Product Description: In paperback for the first time, the Sisters Grimm take readers to a world where fairy tales are fact and not everyone is who they seem!
In book one of this bestselling series, sisters Sabrina and Daphne are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. The sisters learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files. The girls are the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, and their new hometown is filled with Everafters (as magical folks like to be called)some good and some very, very bad. When a mysterious Everafter sets a giant loose on the town, its up to the Sisters Grimm to save the day.
I Have Hit a Bad Patch of Books! I understand that this was Buckley's first work of literature. However, I cannot find myself giving him any allowances. My lenience dwindled away as I turned each page, irked by the plot that seemed to spin around in spirals and never got anywhere, a rickety hamster wheel creaking.
First off, the story was jumpy and went too fast. When there was a giant attacking, it seemed like it came out of no where. I had to pause, read over the previous several sentences, and then shake my head. I cannot believe that this sort of work got past the publisher -- perhaps it was the hope younger children would like it? I might not be that old, but I know a good book when I read it. This one did not captivate me.
In general, I am telling you not to buy the book. Unexperienced readers may perhaps be amused by the bits of wit and quirk, but I was not. He was stuck between murder and humor. Buckley needed to choose -- you cannot send an eight year old into a world of murder because there is encouraging phrases! It took me a week to read this, whilst it normally takes me one to two days to finish a book. It bored me, honestly.
--Willow, aged 11
The Sisters Grimm is witty and entertaining. I just finished reading this book to my students. Each day they begged me to read just a bit more because they loved the story. They especially enjoyed guessing what fairy tale each character was from. Keep in mind if you are an adult reading this book, it is meant for children. Yes, the characters are either evil or good and not much in between. These sorts of characters help children to make inferences and predictions, two important reading skills. My children laughed when we read because the characters are clever and silly at the same time. My goal for every book I read to my class is to get kids to continue reading on their own. Several of my students went to the library before we finished the first story to pick up the next book in the series to read on their own!
Most entertaining series out there... I have read all 5 of these books to my 7 year old granddaughter and they are her absolute favorite books of all we have read. Her past tastes have run towards the Magic Tree House series, Pixie Tricks, Molly Moon and Ronald Dahl books, but these are by far the most entertaining - I have enjoyed them as much as her. We can't wait for book 6 March 1st!
Has potential, but I wouldn't buy it for my children (Foster Families Beware) First I must say it is well written and I loved the dialog between the sisters. The oldest sister was a nice change from the perfect white child persona that is in most children's books today and both children were mildly intelligent. The story also had beautiful imagery that would have made a fantastic tale if it didn't have so many horrible stereotypes.
The first couple scenes made me want to throw it away right there and then. The writer seems to have something against Foster Families as they portray them as a Criminal Organization. It wouldn't have been bad if casually mentioned at appropriate times that the girls had a hard time in foster care, but instead the writer drags it on making every Foster Family abusive as well as the orphanage personnel. Then, further in the story when it is no longer relevant, the author continues to bring it up. I know not all foster parents are good, and some of them are criminal, but this is an insult to all of the good foster families and the children they take care of.
The second thing that made this book painful was the Fairytale characters. They were neither pleasantly the same or creatively different. I did like Charming, seven, and the three little pigs, but they soon became flat and the novelty wore of. As for Ichibod Crane, he was just out of place. The character I really wanted to like entered as a mysterious flute player who controlled pixes. The scene where they met this character was pretty cool too. I liked the character all the way up to the point he mentioned his name. Until that point I was sure he was Peter Pan, but he turned out to be Puck the Trickster King who spends most of his time whining and doing nothing useful. I found this insulting to tricksters and guides because he insists that he is a villain when Puck was never a villain; Tricksters are neither villain nor hero yet both. Above all they tend to be guides and I know many tricksters in life that are harmed by stereotypes like in this book.
To end this on a light note, the one character I absolutely loved was Mr. Canis. He was the only character in the book that wasn't two dimensional, was mysterious, and made me keep reading the book. I would almost read another Sisters Grim if he was the main character. But I've only read one bad book in my life and this was it, so I don't want to chance another without major assurances.
Cleverly fractures every fairy tale imaginable... What if every fairy tale you've ever read was really a record of actual people and events? Sabrina and Daphne are about to find out there's more to their favorite stories than they ever dreamed. Sent to live with a grandmother they never knew existed after their parents' mysterious "disappearance," the sisters are shocked to discover that they're actually descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm. As such they are heirs to an often-dangerous family legacy -- investigating the activities of "Everafters." The Everafters are fairy tale characters, everyone from Cinderella and Prince Charming, Briar Rose, the Three Little Pigs, Dorothy and the Tin Man, and the Queen of Hearts. Hundreds of years earlier, the Everafters, led by Wilhelm Grimm, fled human persecution in Europe and settled in Ferryport Landing in America. However, when the Everafters once again began to feel threatened by humans, Wilhelm made a bargain with a powerful witch -- in exchange for his freedom and that of his descendants, the Everafters could never leave Ferryport. As long as a Grimm lives, the spell remains intact, protecting the separation of the human and fairy tale worlds. When someone unleashes a rogue giant who kidnaps Granny Relda, Sabrina and Daphne get a crash course in what it means to be Grimm as they must hatch a daring plot to rescue her and save Ferryport.
I am a huge fan of classic fairy tales, and I love a well fractured version that brings a new twist to a familiar story. The Fairy Tale Detectives doesn't just warp one story -- no story, no character is "safe" from the tale's delightfully whacky sensibility. Every character and story imaginable, even those outside the fairy tale canon, is thrown together in a world where they all know and interact with each other. Ferryport Landing comes off like a warped version of Hollywood, with all of the Everafters as stars competing for time in the spotlight. Buckley's created a world rich with endless story possibilities as Sabrina and Daphne continue to search for their parents and learn to navigate the human and fairy tale worlds. This series should definitely appeal to fans of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events -- I have to say I prefer the Sisters Grimm -- they're fully of sarcastic humor, but genuinely funny and without the pervasive sense of gloom found in the Snicket books. Lots of fun -- I'll definitely check out further novels.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
