Elizabeth has a new job at an unusual library— a lending library of objects, not books. In a secret room in the basement lies the Grimm Collec...
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reviews
Jul 06, 2011
Cara
rated it: 
Ms.Shulman totally gets fairy tale readers. When I finised this book I thought; Now why didn't I think of that?
Elizabeth at the moment is friendless. Her best friend has moved to California and she is still trying to get accustomed to her new home situation, new stepmother and two step-sisters who thankfully are at a college now. Things start to shift when Elizabeth decides to do her paper in history over the Grimm fairy tales. Elizabeth's history teacher gives her a recommendation More...
Elizabeth at the moment is friendless. Her best friend has moved to California and she is still trying to get accustomed to her new home situation, new stepmother and two step-sisters who thankfully are at a college now. Things start to shift when Elizabeth decides to do her paper in history over the Grimm fairy tales. Elizabeth's history teacher gives her a recommendation More...
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Nov 16, 2011
Jillian -always aspiring-
rated it: 
(Actual Rating: 2.5 stars)
After reading this book, I fear that I am becoming a bit of a reading snob. You see, two or three years ago, I might really have enjoyed The Grimm Legacy, whatever issues I may have had while reading it. I like to think myself fair when I spot flaws in a book. Some flaws I can shrug off and forget; others I can't. Unfortunately, The Grimm Legacy's flaws fall into the latter. This isn't a horrible book by any means, but it really felt to me as though it could More...
After reading this book, I fear that I am becoming a bit of a reading snob. You see, two or three years ago, I might really have enjoyed The Grimm Legacy, whatever issues I may have had while reading it. I like to think myself fair when I spot flaws in a book. Some flaws I can shrug off and forget; others I can't. Unfortunately, The Grimm Legacy's flaws fall into the latter. This isn't a horrible book by any means, but it really felt to me as though it could More...
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Feb 12, 2012
Valerie
rated it:
I can't resist books like this. The thought of a library that has magical objects you can actually borrow is amazing. I've always liked Fairytales (though probably not as much as Elizabeth) so the title is what really caught my attention.
We find Elizabeth in a rut. She has no friends at her new school, and all she does at home is chores and homework. So when she is given the opportunity for a job after school at an unusual library she takes it with optimism. And this new job of hers More...
We find Elizabeth in a rut. She has no friends at her new school, and all she does at home is chores and homework. So when she is given the opportunity for a job after school at an unusual library she takes it with optimism. And this new job of hers More...
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Aug 11, 2010
Ash
rated it:
This is a very original and magical story. I have always loved fairy tales of all kinds and I don't think I'll ever grow out of it. Maybe it's a girl thing. Either way I don't care because I had so much fun reading this book. Yes, I felt that I literally had fun.
Quick Overview: Elizabeth Rew hasn't been doing too hot lately. Her best friend has moved away, and she hasn't made any friends at her new school. Things seem to be finally going in the right direction though. After a referr More...
Quick Overview: Elizabeth Rew hasn't been doing too hot lately. Her best friend has moved away, and she hasn't made any friends at her new school. Things seem to be finally going in the right direction though. After a referr More...
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Jan 01, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Sep 12, 2011
Sara
rated it: 
This was fun! I love the setting (a library that lends out objects? Neat! Special collections made up of magical objects, sci-fi stuff, futuristic computer things, and more? Even more neat). The story movies on at a goodly pace, has enough mystery and romance to keep you reading. A fun summer read, and even more fun if you get the fairy tale/literary allusions.
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May 27, 2010
Lindi
rated it:
So much fun! I adored Enthusiasm and have been waiting for Polly Shulman's second book ever since. Once again we have a charming high school girl learning about love and friendship in the context of classic stories, but this time the stories are folk tales.
Elizabeth Rew is having a rough year. Her widowed father has remarried and, with two stepdaughters in college, he can no longer afford the tuition for her old school or for her ballet classes. Her best friend has moved to Californ More...
