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Dec 17, 2009

Bonnie Gayle rated it:

This was a playful and fun book, with a few flaws.

Sabrina and Daphne's parents disapear one day out of the blue, and the police can't find them. They bounce from one horrible foster home to another, until an old lady comes forward claiming to be their Grandmother. This is weird, because their parents told them their Grandmother was dead. When they meet her, she tells them that they are descended from The Brother's Grimm, who wrote down true events that occured with real creatures. Al More...

4 comments like (11 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Emma rated it:

Michael Buckley begins this children's series with a compelling premise: The stories of the brothers Grimm and other fairy tale originators (Hans Christian Andersen, etc.) are all true. In a Tolkien-style spin, fairy tale creatures (called "Everafters") used to coexist with humans, but since then they have been exiled to a small town near the suburbs of NYC. The Grimm family is still around, monitoring the Everafters and suspicious crimes in the area.

Unfortunately, this pre More...

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Jennie rated it:

Sabrina can’t believe that her grandmother thinks fairy tales are real. She really can’t believe that fairy tale characters live right in Ferryport. She really, really, really can’t believe that a local farm house didn’t blow up and was really stepped on by a giant. But then Mayor Charming and Glinda the Good Witch are involved in a cover-up and a giant kidnaps Granny Grimm! The Grimm sisters know they need to help and enlist the help of Shakespeare’s Puck, Jack the Giant Killer, and the Magic M More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 22, 2008

Coral rated it:

This is a light-hearted and faced-paced book. It's slightly snarky humor and slap-stick action sequences are designed to appeal to younger readers.

For fans of fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, the definition of fairy tales used here is annoyingly broad--included are characters from L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and Rudyard Kipling. Also, the author does little with these characters to make them his own. The book's many cliches may be new to the target audience, but will taste s More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 16, 2012

Abigail rated it:

The first entry in an on-going middle-grade fantasy series, The Fairy-Tale Detectives follows the story of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, who, after a year and a half in and out of various foster homes, find themselves deposited with the grandmother they had no idea existed. Sabrina, the elder at almost twelve, is naturally distrustful - a characteristic much amplified by more than a year's experience with abusive and/or neglectful adults - and determined to protect the more innocent Daphne. She want More...

7 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Cheryl in CC NV rated it:

As I read this for a group discussion, I realized I had read it already. I guess it just wasn't all that memorable. I know I'm not going to bother looking for more in the series. However, I strongly suspect that if I'd read this when I was 8 or 9 I would have given it four stars and wanted to read the whole series.

I guess I just didn't quite feel involved. To me it seemed like the author had an idea of what he could sell, but didn't really have the full heart behind the effort. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 15, 2009

Christina rated it:

The Sister’s Grimm books are definitely ones that I’m glad to have picked up. Having just finished Book 1, I can hardly wait to start Book 2. This series is lots of fun!

The writing in The Fairy-Tale Detectives is quick and witty, with well-crafted dialogue and unique characterizations of some of the most beloved fairy-tale and folklore figures in history. It is a bit like the “Shrek” movie franchise, but different enough to be a treasured series in its own right. The dynamic between More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 17, 2008

Rachel rated it:

My ten-year-old sister reads all sorts of stuff, and I kind of feel a responsibility to make sure that what she's reading has some literary value. Hence, my discovery of "The Sisters Grimm" series.

My initial reaction was that the style of the writing didn't fit the heftiness of the book itself. Weighing in at almost two hundred pages, I was expecting a little more literary depth. The premise is fun; bringing "fairy tale" characters to life and using two ordinary g More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 23, 2009

Albert Einstein (andrew) rated it:

a thrilling book that shows that all fairy tales are real... addictive and interesting its high up on my list. followthe grimm family dectective as they stop rebellious fairy tales. see it in librairies near you.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 05, 2011

MTR rated it:

I liked this and I know I will be recommending it to kids who want an exciting, funny, fast-paced adventure.

