100 Best Fairy Tale Books of All Time

We've ranked the best fairy tale books using expert recommendations, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

1

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)

Marissa Meyer

5.0
The first book in the Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer! See where the futuristic YA fairytale saga all began, with the tale of a teenage cyborg who must fight for Earth's survival against villains from outer space.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No on
Estelle Francis portrait Recommended by Estelle Francis.
2

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)

Marissa Meyer

4.8
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts
3

Cress (The Lunar Chronicles, #3)

Marissa Meyer

4.8
Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track
4

Ella Enchanted (Ella Enchanted #1)

Gail Levine

4.8
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in
5

The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales

Grimm Brothers Grimm, Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

4.7
Once upon a time, two brothers wished to preserve their German folklore in a collection of tales that they believed had been handed down for generations. When they began in 1812 they had just 86 stories that rather harshly reflected the difficult life of European peasantry. Subsequent editions would grow to hold over 200 tales. As time passed, the Brothers Grimm found that their collection of fair
Uta Frith portrait Recommended by Uta Frith.
6

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4)

Marissa Meyer

4.7
Princess Winter is admired for her grace, kindness and beauty, despite the scars on her face. She's said to be even more breath-taking than her stepmother, Queen Levana...

When Winter develops feelings for the handsome palace guard, Jacin, she fears the evil Queen will crush their romance before it has a chance to begin.

But there are stirrings against the Queen across the land. Together with the cy
7

Beauty: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Robin McKinley

4.7
From Newbery Medal–winning author Robin McKinley, this beloved story illuminates an unlikely love story—Beauty and the Beast. This fortieth-anniversary edition features a striking new package for the award-winning novel. Publishers Weekly called Beauty “A splendid story.”

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lac
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure book cover8

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure

William Goldman

4.7
A Tale of true love and high adventure, pirates, princesses, giants, miracles, fencing, and a frightening assortment of wild beasts - The Princess Bride is a modern storytelling classic.

As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince
Neil Gaiman portraitA.r. Moxon (Julius Goat) portrait Recommended by Neil Gaiman and A.r. Moxon (Julius Goat).
Neil Gaiman portrait
Neil Gaiman

Anybody who loved the movie should go read the novel. And anybody who has never heard of the movie, should go read the novel. It’s William Goldman, at his best, writing for the sheer joy of it and that joy manifests on every page. [source]

A.r. Moxon (Julius Goat) portrait
A.r. Moxon (Julius Goat)

@TByrne75 I think the book of the Princess bride is pretty great actually [source]

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) book cover9

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)

Sarah J. Maas

4.6
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Fey
10

The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, #1)

Shannon Hale

4.6
Anidora-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt's incredible stories, and learning the language of the birds. Little knowing how valuable her aunt's strange knowledge would prove to be when she grew older. From the Grimm's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become a queen, Shannon Hale has woven a
Uprooted book cover11

Uprooted

Naomi Novik

4.6
“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every te
12

The Bear and the Nightingale (Winternight Trilogy, #1)

Katherine Arden

4.5
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls
13

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

Angela Carter

4.5
Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of such contemporary masters of supernatural fiction as Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, and Kelly Link, who introduces this edition of Carter's most celebrated book, published for the seventy-fifth anniversary of her birth.

In The Bloody Chamber - which includes the story that is the basis of Neil Jor
Emma Watson portraitJack Zipes portrait Recommended by Emma Watson and Jack Zipes.
14

The Complete Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen, Lily Owens

4.5
The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Hogwarts Library Book) book cover15

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Hogwarts Library Book)

J.K. Rowling

4.5
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore.

Never before have Muggles been p
16

Spinning Silver

Naomi Novik

4.5
Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father's inability to collect his debts has left his family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem takes matters into her own hands. Hardening her heart, the young woman sets out to claim what is owed and soon gains a reputation for being able to turn silver into gold.

