paper about it.

Liz’s stepmother said, I can take you while Bethy’s in ballet class. You’ll have to be quick, though. Mme. Demipointe hates to be kept waiting.

By the time Liz and her stepmother dropped Beth off at Mme. Demipointe’s and got to the museum, it was about 3:00 P.M. Liz’s stepmother paid for two admissions, went to the restaurant, sat down at a little round table, and took a magazine out of her bag.

Aren’t you coming with me? Liz asked.

It’s your assignment, said her stepmother. It’s better if you do it yourself. And remember, we have to be at Madame’s by four-thirty.

But I don’t know where—

I don’t either, said her stepmother. Ask.

By the time Liz found a guard who wasn’t busy with someone else, ten minutes of her hour were gone. Then she turned left instead of right in the Medieval Treasury and got lost, and asked another guard and got lost again. Precious minutes ticked away as she walked through rooms of paintings and statues.

Finally, at 3:45, she walked up a flight of stairs and through a glass door, and found herself in a small, dark room with nothing in it but a big, bright picture.

Wherever she was, it wasn’t the American Wing.

Liz wasn’t much of a crier as a general rule, but this was too much. Even if she started back now and didn’t get lost once, she’d be late, and her stepmother would be madder than a taxi driver in a traffic jam and her assignment still wouldn’t be done. I must be just about the unluckiest person in the world, she wailed.

Whatsa matter, kid?

The voice was friendly, with a heavy Bronx accent. Liz wiped her face on her sleeve and looked around for a guard, but she was alone.

The painting caught her eye.

It showed the statue of Atlas at Rockefeller Center with twelve people standing and sitting around it. They were all ages, from a very little girl in a snowsuit with cat ears to an old man in a wheelchair, and all the races Liz had ever heard of, except maybe Native American. They were wearing all kinds of different clothes, too, from a little Hispanic boy in snow boots and a ski jacket to a young, white guy in Bermuda shorts. A pretty African-American woman in a sundress opened her painted lips and said, What is it, honey? Maybe we can help.

Liz’s heart started to beat very fast. She was startled, but not frightened. She’d read lots of books in which things like this happened. I’m lost, she said.

We also, said a Pakistani boy in baggy jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. But you have found us.

Liz thought about this. Would you like me to tell the guard you’re here?

The old man in the wheelchair laughed. He was pale and thin as a china cup, but his laugh was warm and strong. No. Thank you. We prefer to be found by chance.

Oh, Liz said, and glanced at her watch: 3:40. She’d thought it was later.

What time of year is it? The question came from an Asian girl about Liz’s age, dressed in a red slicker and boots and flowered mittens.

November, said Liz.

I hate November, the girl said, and stuck out her tongue at an old African-American woman leaning on a cane.

It’s not so bad, said Liz. There’s Thanksgiving and hot apple cider, and we get to go to Grandma’s. And then it’s almost December, and that means Christmas and I can go sledding in Central Park with Dad. She remembered Beth and sighed. If he still wants to.

January, though, remarked a middle-aged Latino man in an embroidered short-sleeved shirt. January is very terrible.

And February, and March, added a skinny, unshaven man dressed in layers and layers of brown jackets.

I kind of like February and March, Liz said. I like getting cold and wet and then coming in and getting warm and looking at the lights out the window. It’s easier to go to school in winter, too. You don’t want to be outdoors so much, unless it’s snowing, of course.

Of course, said a woman with a prayer shawl around her shoulders. But April, you know what they say about April, no? April is the cruelest month, that’s what they say.

April showers bring May flowers, said Liz. Besides, I like mud and the way it smells.

Even in Central Park? asked an old Hispanic woman with a cane.

Especially in Central Park.

And the summer? asked a teenage girl with her hair in a million little braids and flowers painted on her nails.

Oh, summer is neat, said Liz. May and June can be hard because I want to be outside all the time and there’s still school, but it smells so good and the days are getting longer and there’s summer vacation coming and we go to Cape Cod, and that’s the best.

So you must hate the fall, said a little African-American boy in a very big parka.

Not really, said Liz. I miss my friends over the summer, and there’s my birthday in October, and I love the leaves turning all red and gold and— she stopped suddenly. Listen. This is way cool, but I’m really late, and my stepmother is going to kill me. I really have to go.

I think we can take care of that for you, said the young guy in shorts. Can’t we, September?

