Red Riding Hood | B

Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale that has been around for many years, with various adaptations made of it. Sarah Blakley-Cartwright gives the story a brand new spin with her retelling of the beloved classic.

Cartwright, a first time writer, has been chosen to write the novel for the 2011 film Red Riding Hood that will be released in March 2011. With the novel, Cartwright gives readers a first glimpse of what they could expect in the theaters this March.

The book begins with the 7-year old protagonist Valerie, who is visiting her grandmother with her family. As night approaches, the family makes their way back to their village, Daggorhorn.

The residents of Daggorhorn live in fear of a werewolf that has terrorized them for centuries. So far, they've managed to appease the wolf by providing it with offerings of farm animals every full moon. But 10 years later, Valerie's sister has been killed, putting an end to the peace the village had embraced for so long. The villagers are suddenly left to deal with the haunting fact that one of their very own may be the werewolf in human form. This begins a capturing tale that leaves readers questioning every character, wondering about the true identity of the werewolf.

Despite the various Little Red Riding Hood adaptations, the story's never been told in such a dark and enthralling way. With Red Riding Hood, Cartwright puts together a story that will leave readers both intrigued and frustrated with the abrupt ending. To build up even further hype for the movie, the last chapter to the book will not be released until the movie comes out on March 11, so readers will have to wait a bit longer to have any unanswered questions addressed.