Elizabeth Rew is having a rough year. Her widowed father has remarried and, with two stepdaughters in college, he can no longer afford the tuition for her old school or for her ballet classes. Her best friend has moved to Californ More...
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Oct 12, 2010
Alan
rated it:
A must read, especially for any Middle School or HS girl, but really anyone who loves fairy tales. It has a wonderful female protagonist, Elizabeth, and it is full of the "things" from fairy tales. Those "magical things" carpets and shoes and mirrors are all real, and many of them are kept in the New-York Material Repository. Elizabeth, who, by the way, has a stepmother and two stepsisters, gets a job at the Repository, where she comes to learn that magic is real. We follow E
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Dec 08, 2011
Bianca
rated it:
Verängstigt und gelangweilt schaute ich mich ein bisschen um, weil ich mich ablenken wollte. Da sah ich aus den Augenwinkeln, wie sich etwas hinter mir bewegte. Ich fuhr herum und erstarrte.
Was immer es war, erstarrte ebenfalls.
Zu meiner Erleichterung sah ich mich selbst: mein Ebenbild in einem großen Spiegel, der am Bilderregal hing. Sah ich wirklich so abgehärmt und grimmig aus ?
Ich streckte mir selbst die Zunge raus. "Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, wer ist die Schönst More...
Was immer es war, erstarrte ebenfalls.
Zu meiner Erleichterung sah ich mich selbst: mein Ebenbild in einem großen Spiegel, der am Bilderregal hing. Sah ich wirklich so abgehärmt und grimmig aus ?
Ich streckte mir selbst die Zunge raus. "Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand, wer ist die Schönst More...
Dec 04, 2011
Tanja
rated it:
This was a rather enchanting fairytale with a modern edge, boisterous and entartaining. Elizabeth is a student at a new school. Her mother is dead and her father remarried. She doesn't have many friends. However, after having written a paper on the Grimm brothers, her social studies teacher recommends her for a job working at a library. It's not just any library, it lends out objects rather than books. There are collections of tools, music, fine art and pretty much anything else made by human h
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Nov 07, 2011
Courtney
rated it:
There are so many books in utilizing the theme of fairy tales infringing on the real world that I was a little apprehensive about reading yet another (even though I'm generally a fan of the concept). This particular novel, however, had a nice little twist to it that sets it apart from the pack. Our story opens with Elizabeth attempting to get used to her new school. Her step-sisters are in college, so the family needs to save money by taking Elizabeth out of private school (ringing any bells
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Nov 04, 2011
Lasohaney
rated it: 
I tried two times to read this book and got about halfway through it the second time before I gave up. I really, really wanted to like it. The premise was fascinating: an enchanted library collection, and not of books, but objects--objects from famous fairy tales? It sounded like a perfect blend of reality and fantasy. But try as I might, I couldn't get into it. In part, I think, because it had a lot less to do with the Grimm fairy tales than I thought it would, I think. But mostly, the characte
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Oct 26, 2011
Jill
rated it:
I'm not sure if this book deserved four stars, because I'm not sure that the action scenes in the end lived up to what I expected. But I loved the premise, the repository, the kuduo, the mix of sci fi, fairy tale and mythology (never heard of the Akan before...had to look it up to find it is the language of Ghana. I liked that Anjani and Marc's siblings were added to the mix, so it wasn't just a bunch of teenagers (and especially the two pretty popular ones) solving the mysteries or going on t
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Oct 21, 2011
Teena
rated it:
First impression:
Always love these "fairy tales are true" book. Bonus points for "SFs are true". And the Lovecraft corpus made me squee.
Final verdict:
This is a cute Children/YA fantasy I haven't seen for a while and a nice breeze of fresh air. The world is not that dark and grim (pun!) but an adventurous place filled with magic and mystery.
Elizabeth (the female lead) is relatable. She might be a bit goody-goody but it fit the fa More...
