S/O Modern Remakes of Classic Novels

[klwa]

There's a graphic novel called Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy that's a modern retelling of the original (first half of most modern copies) Little Women.

The same company apparently has one for The Secret Garden, too, although I haven't seen that one in stores.

And not quite the same, but a "set in the future" version of Cinderella is Cinder. The other books in that series go through Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White.

[elbenn]

There's a graphic novel called Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy that's a modern retelling of the original (first half of most modern copies) Little Women.

The same company apparently has one for The Secret Garden, too, although I haven't seen that one in stores.

And not quite the same, but a "set in the future" version of Cinderella is Cinder. The other books in that series go through Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White.

I will check these out!

[elbenn]

Not sure what, exactly, you're looking for OP, but I've read retellings myself - sometimes, I seek them out; other times, I have them recommended to me. When they're done well, they're glorious, but it's a hard thing to do!

I am really just looking for books that retell famous classic novels in a setting that kids would be interested in reading. DS1 read Jake, Reinvented (linked in first post) and enjoyed it, but I doubt he would have been interested in reading The Great Gatsby (I love this book, btw, and I know many kids would enjoy it). But now if he has to read The Great Gatsby in school, he will have a frame of reference to the story. I figure that there might be a lot of updated novels (similar to Clueless and Emma but in book form).

[lizzywednesday]

I will check these out!

The series is collectively known as The Lunar Chronicles and the author is Marissa Meyer. I've heard good things, but haven't yet picked them up.

[dogmom]

Most of the ones I know are based off of myths or older classics:
Beowulf-Michael Crichton Eaters of the Dead (made a fun movie of it called Thirteenth Warrior)
Song of Achilles and Circe are myth based and very good
Wicked, was a book before the musical
A Thousand Acres (King Lear)
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Hamlet) also a great movie
On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Howard’s End)
I also think there are like five based on Jane Austen’s books, mostly Pride and Prejudice. But at don’t like Austen, so a I haven’t read any.
Tons of riffs on Dracula, Frankenstein, Canterbury Tales and the Decameron.

[citymama]

For 9-12 year olds, I love the "Red" "Grump" Rump" books by Liesl Shurtliff that are back stories to classic fairy tales.

"Wicked" is a retelling of the Wizard of Oz (and there's a book before the musical!)
Bridget Jones Diary is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice
Ayesha at Last is a Pakistani retelling of Pride and Prejudice my teen absolutely loved
The Hours by Michael Cunningham - retelling of Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway
Meg & Jo - retelling of Little Women
His Dark Materials trilogy by Pullman is based on Paradise Lost
Tiger Lily is a retelling of Peter Pan

[klwa]

Oh, there's also Enchantment by Orson Scott Card which is a mash up of Sleeping Beauty and the Baba Yaga stories.

[citymama]

Oh, there's also Enchantment by Orson Scott Card which is a mash up of Sleeping Beauty and the Baba Yaga stories.

What ages is this one for?

[klwa]

What ages is this one for?

I'd say 12+ for Enchantment. There is some discussion of sex in it, although it is within marriage. Some discussion of circumcision and a few other things as well. (There's a time travel element to it, which makes the circumcision *questionable*, which is why it's a plot point.)

[lizzywednesday]

...

"Wicked" is a retelling of the Wizard of Oz (and there's a book before the musical!)
...

Wicked is one of my favorite novels; Gregory Maguire's takes on fairy tales are kind of awesome. But I do warn OP that they're adult novels, so I'd pre-read before turning over to a middle schooler to see if there's anything in them you might find complicated or that needs to be discussed w/r/t your family's values.

There are more novels set in Maguire's version of Oz, but I've only read Son of a Witch. I don't think I "got" it at the time & might be due for a reread.

Since we're talking about Gregory Maguire, I also recommend Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister, which was his debut novel. It's a retelling of "Cinderella" set in the Netherlands during the "Tulip Mania." De-centering Cinderella from "her" story is a really interesting premise!

He also retold "Snow White" as Mirror, Mirror, but it's so intensely surreal I struggled with it. I went into it expecting something a lot more straightforward and I got ... DalÃ*.