The Cottage in the Woods

By: Katherine Coville

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

For fans of Shannon Hale, Adam Gidwitz, and Michael Buckley comes a luminous new twist on a tale readers only thought they knew. . .

Once upon a time, there was a girl with golden locks. But that’s just the beginning of this tale. The real story begins with a bear.

Ursula is a young she-bear who has come to work as a governess at the Vaughn estate. Although she is eager to instruct her young charge, Teddy, she is also frightened, especially when inexplicable things happen in the huge house after dark. Ursula is sure she has heard footsteps in the hallways at night, and that something is following her during her walks in the Enchanted Forest. Then there is Mr. Bentley, a young bear also employed by Mr. Vaughn, whose superior disposition is enough to drive Ursula to tears . . . and yet why does he also make her heart race? As Ursula works to unravel the mysteries of the Vaughn manor, she will have to be very, very careful. After all, true love, justice, and a girl with golden locks are at stake. And in the Enchanted Forest, not every fairy tale is destined for a happily ever after.

Critic reviews

"Featuring a new interpretation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this novel weaves other nursery rhyme characters throughout the story. Beautifully written with thought-provoking vocabulary, it’s best suited for strong readers who will also recognize the themes of social justice. Highly recommended."
—School Library Journal, starred review

What fun!

I hav read story derivations of fairy tales, but none as delightful as this work. Not only was the main story a cherished one to me as a child but several others I’d forgotten were brought out or hinted to. If you love fairy tales, get this one. You won’t regret it!

I loved that book

I love how Mr Bentley and ms brown became together in the end and in the beginning they didn’t even like each other

good

the book was a bit slow starting with not having Goldilocks in the first part of the book but got better as it went along.

It was a good book

Good it was a nice story there was some scary parts but other than that it was good

Interesting twist on Goldilocks

While I did enjoy the story and the "real" reasons behind Goldilocks going to the three bears' mansion, I found some parts dragged on and not sure why Latin was always popping up. The narrator was very passionate with her performance and recognized her voice from other audio books I have read.