Rump: the true story of Rumpelstiltskin / Liesl Shurtliff / 264 pages

What is in a name?  In a magical kingdom where only people have names and your name is your destiny, a dying mother whispers the name "Rump" into her baby's ear with her last breath.  Rump who is raised by his grandmother is of course ridiculed by other kids in the village.  The people in the village struggle to make a living by mining gold for the king.  Eventually Rump, who knows nothing of his mother but always feels that he doesn't know his whole name, discovers that he can spin straw into gold and suffers the consequences of that magic.  In the end he does discover his real name and manages to escape the bonds of his magical ability through courage and cleverness.  A fantasy book for readers who like to think about stories from different angles.