Beauty
by Robin McKinley (1978)

Although subtitled A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast, McKinley's Beauty is the least physically attractive of three sisters, none of whom are greedy and evil. As the smart one, she keeps the family going and makes the ultimate self-sacrifice by going to serve Beast in his castle in order to save her father's life. Beautifully told.

Dealing With Dragons
by Patricia C Wrede (1990)

Wrede raids the fairy tale shelves for a wealth of ideas in the charming Enchanted Forest Chronicles series for young girls. The hero is a tomboy princess who really hates life at the castle - opting instead to do some housekeeping for a dragon. She takes on the ill-intended wizards to help out her new-found friends.

Tam Lin
by Pamela C Dean (1991)

A particularly sttrong entry from Dean in the Fairy Tale series which focuses on retelling well-known children's stories with a modern slant. This time the Scottish tale of a girl whose lover runs off with the Queen of Faeries is reinvented at an early-70s Minnesota college campus. Students of the classics beware - this could happen to you.

Briar Rose
by Jane Yolen (1992)

Written for young adults, Briar Rose takes the story of Sleeping Beauty and melds it with the Holocaust. Becca's grandmother had long told the odd fairy tale of Briar Rose, the sleeping princess. When her grandmother dies, Becca follows a trail to an extermination camp in Poland and uncovers some tragic truths. Only occasional fantasy elements.

Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine (1997)

A truly enchanting retelling of the Cinderella story with young Ella afflicted by a fairy's curse of obedience. In a quest for deliverance she flees from her basically rotten stepmother and stepsisters, taking on ogres and encountering elves along the way. She has an enlightened relationship with a charming prince and helps him sort out a few issues. Full of wit, vim and vigour. (ages 9-14)

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
by Gregory Maguire (1999)

A clever deconstruction of the Cinderella story told from the point of view of ugly stepsister Iris. Set in 17th century Holland, Iris' family dodge poverty when they are taken in by a painter. This leads to her widowed mother marrying into a wealthy Dutch family where the Cinderella story begins. Wickedness and cruelty all turn out to be very much a matter of perspective.

Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer (2001)

With no apologies to Bruce Willis, Colfer describes this as "Die Hard with fairies". Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old criminal mastermind. When he plot to extort the fairies' pot of gold from them he runs afoul of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) Unit. Don't be fooled by the plotline, this is slam-bang action fantasy with plenty techno-punk on the side.

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
by Holly Black (2002)

Popular gothic fantasy has 16 year old Kaye on the road with her hard-partying mother's rock band. After rescuing a hunky knight from an attack she heads back to New Jersey and becomes embroiled in a war between faerie kingdoms. Black simultaneously tackles issues of heterosexual teen romance and gay love, all while penning a beautifully written novel, albeit a somewhat dark one.