Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about Rumpelstiltskin? In the fairy tale, how does he help the miller’s daughter, and what does he ask for in exchange? How does the miller’s daughter defeat Rumpelstiltskin? There are many versions of this story across cultures. What variations do you notice in different retellings?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will likely be familiar with the fairy tale and be able to draw on their prior knowledge to answer the first few questions, but they may need to consult the resources provided below to answer the final question and add details to their responses. To provide context for this question and the resources below, consider explaining to students that the novel they are about to read is a reinterpretation of the fairy tale. To extend students’ discussion and build curiosity for the novel, you might ask students to generate questions about Rumpelstiltskin that they would like to see answered, such as where he comes from and how he learned to spin straw into gold.

• This article from The Guardian provides an English translation of the Brothers Grimm story “Rumpelstiltskin.”
• This resource from PBS provides another version of the Rumpelstiltskin story with a different ending.

2. What do you know about spinning wheels? What is a spinning wheel used to make, and what are the device’s main components? How did the invention of the spinning wheel impact the social and economic lives of medieval Europeans, especially women?

Teaching Suggestion: Students can draw from their prior knowledge to answer the first question, but they will likely need to conduct some research before answering the rest. You might ask students to pause after answering the first question and then give them time to consult the resources listed below before attempting to answer the remaining questions. Students’ responses may draw from both history and literature. For example, they might know of other fairy tales in which spinning wheels play a prominent role, such as “Sleeping Beauty.”

To provide context for this question and the resources below, consider explaining to students that the spinning wheel is central to the traditional Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale and that Shurtliff’s novel contains several characters who are skilled at spinning.

• This 3-minute video explains the history and main components of a spinning wheel and demonstrates how one can be used to make yarn.
• This article explains the socioeconomic impact of the invention of the spinning wheel on medieval Europe.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What does your name mean? Do you know why you were given this name? Why do you think names are important? What might it be like to go through life without knowing your real name?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt connects to the theme of Fighting Fate because Rump lives in a magical kingdom where names determine people’s destinies. The protagonist spends most of the novel searching for his full name. If students are uncertain why they were given their names, they may write about what they like about their names instead. In addition, you might consider allowing students to pair up to discuss the last two questions.