When an ill-advised boast draws the attention of the king of the S
Beastly (Beastly, #1; Kendra Chronicles, #1) book cover17

Beastly (Beastly, #1; Kendra Chronicles, #1)

Alex Flinn

4.5
I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one
Cruel Beauty book cover18

Cruel Beauty

Rosamund Hodge

4.5
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to
19

Stardust

Neil Gaiman

4.5
Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall—named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world
20

Fairest

Gail Carson Levine

4.4
In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has-a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince - and a dangerous new queen. In this
Princess of the Midnight Ball (The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy, #1) book cover21

Princess of the Midnight Ball (The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy, #1)

Jessica Day George

4.4
A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn…

Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silve
22

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)

Marissa Meyer

4.4
In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that
23

The Sleeper and the Spindle

Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell

4.3
A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish.

On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedd
Heartless book cover24

Heartless

Marissa Meyer

4.3
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the
25

Entwined

Heather Dixon

4.3
Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in
26

Book of a Thousand Days

Shannon Hale

4.3
When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, the
27

Wildwood Dancing (Wildwood, #1)

Juliet Marillier

4.3
High in the Transylvanian woods, at the castle Piscul Draculi, live five daughters and their doting father. It's an idyllic life for Jena, the second eldest, who spends her time exploring the mysterious forest with her constant companion, a most unusual frog. But best by far is the castle's hidden portal, known only to the sisters. Every Full Moon, they alone can pass through it into the enchanted
28

Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)

Juliet Marillier, Terry Donnelly, et al

4.3
Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives: they are determined that she know only contentment.

But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spe
29

The Fairy-Tale Detectives

Michael Buckley, Peter Ferguson

4.3
Fans of fractured fairy tales will be delighted to discover the fantasy, mystery, adventure, and humor in the beloved New York Times bestselling Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley, now with new cover art. As featured on NBC’s The Today Show, the nine wildly popular books are favorites around the world. They were among the first books to bring a distinctly girl-power spin to fairy tales—a spin
Zoe portrait Recommended by Zoe.
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs book cover30

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

4.3
You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong.

In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.”
31

East (East, #1)

Edith Pattou

4.3
Rose has always been different.

Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.

So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it-

32

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Lewis Carroll

4.3
In 1862 Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a shy Oxford mathematician with a stammer, created a story about a little girl tumbling down a rabbit hole. Thus began the immortal adventures of Alice, perhaps the most popular heroine in English literature.

Countless scholars have tried to define the charm of the Alice books--with those wonderfully eccentric characters the Queen of Hearts, Tweedledum, and Tweedle
Eric Weinstein portraitJean Webb portraitLarry Doyle portrait Recommended by Eric Weinstein, Jean Webb, Larry Doyle, and 1 others.
Jean Webb portrait
Jean Webb

An imaginative, clever and fun fantasy story that satirises nineteenth century England at the same time as celebrating academic thinking. [source]

Larry Doyle portrait
Larry Doyle

You’d have to be a zombie to miss the humour in it – it’s hilarious. Although the book is ancient, the humour feels modern [source]

33

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

Renée Ahdieh

4.3
One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride.
34

Spindle's End

Robin Mckinley

4.3
All the creatures of the forest and field and riverbank knew the infant was special. She was the princess, spirited away from the evil fairy Pernicia on her name-day. But the curse was cast: Rosie was fated to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a poisoned sleep-a slumber from which no one would be able to rouse her.
35

Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile

Bill Willingham, Lan Medina, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton, Sherilyn van Valkenburgh

4.3
When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown. But when Snow White's part
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2) book cover36

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2)

Sarah J. Maa

4.3
Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a g
37

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

Jessica Day George

4.3
"Blessed" or "cursed" with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she's known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when an isbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn't hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent sta
38

Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles, #0.5, 0.6, 1.5, 3.1, 4.5)

Marissa Meyer

4.3
The enchantment continues....

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an excl
39

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)

Catherynne M. Valente

4.3
Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older
Kiran Millwood Hargrave portrait Recommended by Kiran Millwood Hargrave.
40

Rose Daughter

Robin Mckinley

4.3
It is the heart of this place, and it is dying, says the Beast. And it is true; the center of the Beast's palace, the glittering glasshouse that brings Beauty both comfort and delight in her strange new environment, is filled with leafless brown rosebushes. But deep within this enchanted world, new life, at once subtle and strong, is about to awaken.

Twenty years ago, Robin McKinley dazzled readers
41

The Stinky Cheese Man

Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

4.2
Jon Scieszka introduces some really stupid off-the-wall fairy tales including: ‘Chicken Licken’, ‘The Princess and the Bowling Ball’; ‘The Really Ugly Duckling’, and ‘Jack's Bean Problem’.

