Fractured Fairy Tales

Fractured Fairy Tales

We recommend so many books and series here at Toppsta. We know about all the latest releases. We've got your reading scheduled covered with so many giveaways. But one thing that we'll recommend and will simply never get old? A good, trusty fairy tale. 

Fairy tales are brilliant stories to turn to time and time again. You really can never go wrong with them. They've been retold and reimagined over the centuries, and while it's great to know the original stories, it's also quite fun to see them in a different light. Meet the best FRACTURED fairy tales – the series that turn the stories we know and love on their head! Maybe the baddies aren't so bad after all. Maybe they have some very special helpers. Maybe our protagonists are actually SUPERHEROES or they are training at a school to be the main characters of their stories.

Here is a list of the best children's and YA books based on fairy tales, but with a twist...

Toppsta
2025-06-27
Fractured Fairy Tales

BABY AND PICTURE BOOKS

Toppsta
2025-06-27
Fractured Fairy Tales
Book pages A Very Fiery Fairy Tale Series

A Very Fiery Fairy Tale Series

Written and illustrated in full colour throughout by the incredibly creative Beach, each book in this series presents a fantastical character from any other ordinary fairy tale – a dragon, a night and even a princess – but with a twist. These characters all have BLAZING bottoms. And in every story, it's indeed their many parps and pops that save the day. The series is also a fantastic story of how friendship can build and develop among characters, which we think is an important message for little ones this age. 

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Book pages Fairytale Friends Series

Fairytale Friends Series

If you're looking for a sweet and contemporary take on traditional fairy tales for your little one at bedtime, we could not recommend this picture book series more. Each story looks at a specific fairy tale, from Snow White to Hansel and Gretel and Goldilocks, focusing on a core virtue and a specific strength that the character must learn. And the most exciting part is that the characters live in the real world, facing very similar problems that our little ones may be at nursery or school. There are also notes and questions at the back of the books to summarise what the character has learnt and prompt further discussion while activities will provide more fairytale fun. We really love that the main theme of the books are written on the cover as well, making it very easy to pick up the book with the most relevant theme for the day.

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Book pages The Fairytale Hairdresser Series

The Fairytale Hairdresser Series

The Fairytale Hairdresser is a sweet and super fun picture book series for little ones aged 4 to 6, following the adventures of Kittie Lacey – the best hairdresser in all of fairyland. She is the one who cuts Rapunzel’s hair, and the Seven Dwarves’ beards. She has a salon right in the centre of Fairyland Village, where she lives over the top of her salon, in a funky flat. Her best friends are Cinderella, Rapunzel, Princess Rose, Snow White, Clara the ballerina and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Kittie is brave and adventurous ... and she is not afraid of wicked witches or evil queens. So, whenever trouble arises in the Fairyland Village, she is ready to save the day!

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CHAPTER BOOKS BOOKS

Toppsta
2025-06-27
Fractured Fairy Tales
Book pages Fairy Tales Gone Bad Series

Fairy Tales Gone Bad Series

This one is for kids aged 7+ who love Wednesday Addams, Emily The Strange and a bit of the macabre! Each book is written in non-rhyming verse by Joseph Coelho and brimming with black-and-white illustrations by Freya Hartas. What would happen if, instead of rushing back home on the night of her ball, Cinderella fell down and died? This is the beginning of Zombierella's story, and our undead main character is certain of one thing: she will have her happily ever after. In each book of this three-part series, a new well-known fairy tale will go bad, making for some very twisted classics. You won't have to read the books in any particular order to enjoy them, as each one is its own story. 

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Book pages Cinders and Sparks Series

Cinders and Sparks Series

If you love detailed, spectacular illustrations in your books, we can't help but recommend this funny retelling of Cinderella, with its incredible black-and-white illustrations by superstar Pippa Curnick, as well as hilarious text for readers aged 7+ by the brilliant Lindsey Kelk. The books feature, as you'd expect, main character Cinders, who lives a boring life with her selfish stepsisters and mean stepmother. She also has her talking dog, Sparks, who helps her on her countless adventures, from dealing with not-so-very-good fairy godmothers called Brian, to travelling to a place called Fairyland with a naughty boy called Hansel, and getting caught by goblins... Oh, and she has magical powers, too!