The woman smoothed her prayer shawl. I think we should, June. And the history assignment as well. She caught sight of Liz’s face and laughed kindly. We can’t do it for you—that wouldn’t be kosher. But we can give you the time to do it in. And directions to the American Wing.

Bye-bye, said the little girl in the snowsuit. Good luck.

And they were gone.

Oh, there was still a painting on the wall, but it was just a big canvas with bright blobs on it that only looked like people if you

Reviews for A Wolf at the Door

[Monique Thompson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I LOVE THIS

[books9n9pickles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I think this may have been the book that made me a fairy tale retelling fanatic...

[rosa.mill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this short story collection. My favorite was probably Neil Gaiman's rules for a fairy tale. Some of the tales were simply other perspectives of the tales we know and love such as Jack and the Beanstalk from the wife's point of view and the aftermath of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves for the dwarves. Others were completely changed such Ali Baba and the 40 aliens or an interesting version of the Ugly Duckling involving Albert Einstein. This book was extremely enjoyable.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This short story collection is much what I would expect from a Datlow/Windling compilation -- stories ranging from moderately good to very good, from familiar writers as well as lesser-known ones. The real gem of this collection is Neil Gaiman's poem, "Instructions," which was later published as a picture book. I enjoyed all of the other stories, but none of them stuck with me in the same way. This is a solid collection, recommended for those who love fairy tales.

[johanna_talbott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales is a collection of short stories that I selected from Cynthia Leitich Smith's list of children's and YA short story and poetry collections. I chose Neil Gaiman's Instructions as my short story for the purposes of this module, however, I read a few of the other stories and they were all wonderful.Q5, P3Q5 - As a huge fan of Neil Gaiman, I absolutely loved this story. Through his series of Instructions, he calls to minds bits and pieces of every fairy story you have ever heard, tidbits of wisdom that definitely apply to the magical realm and possibly even to the "real world."P3 - I really wanted to give this a P4 rating or higher, but I kept thinking that because of the magical theme of these stories and the easy readability, the writing in this collection is rather simplistic and probably more appealing to the younger members of the YA spectrum - late junior high, possibly early high school. It does have a bit of a juvenile feel to it, so it might not be attractive to older teens.

[stefferoo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book is a collection of fairy tale retellings or fairy tale-inspired short stories intended for younger readers. These are the stories and their authors: The Months of Manhattan by Delia Sherman, Cinder Elephant by Jane Yolen, Instructions by Neil Gaiman, Mrs Big: Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Michael Cadnum, Falada: The Goose Girl's Horse by Nancy Farmer, A Wolf at the Door by Tanith Lee, Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens by Janeen Webb, Swans by Kelly Link, The Kingdom of Melting Glances by Katherine Vaz, Hansel's Eyes by Garth Nix, Becoming Charise by Kathe Koja, The Seven Stage A Comeback by Gregory Maguire, The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Patricia A. McKillip I admit, if this hadn't been a book club read, I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own, and the reasons are threefold. First, even though I've been known to enjoy stories involving re-imagined fairy tales, it's not my preferred subject. Second, I'm not normally drawn to children's or middle grade books. And third, I'm generally not a big fan of anthologies or short story collections. One of the greatest joys of reading is being able to connect with the characters, and personally I find short stories are often too brief or are over too quickly for me to do that.Still, another great joy of reading is being able to try new things, and I was glad for the chance to read something different for a change. This was a nice change of pace and a good opportunity to discover some new authors and their takes on the fairy tale subject.I have to say, my feelings are mixed. There were stories I loved, and stories I did not like at all. Among my favorites were The Months of Manhattan (which I thought was the perfect story to open with) and The Twelve Dancing Princesses (likewise, the perfect closing story). As for the rest of the stories in between, there are a few that stand out, but I mostly found many of them to be mediocre.The stories I tended to enjoy more were the fairy tale retellings that were more faithful to the classics, like Mrs. Big: Jack and the Beanstalk or Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens or Hansel's Eyes. These included elements from the original fairy tales that were immediately recognizable and gave me a frame of reference to which I could anchor myself while I read. Then there were those stories that were just downright "anything-goes" and made me wonder if the author even had an idea or simply slapped together a bunch of random fairy tale elements in an attempt to make their story sound as crazy as possible.Granted, my feelings may have been influenced by my personal preferences that I mentioned at the beginning of this review, but I tried my best to form objective opinions. Overall, save for a few gems, the stories weren't too memorable, but the creativity and sheer range of styles in this book were impressive. Adults can certainly appreciate this, but I can see kids enjoying themselves a lot more with the stories in this collection, even (or perhaps especially) the ridiculous and nonsensical ones.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A few of the stories were interesting, but on the whole the book wasn't that great.