Always love these "fairy tales are true" book. Bonus points for "SFs are true". And the Lovecraft corpus made me squee.
Final verdict:
This is a cute Children/YA fantasy I haven't seen for a while and a nice breeze of fresh air. The world is not that dark and grim (pun!) but an adventurous place filled with magic and mystery.
Elizabeth (the female lead) is relatable. She might be a bit goody-goody but it fit the fa More...
Oct 20, 2011
Barky
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 13, 2011
Anne
rated it:
I really wanted to love this book, very attractive premise. But I found the writing surprisingly unpolished - like they skipped all the editorial passes and went straight to production. The characters, flat to begin with, became increasing frustrating, making stupid choices clearly only to twist the plot into a more hackneyed shape. The pacing was odd as well in the second half of the book, where the action scenes felt rushed and more ambient interludes were emphasized.
I wanted this book t More...
I wanted this book t More...
Sep 20, 2011
Sarai
rated it:
I was disappointed in this book. It was one I had heard good things about and I liked the cover art (which should not figure into it, I know) and the synopsis sounded intriguing. The first half of the book was pretty decent, not knowing who to trust, the introduction of the magical items, etc. But the second half was pretty dull. There was a weird chase scene, people ending up in places with no explanation as to how they got there - maybe just because the author needed them to be there for the n
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Sep 16, 2011
Patricia
rated it:
I have a great fondness for modern-day fairy tales or any book that melds the two together. I picked up The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman when searching the shelves of the YA section at my local library for another book and was pleasantly surprised to find an original story that kept me interested until the very end. Who knew that the artifacts from our favorite fairy tales would be kept in the basement of a New York repository? Including the seven-league books, a mermaid’s comb, and the siniste
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Aug 09, 2011
Karen
rated it:
As a librarian, my only thought throughout this entire book was- How do I get a job here? I so wanted to be Elizabeth and have the opportunity to see all this cool stuff! I love fairy tales and just being able to handle the wicked step-mother's mirror would blow my mind. I think this book will have great crossover appeal to tweens! The fairy tale element will draw them in, while great characters and action keep them hooked.
Elizabeth Rew has the chance to work at the New York Circula More...
Elizabeth Rew has the chance to work at the New York Circula More...
Jul 28, 2011
Brina
rated it:
Elizabeth ist 15 Jahre alt und findet ihr Leben sehr langweilig. Nachdem ihre Mutter verstorben ist und ihr Vater eine neue Frau kennengelernt hat, vereinsamt sie immer mehr, denn ihr Vater finanziert die College-Gebühren ihrer Stiefschwestern und widmet fast seine gesamte Freizeit seiner neuen Frau. Elizabeth kommt oft zu kurz. Auch in der Schule vereinsamt Elizabeth immer mehr, denn sie hat auf ihrer Schule keine Freunde, seit ihre beste Freundin weggezogen ist.
Durch ein Referat über More...
Durch ein Referat über More...
Jun 26, 2011
Abbie
rated it:
Elizabeth feels ostracized by her new stepfamily and the kids at her new school, so she is excited when her history teacher recommends her for a part time job as a page at the New York Circulating Materials Repository. The Repository is nothing like Elizabeth expected. First, it lends out objects instead of books, and it seems impossibly larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Right from the start, Elizabeth loves her new job, but there are plenty of secrets and strange be More...
Right from the start, Elizabeth loves her new job, but there are plenty of secrets and strange be More...
Jun 17, 2011
Natalie
rated it:
I loved this book. It was a fun, original read from start to finish with a cute romance and delightful characters. Elizabeth is a strong, clever girl with a great attitude towards magic. I love how ready she is to believe in its existence and respects the dangers of meddling with such power even as she wants to try everything out.
The secondary characters were great. There is Marc, the handsome school jock who loves his little brother. There is the lovely Anjali who's little sister drives a More...
The secondary characters were great. There is Marc, the handsome school jock who loves his little brother. There is the lovely Anjali who's little sister drives a More...
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Jun 05, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Elizabeth works in a magical library and solves a mystery. Overall, I found this book to be oddly amateurish - the dialogue, the background, and the plot seemed unrefined and kind of lumpy. It reminded me a lot of Connie Willis's Blackout; in both, amazing power was inexplicably given to very incompetent people, who then used it in unforgivably stupid ways. I understand this is a teen book, and as such you want to see teens as lead characters who get access to the magical objects. Just make it m
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May 05, 2011
Ginnypotter506
rated it:
This book was very enthralling. It took the life of the girl Elizabeth and told a fairy tale within a fairy tale, in a way. It had a good combination of magic and reality. Bringing the bases of the stories of the Grimm Brothers, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, into this story made it into something special. Although the story doesn't revolve completely around the stories of these brothers, it still wow's in the magical sense. You are brought into the middle of this girls life and get to know her throug
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Jan 03, 2011
Rachael
rated it:
Elizabeth doesn't have many friends, or really even any, at her school and at home she has an annoying step mother. She does have a favorite teacher and after she makes an interesting topic choice for a paper, he rewards her by setting her up with an interview for a page position at the Repository. The Repository is like a lending library for things of all kinds and sounds like the most interesting place ever. I love my job as a children's librarian but if the Repository actually existed I wo
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Dec 21, 2010
Susan
rated it:
Elizabeth Rew is used to being overlooked, whether it's by her bossy stepmother and stepsisters, her busy father, or the kids at school. Except for the tragic twist in her backstory (she lost her mother) Her life isn't exactly the stuff of fairy tales until a paper on the Grimm stories lands her an unexpected job at a highly unusual library which only gets more unusual--and dangerous--the more she learns about it.
Having worked at Chicago's Newberry Library myself once, I can vouch that More...
Having worked at Chicago's Newberry Library myself once, I can vouch that More...
Dec 11, 2010
A Canadian Girl
rated it:
Right from the start, it was extremely easy to get lost in the pages of The Grimm Legacy. The world that Shulman has created is so realistic and vivid that it’s not hard to imagine the New York Circulating Material Repository, a building that looks like a normal Manhattan brownstone on the outside but is actually much bigger on the inside, having expanded into the neighbouring properties. I especially love the fact that Shulman began each chapter of the book with a Repository object that would b
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Dec 01, 2010
Jeanne
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The Grimm Legacy was a disappointment. Polly Shulman is a decent writer (Enthusiasm, her previous book, was a cute piece of Austen-inspired YA fluff), and the idea that not only do relics from fairy tales exist but also that they are kept in a special lending library sounded amazing. Unfortunately, unlike the artifacts, The Grimm Legacy has no magic in its soul.
Elizabeth, a Cinderella-esque teen who finds herself alone in a new school, is recommended for a page post at the New York Cir More...
Elizabeth, a Cinderella-esque teen who finds herself alone in a new school, is recommended for a page post at the New York Cir More...
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Nov 10, 2010
Ori
rated it:
The Grimm Legacy is an excellent book built on a fantastic premise. The main character is a little bit difficult to figure out sometimes, as other stronger personalities in the book tend to overwhelm her. As far as I can tell, her personality doesn't quite change at all throughout the story, but her personality is actually not that bad. She might not be particularly striking or entertaining, but hers is the passive kind of heroine that doesn't grate on you. She is quiet and deferential, but she
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Nov 08, 2010
BookKids
rated it:
In The Grimm Legacy, Elizabeth gets a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository, a lending library of unique books and things. Here you can check out a toy for your child or a historic outfit. Elizabeth is hired as a runner, someone who retrieves objects from the stacks and various collections to be sent down to the reading room where patrons can either just view an item or check it out. All of it is interesting and fun (and of course there’s a cute boy), but something odd is going
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