Tag: quarantine

Mint Girl Recommends Reimagined Fairy Tales

In these uncertain times, I find myself wanting to read something familiar, but new and exciting at the same time. Reimagined fairy tales give me the exact mix of new, but old that I need. Here are 5 of my favorite reimagined fairy tales.

  1. The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer

This book is the first book that comes to my mind when I hear “fractured fairy tale”. This series is very imaginative and gives a whole new spin to the usual fairy tale. It tells the story of twins, Alex and Conner Bailey, who get sucked into their grandmother’s story tale book in the first book. This is just the start of their adventures. Soon, they find themselves traveling back and forth the 2 worlds in the other books. This is one of my favorite series.

2. Ella Enchanted and Ogre Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

I’ve read Ella Enchanted, but Ogre Enchanted is high on my TBR list. This book explains Cinderella’s true nature and why she’s so obedient. This had made no sense previously, but this book really explains it well. It is very detailed and I’m absolutely in love with this book.

3. Liesl Shurtliff’s (Fairly) True Tales

This book series is hilarious. Each book stands apart from each other and it tells of the characteristics and explanations never seen before. Ever wonder why the dwarf Grumpy was so grumpy? Or why Rumpelstiltskin choose to spin hay into gold? These books explain it all.

4. The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

What were the true characteristics of The Princes Charming, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White? This book gives a twist to them as they embark on the quest of a lifetime (Well, most of them). This is a 2 book adventure, but I’ve only read the 1st one.

5. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

This is definitely my favorite book and I’m so excited for the last book, One True King. The cover looks awesome, but of course, the cover is not the book! Sophie and Agatha, best friends and best enemies, figure out what it takes to survive in the school for Good and Evil while going through tough times that tests them and their friendship. Love this book so much!

6. The Fun in Devlok series by Devdutt Pattanaik

This isn’t exactly a fairy tale, but I love the new way of telling stories.

I love reading reimagined fairy tales and I hope you enjoy these books as much as I do. Tell me if you have any suggestions in the comments!

The Mint Girl’s Thoughts on Quarantine Rules

Lately, like most of the kids around the world, I’ve been having online lessons instead of going to my school. We created some online essential agreements and I started thinking about some of my previous in-person classroom rules and how they have changed. Last week, our teacher assigned us a few questions about the new situation we are in. I decided to share them here.

What are some rules that you think are important for us to follow as members of the community?

This one required some careful thinking, but I came up with a few rules that I hope everyone follows. 1. Take care of others and realize how your actions could affect them.
2. Think about how we can help or hurt others before we do something.
3. Realize that some people have different rules or different strengths/ weaknesses.
4. Have fun together no matter where you are in life and what’s happening around you.
5. Be kind to yourself and to others.

Do you view rules positively or negatively?

I view rules positively, but they can make me feel negative sometimes. I think rules are good, but sometimes they can feel annoying. For example, I’m not a fan of the social distancing/lockdown rules, but I know that they are being kept to protect us and keep us safe during the quarantine. Most rules are made to keep us safe or keep us in order. These rules might feel constricting, but they are made for our own good.

What is a rule that is hard for you to follow?

A rule that is hard for me to follow is going to bed on time. I always want to keep reading, or drawing, or playing instead of going to sleep. I don’t like sleeping and it takes me a while to go to sleep, so I usually lie in my bed until I drift off. This time for me is very boring.

Compare and Contrast rules at home to rules at school.

At school, I find it much easier to focus and pay attention, but through online learning, many people are talking, there’s background noise, and people could be texting you. It’s much harder to focus and that is very annoying if you’re trying to work on a project or an assignment.

What are the rules of Social Distancing and how have they affected you personally?

Since we have to be 6 feet away from each other, I miss hanging out and playing with my friends. I can text them, but it just doesn’t feel the same. One good thing about this situation is the online learning. I think it’s fun and I like being able to stay at home without driving too far for some of my classes. I also like having Lunch Bunch and hanging out with my teacher and my friends.

Rules can be good or bad, but they’re there for a reason. As community members, it is our duty to follow them as much as possible. What are some of your quarantine rules?