[ncgraham_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Wolf at the Door is a collection of fairytales retold by prominent writers in the Young Adult and Fantasy genres—exactly the sort of thing that tends to catch my eye and nag at my mind until I simply cannot resist the prospect of picking it up and reading it. This has happened twice now, and neither time have I been impressed by the entries. I was hoping that I would understand the stories better now I am older, and while that was the case in a few instances, comprehension did not necessarily lead to love.There are a few selections here that I do feel stand out, however. Two of them, Neil Gaiman’s “Instructions” and Gregory Maguire’s “The Seven Stage a Comeback,” are mostly poetic in form: the former is a series of directions on what to do when one stumbles into a fairy tale (“It’s always best to be prepared for these things, after all”), while the latter has the seven dwarves hatching a plan for a reconciliation with Snow White—or is it revenge for her departure that they desire? I’ve often avoided the work of these two authors because of their tendency to utilize unnecessary adult content, but both of their submissions here are perfectly clean, as well as being witty, whimsical, and wildly creative.Unfortunately, the prose selections are not nearly up to this standard. In terms of content and reading level, they range from Garth Nix’s dark and gruesome “Hansel’s Eyes” to Jane Yolen’s “Cinder Elephant,” which would be better suited to a child in the nursery than an eight- or ten-year-old, I think. This last tale really disappointed me, because I know Yolen is capable of so much more. That said, I did love her description of the skinny stepfamily, with “hearts so thin, you could read a magazine through them.” Also, so many of the retellings were painfully cliché, including—believe it or not—Nix’s. He seems to be the kind of author other readers might find incredibly creative because he makes so many cosmetic changes to the story, but his characters are both inhuman and unoriginal. Blegh.Nancy Farmer’s “Falada,” Delia Sherman’s “The Months of Manhattan,” and Kathe Koja’s “Becoming Charise” are all passable, but not at all the sort of stories I am likely to remember.Then Patricia McKillip comes in and blows them all away.I do not say this because I am campaigning to become her Biggest Fan Ever. (I am, but that’s beside the point.) When I first read this collection years ago, I had no idea who she was, and I still thought her version of “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” incredible. Unlike Nix, she makes relatively few cosmetic changes to the story, merely turning the Grimms’ old soldier into a young one, compressing the visits underground into one night, giving the princesses floral names, and making it explicit than they have pledged themselves to the dead. And yet—and yet, in sixteen brief pages she creates a fascinating interplay of light and shadow, with three-dimensional characters and thematic complexity. That’s it, Patricia. Show ‘em how it’s done.Though I enjoyed the selections by McKillip, Gaiman, and Maguire, I would not recommend this collection overall. If one of your favorite authors submitted a story, check The Wolf at the Door out at your local library. Otherwise, let it be.

[jedimarri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've recently found a new love in the fantasy world - and that's anthologies of short stories! I enjoy them for many reasons, the top two being because I find new authors this way, and because it encourages me to stretch my own wings as a writer. Much more so than reading full length books because I feel like, at this point in time, the short story format is something I'm much more able to write. "A Wolf in the Door" provides a bunch of stories inspired by traditional fairy tales, but written with new twists! Most of them will be familiar to the average reader, and some of them come from the traditions of other cultures that you may not be as familiar with. There are 13 different stories in this book and I enjoyed each and every one of them! I'm not sure I can pick out a favorite from this anthology. I love traditional stories that I grew up on, and I've always loved it when people "play" with giving old stories new twists. So I simply loved this book!

