The Bottom Line: Don't let the slow start put you off, this first adventure of the Sisters Grimm is sure to make you and your 7-12 year old come back for more!
mmcphee's Full Review: Michael Buckley - The Fairy-Tale Detectives
We all know fairy tales are fictitious stories full of magical creatures and implausible events. But what if they aren't? What if fairy tales are historical accounts of the times when fairy tale creatures lived among humans?
And what if your name is Grimm?
In Michael Buckley's The Fairy-Tale Detectives, eleven year old Sabrina Grimm and her seven year old sister, Daphne, are about to learn their family's history. A year and a half ago the sisters' parents disappeared. Since then the girls have been bouncing between foster homes until the grandmother they were always told was dead takes them into her home and shares with them the truth of fairy tales.
At the beginning of the 19th century Wilhelm Grimm, one half of the famous Brothers Grimm, rounds up the fairy tale creatures living in Europe and offers them passage to America to escape the persecution by humans. Once settled, the witch Baba Yaga puts the small New York town under a spell that prevents these Everafters from leaving. At first their new lives seem idyllic until humans start moving into Ferryport Landing and the Everafters are forced to disguise themselves as humans to fit in.
Sabrina, jaded by her time in foster care, doesn't believe a word of Granny Relda's stories, convinced that the elderly woman is lying about even being their grandmother. Daphne is more innocent and trusting but even doubts Granny at times. That is until the girls witness a giant pick up their grandmother's car, with her in it. Suddenly believers, the girls take up their Grimm family job of solving the mysteries that occur in Ferryport Landing and recording the events they witness; just as their ancestors have done back to the Brothers Grimm.
I read The Fairy-Tale Detectives aloud to my eight year old daughter and we both loved it. The book does start a little slow, but by necessity. Buckley takes his time to weave a believable story, at least for a fairy tale, and build solid characters. The sisters are quite different, which gives them broad appeal to many readers. Sabrina is sassy, skeptical and independent; she isn't ready to trust their new guardian or anyone in the town. Daphne is still wide-eyed and innocent but perhaps a little too trusting. By the midpoint of the book the story takes off with tons of twists and turns and an ending I didn't see coming.
Buckley does an excellent job inserting famous literary characters into a modern setting. Prince Charming is the mayor of Ferryport Landing and not surprisingly with a giant about, Jack makes an appearance. Of course these characters make more sense when you are familiar with the original story that made them famous. While many of the characters were familiar favorites, Puck most definitely was not; nor do I think he is a character most children in elementary school have encountered. However, surely with this in mind, Puck is a well developed character and children will not really miss out if they have not yet tackled A Midsummer's Night Dream by fifth grade.
My only complaint about The Fairy Tale Detectives is the length of the chapters. While there are breaks within each chapter, even they can be a bit a long at times. Chapters average over 25 pages, which makes them a little too long to finish one at bedtime. The vocabulary is advanced enough that it is a book for me to read aloud to my daughter, but slightly older children would enjoying reading the book on their own. Children in the target age range are unlikely to be frightened by any of the intense moments in the book. With female main characters, the story seems more likely to appeal to girls than boys, but you won't find the typical fairy tales princesses filling the pages of this book.
With the winning combination of Nancy Drew meets Shrek, this first book in the new Sisters Grimm series will entertain with a hilarious mix of mysteri...More at HotBookSale
This first book in the Sisters Grimm series introduces two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmothe...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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