Cloaked in Red- by Vivian Vande Velde

After seeing a recommendation for this author from a friend on Goodreads, I picked up the book "Cloaked in Red" by Vivian Vande Velde from my library. (I must admit I LOVE saying this author's name).

Upon reading the author's note at the beginning of the book (see HERE for a view of it on GoogleBooks) I couldn't wait to start the book. Based on the introduction, the reader was in for eight snarky, silly takes on the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" children's story. I anticipated reading the story through varied viewpoints  — the girl, the wolf, grandmother, the wood cutter, etc. — but was sorely disappointed to see odd variations on the story, none of which were as humorous as the introduction was.

While the book itself is rather small and compact — a mere 127 pages long — I couldn't bear to read any more than the first three entries, which came to less than half of the book. While the writing was good, it wasn't captivating. The short storied themselves also prove it difficult to identify with the characters and really root for (or against) anyone in particular.

I give this book 1 star out of 5. While I didn't care for what I read in the book, it definitely gave me some interesting ideas for short stories of my own. Perhaps some day I'll use Vivian Vande Velde's ideas for writing my own version of Little Red Riding Hood.