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Mar 31, 2010

Lauren added it

Michael Buckley has created a fairy tale that revolves around several other well-known fairy tale characters such as pixies, giants, Puck, Magic Mirror, magic flying carpets, Mama Bear, Tinman, and the Big Bad Wolf. I really liked the thrilling adventure that was involved throughout the entire story. At first, I had no idea where the story line was going to go because the sisters were going to live at their grandmothers house but they thought she was dead which I thought was very strange but the More...

3 comments like

Feb 26, 2009

Brittany rated it:

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley: Books One - Four.
When Sabrina and Daphne Grimm’s parents go missing, they meet the grandma they’ve never known before and find out that they are descendents of the famous Brothers Grimm. They also learn that being a part of the Grimm family means they are charged with the task of policing the Everafters. The Everafters (all the characters from fairy tales) are quite a raucous group, and are anxious to free themselves from an old spell and agreement ma More...

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Feb 03, 2009

MB rated it:

Lots of fun for younger readers.

I liked the way the author sprinkled in "big" words by having the older sister define them for the younger sister. That is a great learning experience slipped in smoothly!

On a different note, I was surprised by all the parallels between this book and the Fables graphic novel by Bill Willingham that I read recently. Although the Fables series is a very adult-themed graphic novel and the Sisters Grimm series is for young readers More...

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Feb 02, 2009

Ruth rated it:

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 More...

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Nov 21, 2008

Ronda rated it:

My son (age 10) and one of his friends actually got me started on this series. If you enjoy stories based on fairy-tales, this series is wonderful. Two sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, have been shuffled from one foster home to another after the mysterious disappearance of their parents. Ever resourceful, the two are astonished to find that they have a grandmother--one that their parents never told them about. Of course, their parents also never let them hear or read fairy tales either, which ma More...

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Jan 23, 2012

Andrea rated it:

I'm reading these for bookclub with my niece. She stumbled upon the series, and after reading the first one announced that she really needed someone else to read them so that she could talk about the book! Hooray for books generating community, even (or especially) the community between a niece and an aunt. By the time I got a chance to request the book from the library, she'd read the first three in the series, and thus so did I, and we discuss them next weekend. I meant to stagger them out More...

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Jan 16, 2012

Natalie rated it:

I'll give this book some credit- this dark-and-twisted fairytale came before all of the other dark-and-twisted fairytales. It has a stable plot, a couple of one-liners, and a clever, modern twist on certain characters like Snow White.
Plot: The plot is relatively simple. You can tell that there's going to be another couple books. "Orphaned" kids get stuck with creepy grandma, who turns out to be not so creepy, then is captured (by Jack the giant-killer...) If any of you bookies wa More...

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Jan 12, 2012

Makayla rated it:

The Fairy-Tale Detectives was a book about two sisters in foster care. Every time they got put into a new foster home, they seek a malicious plan to escape. The older sister's name is Sabrina Grimm, and her petite sister's name is Daphne. Sabrina is the more serious one because she takes care of Daphne and is the main roll model. the reason that Sabrina takes care of her sister is because their parents disapeared two years ago. the only adult that takes care of them is, ms. Smith. she despises t More...

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Jan 04, 2012

Shweta's Book Journal rated it:

I discovered this wonderful series totally by accident . If you loved reading fairy tales once upon a time and don't mind giving those characters another chance then it's the perfect book for you. Sisters Grimm - Fairy Tale Detectives was a unusual look into the life of these fairy tale characters. Cinderella , Snow White , Sleeping Beauty,Big Bad Wolf ...Imagine having them all in present day scenario. Sounds intriguing? It is. Not just intriguing ,it's so much fun.

The sisters Sabri More...

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Nov 02, 2011

Mia rated it:

Sabrina and Daphne have something I wish I had but never had. A fairytale adventure!!! When I was at Daphne’s age, after I finished reading a fairytale book, I always contemplated. I always hoped there was a magical side in my modern life. I thought, if there really was any, how would I handle it? How can I keep my mouth shut? As you may know, fairytale in modern days are not for public consumption, you have to keep it as a secret forever and ever. If you tell your friends that you have a fairy More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Elisa rated it:

**** This book is interesting as it weaves fairy tale characters and creatures into the present. This book would work well as a read aloud for young children (first/second grade). This is the first book in the series. The writing style and reading level of the book is more for fourth grade and up.