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Book pages Fairy Tale Twists Series

Fairy Tale Twists Series

The Fairy Tale Twists books make are perfect if you've got little ones moving on from picture books and into the magical world of independent reading. We could not recommend this series more for readers aged 7+ who love a funny fairy tale. Each book in the series is the story of a well-known fairy tale, from Goldilocks and The Big, Bad Wolf to the Fairy Godmother and Jack on the Beanstalk. But these stories all have a hilarious twist, and will shed a whole new light on the fairy tales you thought you knew so well! Each book is told through a character's point of view, and written in fantastically funny rhymes, making for a great stepping stone towards chapter books. 

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MIDDLE GRADE

Toppsta
2025-06-27
Fractured Fairy Tales
Book pages Far Out Fairy Tales Series

Far Out Fairy Tales Series

If you like the magic and lore of fairy tales and the action and excitement of a graphic novel, let us recommend the Far Out Fairy Tales series, written and illustrated by various creators. This series is a great option for readers aged 8+. Each book spins classic fairy tales on their head, not only because they're a fun graphic novel format but also because superhero elements come into play with each main character. Cinderella is a ninja. Snow White is raised by robots. Red Riding Hood has superpowers. Each fairy tale hero you know is seen in a completely new light. You do not have to read the books in any particular order, so just get started with whichever fairy tale is your favourite first!

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Book pages The School for Good and Evil Series

The School for Good and Evil Series

Now a Netflix film and New York Times bestselling series, The School for Good and Evil is the MIDDLE GRADE fantasy for ages 9+ that all fairy tale twist lovers NEED! Have you ever wanted to live your real-life fairy tale fantasy? This series will tell you exactly how fairy tales came to be and how they are not all dreams come true. Best friends Sophie and Agatha have been chosen to be students at the fabled School for Good and Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy-tale heroes and villains. One will train for Good, one will become Evil's new hope. Each thinks they know where they belong, but when they are swept into the Endless Woods, things don't quite go as planned. Together they'll discover who they really are and what they are capable of. . . because the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through it

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YOUNG ADULT

Toppsta
2025-06-27
Fractured Fairy Tales
Book pages The Lunar Chronicles Series

The Lunar Chronicles Series

The Lunar Chronicles will have fans aged 9+ reading at the edge of their seats as familiar fairy tales are revisited like never before! Classic folk tales we've all grown up watching and reading are mixed with a dash of steampunk and a hint of fantasy. 

Each book in this series covers a different fairy tale, and each fairy tale princess' story is intertwined with that of the next. If one thing is sure, it's that the heroines in this series aren't your usual damsels in distress. And they all want their happily ever afters Including a prequel and a collection of short stories, this series is perfect for whenever readers want to read something nostalgic with a contemporary twist. 

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Book pages A Twisted Tale Series

A Twisted Tale Series

Have you ever found yourself wondering about the back story behind your favourite Disney heroines? What if things weren’t really as they seemed? This series that turns the classic fairy-tales on their heads is a must for Disney fans and a delight for all Young Adult readers. Disney's Twisted Tales take our favourite heroines: Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan and Princess Jasmine and imagines a very different story unfolding for each of them.

Written by three popular YA authors - Liz Braswell, Jen Calonita and Elizabeth Lim - who all love fantasy and fairy-tales, the Twisted Tale series has the magic of the Disney films but with dark and creepy twists. Romance makes way for enchantment, action and violence as the heroines fight for their happy endings and all is not what it seems.

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Book pages The Cursebreaker Series Series

The Cursebreaker Series Series

The Cursebreaker series by Brigid Kemmerer is an enchanting and addictive YA fantasy romance. The trilogy starts with A Curse So Dark and Lonely - a contemporary retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It follows the story of Harper Lacy, a teenager in Washington DC, and Prince Rhen, the cursed heir to the fairytale kingdom of Emberfell. Between her mother’s deteriorating health and her own cerebal palsy, Harper's life has not been easy. She is a born survivor, but when she is sucked from the streets of Washington into Rhen’s world, things get complicated.

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