Once Upon a Time

Ages 12 to 17 years

Once Upon a Time by Wendy Toliver follows Red, a 16-year-old who lives with her Granny in a cottage in the village. There, surviving means boarding up the house and hiding during Wolfstime. Red assists Granny with her baked goods business, managing both catering and door-to-door sales.

Red is tangled in an internal struggle between her wild instincts and the strict, overprotective upbringing she’s known. This battle for "control" is highlighted when she realises her hot temper, especially when "mean girls" push her limits. As Rumpelstiltskin advises in the series, "When we learn to control it, we needn't fear it." Red also experiences flashbacks to when she was 13, the year she received her cloak and the nickname "Red."

Haunted by nightmares she doesn’t understand and a temper she can't manage, Red faces challenges in saving Granny's troubled business. At the same time, she tries to nurture her budding romance with Peter, even as the betrayal of her classmates threatens to unleash the wolf within.