Chosen by children as the Book of the Year for the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, the book was described by She magazine as, ‘The most delightful collection of stories a young cynic could hope to read’.
Elys Dolan portrait Recommended by Elys Dolan.
42

Princess of Glass (The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy, #2)

Jessica Day George

4.2

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances--and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale--until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Pop

43

The Book of Lost Things

John Connolly

4.2
High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strang
The Little Prince Family Storybook: Unabridged Original Text book cover44

The Little Prince Family Storybook: Unabridged Original Text

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

4.2
Rediscover Antoine de Saint-Exupery's universal masterpiece with original text and magnificent new illustrations created by masters of film animation. This wise and enchanginting fable teaches the secret of what is really important in life.
Ryan Holiday portraitBrandon Stanton portraitEvan Goldberg portrait Recommended by Ryan Holiday, Brandon Stanton, Evan Goldberg, and 1 others.
Ryan Holiday portrait
Ryan Holiday

Author

Equally allegorical, I read The Little Prince for the first time which for some reason I’d never been exposed to before. If you’re in the same boat, read it. It’s short but great. [source]

Brandon Stanton portrait
Brandon Stanton

Brandon Stanton recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show". [source]

45

The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2)

Katherine Arden

4.2
The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or a
46

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories, #1)

Chris Colfer

4.2
Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales.
The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they
Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1) book cover47

Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1)

Diana Wynne Jones

4.2
An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving
Jenny Davidson portrait Recommended by Jenny Davidson.
48

Enchanted (Woodcutter Sisters #1; Books of Arilland #1)

Alethea Kontis

4.2
It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her fro
49

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse, #0.5, 2.5, 2.6)

Leigh Bardugo, Sara Kipin

4.2
Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author L
50

The Two Princesses of Bamarre (The Two Princesses of Bamarre, #1)

Gail Carson Levine

4.2
Twelve-year-old Addie admires her older sister Meryl, who aspires to rid the kingdom of Bamarre of gryphons, specters, and ogres. Addie, on the other hand, is fearful even of spiders and depends on Meryl for courage and protection. Waving her sword Bloodbiter, the older girl declaims in the garden from the heroic epic of Drualt to a thrilled audience of Addie, their governess, and the young sorcer
51

Peter Pan

J. M. Barrie, Michael Hague

4.2
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie Peter Pan, the mischievous boy who refuses to grow up, lands in the Darling's proper middle-class home to look for his shadow. He befriends Wendy, John and Michael and teaches them to fly (with a little help from fairy dust). He and Tinker Bell whisk them off to Never-land where they encounter the Red Indians, the Little Lost Boys, pirates and the dastardly Captain Hook.
52

Hunted

Meagan Spoone

4.2
Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved.
53

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Gregory Maguire

4.2
We have all heard the story of Cinderella, the beautiful child cast out to slave among the ashes. But what of her stepsisters, the homely pair exiled into ignominy by the fame of their lovely sibling? What fate befell those untouched by beauty ... and what curses accompanied Cinderella's looks?

Set against the backdrop of seventeenth-century Holland, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister tells the stor
54

The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil, #1)

Soman Chainani, Iacopo Bruno

4.2
The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

Thi
55

A Tale Dark & Grimm

Adam Gidwitz, Hugh D'Andrade

4.2
In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.

Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gret

56

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years, #1)

Gregory Maguire

4.2
When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a la
57

Deerskin

Robin Mckinley

4.2
As Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, it is clear to all the kingdom that in her beauty she is the image of her dead mother, the queen. But this likeness forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness; and in the pain and horror of that flight she forgets who she is and what it is she flees from: forgets almost everything but the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her.
58

Princess of the Silver Woods ( The Princesses of Westfalin Trilogy, #3)

Jessica Day George

4.2
When Petunia, the youngest of King Gregor's twelve dancing daughters, is invited to visit an elderly friend in the neighboring country of Westfalin, she welcomes the change of scenery. But in order to reach Westfalin, Petunia must pass through a forest where strange two-legged wolves are rumored to exist. Wolves intent on redistributing the wealth of the noble citizens who have entered their terri
Russian Fairy Tales book cover59