[rhinoa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An anthology of re-told fairy tales collected by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. These tales are aimed at younger readers than the previous collections I have read, but were nonetheless enjoyable. There are 13 tales in all by a variety of different authors.The Months of Manhattan - Delia ShermanLiz Wallach is a good daughter who inherits bad-tempered step sister Beth Dodson. Liz gets lost doing a school project in the MET and stumbles across a magic painting entitled The Twelve Months of Manhattan. Since then all she has is good luck so Beth tries the same thing getting nothing but bad luck.Cinder Elephant - Jane YolenA re-telling of Cinderella where Elly is a large girl that the Prince falls in love with. The moral at the end reads "If you love a waist, you waste a love".Instructions - Neil GaimanInstructions for safely passing through a fairy tale.Mrs Big: Jack and the Beanstalk Retold - Michael CadnumAfter Mrs Big steps on a milmaid, her husband buys a house in the clouds from a travelling peddlar. One day a thief comes to their house from a beanstalk grown from beans from a travelling peddlar. Mrs Big's husband ends up dying and she goes after the peddlar who started the whole thing.Falada: The Goose Girls Horse - Nancy FarmerA happier version of The Goose Girl where Falada manages to keep her head and return whole to Elfland.A Wolf at the Door - Tannith LeeAfter the Ice Age the animals have learnt to talk. One day Glasina finds a particularly verbose wolf and takes him home. He acts human and she realises to break the spell on him she will have to kiss him and then marry him. This will really mess up her travel plans...Ali Baba and the Forty Allies - Janeen WebAlberto Barbarino is a goth loner who is teased and called Ali Baba. One day he finds the treasure of 40 aliens in a disused mine.Swans - Kelly LinkA mixture of Rumplestiltskin and The Wild Swans. Emma hasn't spoken since her mother who could spin gold died. Her father remarries a woman who can't stand noise and she turns everyone but Emma into swans.The Kingdom of Melting Glances - Katherine Vazaken Taken from 2 Portuguese legends. Rosa has a lily on her face who makes her magical. After her parents melt away she befriends a hummingbird, but her sisters injure it terribly. Rosa travels to the Palace of the Sun to nurse it back to health.Hansel's Eyes - Garth NixA modern re-telling of Hansel and Grettal who are caught by a witch in a Playstation shop. She wants Hansels eyes for her own.Becoming Chaise - Kathe KojaThe Ugly Duckling meets school nerd. The point is that she was never a duckling, always a swan.The Seven Stage a Comeback - Gregory MaguireThe seven dwarves march out with the glass coffin and a bit of the poisoned apple to reclaim what is theirs.The Twelve Dancing Princesses - Patricia A McKillipA fairy standard re-telling of the original story about 12 Princesses who disappear every evening to dance the night away.My favourites were Cinder Elephant, A Wolf at the Door, The Kingdom of Melting Glances, Becoming Chaise and The Seven Stage a Comeback. My main favourites were the tales of stories I wasn't too familiar with or that put a really new spin on an old story.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of thirteen short stories that retell various well known tales, from Cinderella to Hansel and Gretel. Some of the authors were very well know to me - like Jane Yolen and Neil Gaiman - and others I'd never heard of. The stories are not exceptional. Not that they're not fun or enjoyable, because they were, but when I read retellings, I'm excited to read something really unique or creative, a whole new creation using the old material, and these stories are mostly just funny retellings without much reinvention.My favorites were Yolen's "Cinder Ellephant", Nix's "Hansel's Eyes", and Gaiman's poem. Yolen's story is funny, a bit satirical, and features a heroine who is pleasantly plump, and resembles a fat hen in her dress for the ball. Nix's story is a dark story based on a dark tale, only his witch doesn't eat the kids, but cuts them up to sell their organs, and she isn't cooked in an oven at the end. Gaiman's poem is, in my opinion, the best of the book. It's a list of directions in case of being caught in a fairy tale, and draws upon lots of old stories. I certainly had a fun time reading these various stories, they're quick and easy to swallow, and some of them will stick in my mind for a while. Still, nothing revolutionary here in the way of retelling.

[meijhen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps it's because this book is intended for a YA audience, but I did not enjoy this as much as the other fairy tale anthologies that Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling edit. Some of them were good -- I definitely enjoyed the Ali Baba retelling, and Garth Nix's Seven Dwarves retelling. But the rest of the them mostly just left me flat.

[phantasma_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was suprisingly bad. It had so many good authors and so much potential to be a good short story book for kids. The only story I enjoyed was "A Wolf at the Door." The rest were just...not up to par.

[the1butterfly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This child/young adult aimed collection of thirteen tales includes plenty of retellings of favorites, and a few from less seen cultures (like Portugal). I know and love about half the authors, so the book had a strong basis for me to begin with, and the stories generally lived up to my expectations. Definitely a good read.

[slightlyfan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book of short stories turns the old fairy tales upside down. I really loved the different takes of the classics. These short stories are funny and makes you think about the villains of the stories.Some were a little long and other's I have never heard of, but they are good all the same. This is a great book to read right before bed.