I remember these

I remember the Fairy tales these are based on, but I don't remember them exactly like these. While the basic outline is similar, the details and the flow of information is different.

The book is supposedly written for middle school students but, if so, it's a huge improvement over what the kids today usually get. The words are simple but so lovely and flow like poetry. Definitely something that belongs in every library.

I wanted to like these stories more than I did. The writing is almost poetic in its description of things but there's too much description and not enough story. It takes forever to get to the action and then there's not much of that. The stories are very close to the originals. I would have like more of a fractured fairytale where we get some new twists to make it more interesting to a reader that's already familiar with the tales.

2.5 stars

This book included four stories.
Two new fairy-tales: The Stolen Princess and The Hunting of the Hind
One classic retelling with a twist: The Princes and the Frog
And one classic retelling: The Twelve Dancing Princesses

These retellings had a dream-like quality to them. Very short, a lot of summarized facts, and everything worked out perfectly at the end. There were also plenty of princes, princesses, curses, and underdeveloped love stories.
A few were weird. Most ended too perfectly to feel real. And, they all could’ve used some more development. Though, they were too short for that.
I didn't like the writing style.

If you’re looking for very short, clean retellings where everything ends perfectly, you might enjoy this book.

Content: clean
Romance: falling in love, and kisses. And “a woman whose beauty could send a man mad, or blind, but grateful in his blindness, or even comfortable in his madness.”
Violence: sickness and near death, babies are stolen by fearie, there’s an evil wizard who hurts or kills men or leaves them mad.

If you want to read lush, fantastic descriptions that are perfect for fairy tales then this book is for you! It is heavily descriptive and not particularly action packed. This works for the subject matter but can be rough going at times.

No one pens a better fairy tale than Robin McKinley though. This collection includes two retellings (12 Dancing Princesses & The Princess in the Frog (which I preferred over 12DP)) & several original tales.

Content Notes:

Sex? Not present

Profanity/Swearing? Not present

Religious elements? Not present

LGBTQIA rep? Not specified

Could a conservative Christian school library add this to their collection?

Sure, so long as magic is okay.

Re-read. I'm not a big fan of short fiction - I want time for the characters and plot to develop. However, these short stories are just as good as ever, though I didn't remember how *quickly* everyone falls in love. Still one of my favorite retellings of the 12 dancing princesses--a little dark, with a solid, likable main character.

Retellings of classic fairy-tales. Beautiful stuff - some interesting twists, but very pure and true to the tradition of these stories.
Not as memorable or powerful as The Blue Sword (but that's one of my favorite books EVER). A quick read, and wholly enjoyable.

The Door in the Hedge contains four short-ish fairytales. Two of them are reworkings of existing ones; two of them I didn't know. I've liked all the fairytale retellings I've read by Robin McKinley before, and these were no exceptions. They're magical, and the writing is good, and the fleshing out of them feels natural.

The Stolen Princess is nice, though heavy with detail. I liked the compromise made in the end, and I like that -- as usual -- Robin McKinley wrote a strong female character who could hold on to her identity and memories and do what she needed to do. I liked the ending, the sense of things perhaps coming full circle again.

The Princess and the Frog is okay. I wanted more, I think -- more of Ariyander, and to know what he was doing, and more of the confrontation between him and his brother.

The Hunting of the Hind is lovely. I love, again, the main female character. I wish she'd been named sooner in the story, because at first she was quite anonymous, and when we did get her name, I didn't hold onto it for very long -- she remained 'the Princess' in my mind. That's, if anything, the flaw in these stories -- the fact that the characters are still archetypes rather than being that bit more fleshed out. But she's strong, and interesting, and she does what she has to do.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses is probably my favourite, though. I like the character of the soldier, and the details of his life, and I like the glimpses we get of the sad king and of the people who try and fail to break the enchantment on the princesses.

I'll probably find myself rereading these, one day. They seem likely to stick with me.

Fairytale Collection Magical

This is a collection of four short stories, I'll be updating my review as I finish each one.

The Stolen Princess Sheer Perfection!

Robin McKinley at her best, that's the only way to describe this one. Her writing is so lyrical, so full of whimsy. I felt like I was a child, sitting at the knee of a great storyteller.

My favorite thing about this one is Galvin, the stolen princess' father. His love for the queen is so tender, so caring, both through the years of yearning for a child, and after, when their precious child was stolen. Even while the princess was growing up, he loved his wife above all.

How rare in Fairytales to find an intact family with loving parents. This has to be one my favorite fairytales of all time.

The Princess and the Frog Too short!

This is a very short story, and the only weak one in the collection. Not quite as lyrical and too easily resolved.

The Hunting of the Hind Sacrificial Love

Beautifully written, but the strength here lies in the characters. The Princess and her brother are kind, loving and courageous. And there is another set of siblings who are just as good and honorable. I really like how the princess saves the day in this one.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses Even better than the first!

Again, the writing is exquisite, but what really makes this story is the hero. I wish this was a full-length novel, because this hero really got a hold of my heartstrings.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses has always been my favorite fairytale, ever since I first heard it as a child, which means I am rather picky about it. McKinley's take on it is unique, and I loved it!

There are no bad words and no foul language in this book. I believe it would be suited to age 10 and up. The AR Bookfinder has it categorized as Middle Grade, but the stories are complex and engaging, well suited to adults as well.

Robin McKinley's short fiction, my beloved ❤️

Lexile 1110
Classic fairy tales told in the traditional way. After some breakneck reading and heavy topics, this was a nice palette cleanser.
As and adult though, I hoped for a bit *more*. The alterations to the retelling are subtle, and what changes are made are not explored, making me wonder what the point was. The same is true for the original stories - they are the typical “lovely princesses have an adventure and find love at first sight” fare. Why?
But... as a child I would have loved this. Fairy tales are comforting and transportive. Sure, now I find all the “each more beautiful than the last” a bit tiresome, but that’s only because I’ve been reading it forever.
This really is a book for young readers who want the usual tropes but with better vocabulary.

Being a big fan of fairy tales, I had to search for a book that met my reading level. With days of searching, I finally found a book which was written by Robin McKinley, author of an all-time favorite, Black Beauty. With the name of the author in mind, I immediately knew the style of writing I would be deciphering in the book. “The Door in the Hedge” consists of 4 fairy tales. 2 original stories and 2 retold fairy tales. The one I will be talking about the most is named “The Stolen Princess”. A princess named Linadel lives in a kingdom next to Faerieland. Princesses are stolen away from their parent’s at the age of seventeen. Unlike others who doing nothing to find their daughter, the royal couple set off to find Linadel and to bring her home.
The other fairy tales were okay, but this one caught my eye the most. It was unlike any other fairy tale I’ve ever read, but since it is originally written by Robin McKinley, it would explain why it was special. With Black Beauty being an all-time favorite for children and adults, it is a classic that most people know about. Something that disappointed me was that the fairy tales were a bit on the shorter side of stories. I guess the description of short fairy tales really meant a short fairy tale.

Nobody does fairytales like McKinley.

(Also it's so fun seeing the origins of 2013's Shadows here in a book published in 1981.)