Russian Fairy Tales

Aleksandr Afanasev, Alexander Alexeieff, Norbert Guterman, Roman Jakobson

4.1
Translated by Norbert Guterman

Illustrated by Alexander Alexeieff

In this most comprehensive collection of classic Russian tales available in English we meet both universal fairy-tale figures—thieves and heroes, kings and peasants, beautiful damsels and terrifying witches, enchanted children and crafty animals—and such uniquely Russian characters as Koshchey the Deathless, Baba Yaga, the Swan Maiden
Max Porter portrait Recommended by Max Porter.
The Snow Child book cover60

The Snow Child

Eowyn Ive

4.1
Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-hai
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype book cover61

Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

Clarissa Pinkola Estés

4.1
Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D., Jungian analyst and cantadora storyteller shows how women's vitality can be restored through what she calls "psychic archeological digs" into the ruins of the femal
Emma Watson portraitIrina Botnari portrait Recommended by Emma Watson and Irina Botnari.
62

Princess Academy (Princess Academy, #1)

Shannon Hale

4.1

Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl mus

63

Grimms' Fairy Tales

Brothers Grimm, Jacob Grimm, et al.

4.1
From the land of fantastical castles, vast lakes and deep forests, the Brothers Grimm collected a treasury of enchanting folk and fairy stories full of giants and dwarfs, witches and princesses, magical beasts and cunning children. From classics such as 'The Frog-Prince' and 'Hansel and Grettel' to the delights of 'Ashputtel' or 'Old Sultan', all hold a timeless magic which has enthralled children
64

Splintered (Splintered, #1)

A. G. Howard

4.1
Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for th
65

The Fairy Godmother (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #1)

Mercedes Lackey

4.1
In the land of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, if you can't carry out your legendary role, life is no fairy tale...

Elena Klovis was supposed to be her kingdom's Cinderella--until fate left her with a completely inappropriate prince! So she set out to make a new life for herself. But breaking with "The Tradition" was no easy matter--until she got a little help from her own fairy godmother. Who promptly
66

Before Midnight - A Retelling of Cinderella

Cameron Dokey, Mahlon F. Craft

4.1
Etienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose identity he does not reveal.

The girl, La Cendrillon, and the boy, Raoul, pass sixteen years in the servants' care until one day a very fine lady arrives

67

Crimson Bound

Rosamund Hodge

4.1
When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless— straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

T
68

Tiger Lily

Jodi Lynn Anderson, Cassandra Morris, et al

4.1
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair...

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the lea
69

Ash

Malinda Lo

4.1
Cinderella retold
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may b
70

Fables, Vol. 2: Animal Farm

Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham

4.1
Ever since they were driven from their homelands by the Adversary, the non-human Fables have been living on the Farm—a vast property in upstate New York that keeps them hidden from the prying eyes of the mundane world. But now, after hundreds of years of isolation, the Farm is seething with revolution, fanned by the inflammatory rhetoric of Goldilocks and the Three Little Pigs. And when Snow White
71

The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1)

Melissa Albert

4.1
Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away-by a figure who claims to come fr
72

Briar Rose

Jane Yolen, Terri Windling

4.1
A powerful retelling of Sleeping Beauty that is "heartbreaking and heartwarming."

An American Library Association "100 Best Books for Teens"
An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults"

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey t
73

A Kiss in Time

Alex Flinn

4.1
Talia fell under a spell...Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic...

I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.

I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing he
74

Just Ella (The Palace Chronicles, #1)

Margaret Peterson Haddix

4.1
Being a princess isn't all that...

You've heard the fairy tale: a glass slipper, Prince Charming, happily ever after...

Welcome to reality: royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, acting like "a proper lady," and—worst of all—a prince who is not the least bit interesting, and certainly not charming.

As soon-to-be princess Ella deals with her new-found status, she comes to realize she is not "your maj
75

D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths

Ingri d'Aulaire and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

4.1
Here are the gods, goddesses, and legendary figures of ancient Greece--mighty Zeus, with his fistful of thunderbolts; gray-eyed Athena, goddess of wisdom; Helios, the sun; greedy King Midas--lavishly depicted by Caldecott winners Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. In a relaxed and humorous tone, these splendid artists bring to life the myths that have inspired great European literature and art throu
76

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings, #1)

Jackson Pearce

4.1
Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris — the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once f

77

The Winter of the Witch (Winternight Trilogy, #3)

Katherine Arde

4.1
Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.


Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on
A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3) book cover78

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)

Sarah J Maas

4.0
Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre,
79

Deathless (Leningrad Diptych, #1)

Catherynne M. Valente

4.0
Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning m
80

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

Liesl Shurtliff

4.0
This funny fractured fairy tale goes behind the scenes of Rumpelstiltskin. "A most magical feat," writes Newbery Honor-winner Kirby Larson, "Liesl Shurtliff spins words into gold."

In a magic kingdom where your name is your destiny, 12-year-old Rump is the butt of everyone's joke. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. Rump discovers he has a gift for spinning stra
81

The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights

Cameron Dokey

4.0
In a faraway kingdom, a king has been betrayed. Deeply hurt and bitterly angry, he vows never to be deceived again. Unfortunately, the king's plan to protect himself will endanger all of the realm's young women, unless one of them will volunteer to marry the king - and surrender her life.
To everyone's relief and horror, one young woman steps forward. The daughter of a legendary storyteller, Shahr
82

Perrault's Fairy Tales

Charles Perrault, Gustave Dore

4.0

Here are the original eight stories from the 1697 volume Contes de temps passé by the great Charles Perrault (1628–1703) in a translation that retains the charming and unsentimental simplicity that has won Perrault a permanent position in French literature. These were among the earliest versions of some of our most familiar fairy tales ("Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "Little Red Riding Hood," "P

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Grimm Brothers: The Complete First Edition book cover83

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Grimm Brothers: The Complete First Edition

Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm

4.0
When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their "Children's and Household Tales" in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as "Rapunzel," "Hansel and Gretel," and "Cinderella" would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publ
84

Folk Fairy Tale Easy Readers (Parent Pack): 15 Classic Stories That Are “Just Right” for Young Readers

Liza Charlesworth

4.0
Help children soar in reading with these “just right” books they can read all by themselves! Include The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Red Hen, Cinderella, and 10 more beloved classics. Each tale features simple text, supportive pictures, and a helpful glossary to help developing readers build skills and confidence. Storybooks correlate with Guiding Re
85

A Curse So Dark and Lonely (Cursebreakers, #1)

Brigid Kemmerer

4.0
An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last sh
The Ten Thousand Doors of January book cover86

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Alix E. Harrow

4.0
In the early 1900s, a young woman searches for her place in the world after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out
Kate Mckean portraitStuart Dredge portrait Recommended by Kate Mckean and Stuart Dredge.
Kate Mckean portrait
Kate Mckean

It’s the publication day of @AlixEHarrow’s THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY!!!!!!!!!! This book is an amazing gem and it will stay with you for years after reading it. You should do that. Read it. https://t.co/vuc35vHCDq [source]

Stuart Dredge portrait
Stuart Dredge

@alice Ooh! The Ten Thousand Doors of January might fit the bill - world-building + a big love story + book within a book. Reading it now and LOVE it. Also The Starless Sea in similar territory (apologies if you are already well aware of both of these!) [source]

87

The Frog Princess

E. D. Baker

4.0
Princess Emeralda a.ka. Emma isn't exactly an ideal princess. Her laugh is more like a donkey's bray than tinkling bells, she trips over her own feet and she does not like Prince Jorge, whom her mother hopes she will marry. But if Emma ever thought to escape her troubles, she never expected it to happen by turning into a frog! When convinced to kiss a frog so he might return to being a prince, som
88

Fables, Vol. 3: Storybook Love

Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Lan Medina, Bryan Talbot, Linda Medley

4.0
In the Fables' world, there isn't a lot of happily-ever-after to go around. As refugees from the lands of make-believe, the Fables have been driven from their storybook realms and forced to blend in with our gritty, mundane reality.

But that doesn't mean they don't have any room for romance—or the pain, betrayal and jealous rage that go along with it. In fact, love may be blooming between two of th
89

Rapunzel's Revenge (Rapunzel's Revenge, #1)

Shannon Hale, Dean Hale, Nathan Hale

4.0
Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally
90

Heart's Blood

Juliet Marillier

4.0
Whistling Tor is a place of secrets, a mysterious, wooded hill housing the crumbling fortress of a chieftain whose name is spoken throughout the district in tones of revulsion and bitterness. A curse lies over Anluan's family and his people; those woods hold a perilous force whose every whisper threatens doom.

