Books like A Wolf at the Door: And Other Retold Fairy Tales

Instructions for reading this review.1. This is optional. Go find a copy of A Wolf at the Door.2. Read "Cinder Elephant" by Jane Yolen. Still opitional.3. This is not optional. Stand up and do a happy dance while chanting -Jane Yolen Rocks! Jane Yolen Rocks! or Jane Yolen is Golden.The best story in this collection without a doubt is Yolen's "Cinder Elephant". It is wonderful; it is brillant; it has a wonderful moral. Honestly, it is now my absolute favorite version of Cinderella ever. It is worth the price of the book. Honestly. Buy the book for that one tale.This is not to say that the rest of the collection is bad. Overall, the stories are wonderful, if a little on the sugery side at times. It is after all, a children's collection. The second best story, and the story without any true fantasy elements is "Becoming Charise" by Kathe Koja. This story is simply about becoming who you are. It is a very touching story.While the main theme of the collection is re-told fairy tales, the majority of the collection features female protagonists, so it is highly recommended for girls.Most of the tales are geared for children; there are, however, two entries that seem slightly out of place. Gaiman's "Instuctions" is a beautiful poem, but it is hard to see a 8-12 year old liking it. Strange considering the book has those ages listed on the back cover. Maguire's "The Seven Stage a Comeback" is more of an adult story; in fact, it is an adult story. It is an interesting take on Snow White, but I don't see how children will connect or even understand all of it. Maguire's tale seems to be geared towards parents.While the collection is geared towards children, some of the tales have darker tones. "Ali Baba and the Forty Aliens" is one of these. The ending is not entirely "happy ever after". Nix's re-telling of "Hansel and Gretel" has more of the flavor of his Sabriel, and is geared more towards older children.The only false note in the collection is "The Kingdom of Melting Glances". This story seemed flat.But remember-JANE YOLEN ROCKS!