What Middle Grade Fairy Tale Retellings Feel Like Whatever After?

After absolutely devouring the 'Whatever After' series, I crave more MG fantasy novels with that same hilarious twist on classic fairytales and modern friendship.
2026-08-20 05:01:08
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3 Answers

GoodNook
GoodNook
I find myself recommending ‘The Penderwicks’ by Jeanne Birdsall a lot in these threads, even though it’s straight contemporary. Why? Because the spirit is the same. It’s about four sisters having gentle, heartfelt adventures during a summer holiday, getting into scrapes, and forming bonds with the quirky boy next door. There’s no magic, but there’s a timeless, comforting quality that feels like a modern classic. The sibling dynamics are the star, just like in ‘Whatever After’. If what you love is the relatable family relationships and the low-stakes, charming adventures, this series is a beautiful, grounded counterpart. Sometimes the best magic is the magic of a perfect summer.
2026-08-21 15:20:20
17
DeanRay
DeanRay
Look, I’ll be the dissenting voice. I tried a few of these ‘clever’ retellings after ‘Whatever After’ and found them trying too hard to be snarky. Sometimes the constant deconstruction gets exhausting. For a pure, beautiful, earnest fairy-tale experience, I’d point someone toward the works of George MacDonald, like ‘The Princess and the Goblin’. It’s old-fashioned, the language is rich, and the morality is clear. Princess Irene is brave and kind, Curdie is resourceful, and the goblins are properly creepy. There’s no wink at the camera, just a solid, timeless adventure. It’s a different kind of magic, one built on wonder rather than irony, and it’s still powerful.
2026-08-23 13:06:36
26
VedaSmith
VedaSmith
Hmm, I’m not sure if this fits, but what about ‘The Mysterious Benedict Society’ by Trenton Lee Stewart? No fairy tales, but it has that same vibe of exceptionally clever kids using their unique talents to solve bizarre, puzzle-filled challenges set by a mysterious benefactor. The sense of wonder and intellectual adventure is off the charts. The friendship between the four mismatched children is central. It’s like if the logic and riddles of a fairy tale were extracted and turned into a modern-day spy mystery. For the reader who loves the problem-solving and teamwork aspects of ‘Whatever After’, just in a more cerebral, contemporary package.
2026-08-25 01:11:53
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What about audiobook series? The full-cast audiobook productions of 'The Babysitters Club' themselves are fantastic, but for a similar auditory experience of friendship and adventure, the 'Whatever After' series by Sarah Mlynowski is great. It’s about a brother and sister who fall into fairy tales and mess them up. They have to work together to fix the story before they can go home. The banter, the teamwork, and the self-contained fairy tale adventure each book provide a similar satisfying, episodic structure. Listening to them feels like hanging out with a fun, bickering sibling duo on a new mission every time.

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