For young scribe Caitrin it is a safe haven. This place where nobody else is prepared to
91

Fables, Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers

Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Craig Hamilton, P. Craig Russell

4.0
Bill Willingham's runaway hit series continues its success in this fourth trade paperback, featuring the rise of a new threat to Fabletown.
When Little Red Riding Hood suddenly walks through the gate between this world and the lost Fable Homelands, she's welcomed as a miraculous survivor by nearly everyone - everyone except her old nemesis, Bigby Wolf, who smells spying and subversion more than sur
92

Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)

Patricia C. Wrede

4.0
Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Cover illustrator: Peter de Sève
Mythology book cover93

Mythology

Edith Hamilton

4.0
The world-renowned classic that has enthralled and delighted millions of readers with its timeless tales of gods and heroes.

Edith Hamilton's mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture-the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.

We follo
Alan Kay portrait Recommended by Alan Kay.
94

The Blue Fairy Book

Andrew Lang, H. J. Ford, G. P. Jacomb Hood

4.0
The Blue Fairy Book was the first volume in the series and so it contains some of the best known tales, taken from a variety of sources: not only from Grimm, but exciting adventures by Charles Perrault and Madame D'Aulnoy, the Arabian Nights, and other stories from popular traditions. Here in one attractive paperbound volume - with enlarged print - are Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltzkin, Beauty and
95

Fairy Tales, Princesses, and Fables Coloring Book

Selina Fenech

4.0
Reawaken your sense of magic and wonder and be swept away into a fairytale.

You'll love spending hours of peace and calm bringing these artworks to life with color. Leave your worries behind, grab your favorite pencils and markers, and escape into a world of relaxation and the joy of creativity.

Fairy Tales by bestselling artist, Selina Fenech, is filled with inspiring designs of featuring all the
The Power of Myth book cover96

The Power of Myth

Joseph Campbell

4.0
The Power Of Myth launched an extraordinary resurgence of interest in Joseph Campbell and his work. A preeminent scholar, writer, and teacher, he has had a profound influence on millions of people. To him, mythology was the "song of the universe, the music of the spheres." With Bill Moyers, one of America's most prominent journalists, as his thoughtful and engaging interviewer, The Power Of Myth t
Naval Ravikant portraitAshley Hathaway portraitBryan Callen portrait Recommended by Naval Ravikant, Ashley Hathaway, Bryan Callen, and 2 others.
Naval Ravikant portrait
Naval Ravikant

CEO & Co-Founder/AngelList

I’m rereading The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. Sometimes I think it’s better to just to reread the greats than it is to read something that’s not as great. [source]

Ashley Hathaway portrait
Ashley Hathaway

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell has got to be at least one of my all-time favorites. I reference it constantly. If you’re not familiar the book is just a conversation between the journalist Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell, who worked in comparative mythology and religious studies. It so beautifully brings every human experience together from the beginning of time. The world is basically explained through archetypes of people and the stories we tell. I highly recommend it and re-read parts regularly. [source]

Bryan Callen portrait
Bryan Callen

Joseph Campbell was the first person to really open my eyes to the compassionate side of life, or of thought... Campbell was the guy who really kind of put it all together for me, and not in a way I could put my finger on... It made you just glad to be alive, realizing how vast this world is, and how similar and how different we are. [source]

97

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)

L. Frank Baum

4.0
When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto - together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and cowardly Lion - embark on a fantastic quest along the Yell
98

The Ordinary Princess

M. M. Kaye

4.0
Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen. When her royal parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and, because she's so ordinary, easily beco
99

Snow, Glass, Apples

Neil Gaiman and Colleen Dora

4.0
A retelling of the Snow White fairy tale from the point of view of the "wicked stepmother."

This version was a chapbook compiled by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and sold at Comic Con 2008 and on the BPAL website with all proceeds going to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
100

The Grimm Legacy (The Grimm Legacy, #1)

Polly Shulman

4.0
Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library - a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collection. That's where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales; seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White's stepmother's sinister mirror that talks in riddles.

When the mag