Sabrina (11) and Daphne (7) have been abandoned. Their parents disappeared one day and haven’t returned. After a slew of foster homes that didn’t work out the girls are sent to live wi More...

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Sep 03, 2011

Shelley rated it:

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been running the foster care gambit since their parents disappeared two years before. When they reach the end of their case worker's nerves, a mysterious "grandmother" appears to pick them up. The girls have both been told that their grandmother died before they were born. So, who is this strange woman who is suddenly come to claim them?
Granny Relda is anything but ordinary. She makes meals which are as colorful and the rainbow and her antics are More...

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Jul 17, 2011

Brenda rated it:

The book was really good, but the beginning wasn't that good because Sabrina's attitude. She seems like she is angry at everything ( I don't blame her ) but her feelings are out of control because she doesn't have any spirit or any hope. Most of all she doesn't have trust in anyone except her sister. She is strongly upset about her parents disappearing. Whenever she is neglected, tortured, or threatened by her new guardian ( being an orphan ) she is is furious. If she is welcomed in any curious More...

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Jun 12, 2011

Chris rated it:

Sabrina Grimm has a few problems:

1. Her parents have disappered.

2. She's the oldest sibling, and we all know what that means.

3. She may or may not have Grandmother, who may or may not be crazy.

4. She isn't a teenager yet, which means she only gets until 9 o'clock.

5. She can't open windows.

6. She had foster parents who were way too partial to lima beans.

7. She knows fashion impaired people.

8. Some boy More...

5 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 03, 2011

Emily rated it:

Overall, this book is not bad, but it's not what I was hoping to read. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been through foster home after foster home after their parents mysteriously vanished. But this time the girls' social worker - unrealistically sour and mean - is sending them to live with a grandmother they'd always believed was dead. Turns out, "Granny Relda" is quite alive, and is living and working in Ferryport Landing as a "fairy-tale detective." The back story is that the More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 28, 2011

Ruth rated it:

I have to admit I wasn't sure that I would enjoy this book very much. I like fairy tales to a degree, and I like mysteries, but I knew this was a young adult mystery. I wasn't sure if the mystery would capture and keep my attention. This was a book somewhat out of my comfort zone, but I decided to give it a go.

I am happy to report that this book was better than I thought it would be. It was nice to read a book that had no bad language, sex scenes, nor required very heavy thinking. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2011

NebraskaIcebergs rated it:

I love fairy tales! Any wonder that when I spied The Fairy Tale Detectives at my local library, I had to borrow it. The book is the first in a series called The Sisters Grimm. With there being six more books in the set, I'd have my reading set for a month. Unfortunately, my love of fairy tales is what left me less than happy with this book.

The book's first chapter reminded of the popular The Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket, both in set up and tone. The Grimms' sisters are o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 02, 2011

Karen rated it:

Terrible, annoying, terrible book.

Fairy tale creatures are all real and live in a little town north of New York. Fairy tale here including any fictional characters the author feels like including that are safely out of copyright so he also pilfers Oz and Wonderland.

The two protagonists are genre-stupid to the point of disbelieving things that are happening right in front of them for at least the first half of the book. Initially I thought this was a plot point about their f More...

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Jan 21, 2011

Jackie rated it:

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been in and out of foster homes for a year and half since their parents disappeared. The authorities say they have located their grandmother, but it can't be true because their father said she was dead. When they meet Mrs. Grimm in Ferryport Landing, they regard her as odd, yet kindly, though Sabrina is suspicious of her motives. When Mrs. Grimm starts to tell them the Grimm family is part of the fairy-tale world and the 'everafters' live in Ferryport Landing with n More...

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Nov 20, 2010

amelia rated it:

I really, really wanted to love this book. I saw it when it first came out and was so excited by the premise (not to mention the lovely cover) that I wanted to buy it for all the little girls I knew. Unfortunately, as I finally got around to reading it (in considering buying it for a friend for Christmas), it did not deliver. There are so many possibilities in creating a fairy tale universe, so many clever jokes and intertwining story possibilities and this was just so poorly executed. A gre More...

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