School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-After her father's death, care of Stirwaters wool mill falls to Charlotte and her younger sister, Rosie. Charlotte labors to keep the business afloat, but the mill is plagued by accidents, vandalism, and general bad luck. The arrival of their florid new guardian, Uncle Wheeler, only adds to Charlotte's worries. When they are blacklisted from the annual cloth exchange, in desperation Rosie summons a mysterious man named Jack Spinner who can turn straw into gold thread. Though the mill is solvent for the moment, the bad luck continues and Charlotte suspects that a curse is to blame. Meanwhile, she marries a young banker and becomes pregnant. When the mill is seized and put up for auction to repay Uncle Wheeler's massive gambling debts, Charlotte conjures Jack Spinner to buy back the mill, at great danger to her newborn son. Elizabeth C. Bunce's novel (Scholastic, 2008) is a spooky, multilayered reimagining of the Rumplestiltskin tale that is superbly suited to an audio production. The mood builds at an unhurried pace, and listeners can almost feel the cold mist off the river and hear the creaking of the mill wheel. Charlotte Parry impressively imbues her reading with a mix of resolve and trepidation as Charlotte unravels the dark mysteries of Stirwaters. Unlike some fairy tale retellings, such as Alex Flinn's Beastly (HarperTeen, 2007), this one preserves the lush historical setting. It will find an audience with fans of Nancy Werlin's suspenseful fantasies.-Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
(High School) In this slow-simmering but rewarding retelling, first-novelist Bunce presents an innovative interpretation of Rumpelstiltskin. When Charlotte's father dies, she and her sister Rosie struggle to keep the family mill -- the lifeblood of their small town of Shearing -- solvent. But obstacles abound: a foppish, meddlesome uncle shows up to claim guardianship of the girls; a series of disasters that seems like more than mere coincidence leaves the mill in dire straits; and a bank representative demands payment on a mysterious loan. So when a stranger appears with the ability to spin straw into gold, practical-minded Charlotte is a bit more receptive than she might otherwise have been. The pastoral microcosm of Shearing is classic fairy tale, but it gains traction in the gritty social and economic details of small-town life, and the sisters, subtly differentiated, are strong characters defined by fierce loyalty, pride, and determination that goes beyond simple feistiness. Similarly, the villains are rendered with nuance. The result is a fully realized dramatic conflict characterized by the folkloric magic of memory imprinted upon place; inherited legacies; and the power of recognition, recompense, and forgiveness. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
After her father's death, Charlotte and her younger sister, Rosie, take over the family business, a mill shadowed by a curse that goes back generations. Charlotte gives little credence to superstition, but when they can't pay the mortgage on the mill, Rosie conjures up Jack Spinner, an odd little man who promises them that he will spin a roomful of straw into gold for a price. Despite an uncle who apparently wants to help the girls and a suitor who will do anything he can for Charlotte, her secret agreement with Spinner creates a vortex that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear. Set in England during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, the novel combines elements of fantasy and historical fiction with a love story between two strong-minded individuals. An appended author's note comments on the setting and the Rumpelstiltskin motif. With an appealing title and eye-catching jacket art, this first novel will surely find its audience.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist