Seeing the title 'Little Red Riding Hood,' you're likely to think you know the story by heart. But what if the action were set in modern times, and the heroine settled in a big city—say, New York? Little Red Riding Hood's name would be Sarah, her grandmother would be a former music hall singer, the dark forest would be Central Park, and the wolf would appear as Mr. Wolfe, the king of pastry, hunting for the recipe for the best strawberry shortcake. In this story, told by Spanish writer Carmen Martín Gaite, the most important element of the classic fairy tale remains—the journey, full of difficulties and dangers, that little Sarah embarks on, a journey into adulthood.