Entertaining and a little disturbing (but in a good way): my review of A Take Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

A Tale Dark & Grimm is sort of a throw back to old-school fairy tales, the ones that were meant to teach kids lessons by shocking them with horror. The novel follows the adventures of Hansel and Gretel as they embark on an incredible journey. Each chapter is a different story featuring either Hansel or Gretel or both. The tales are indeed dark and may possibly be scary for some younger kids (8 or 9), but I found them incredibly entertaining and definitely suitable for upper middle grade.

What I liked: the originality! I’ve never read such interesting takes on old fairy tales. I love how the author weaves the main characters through a vast array of dangerous and unique experiences. I also loved how both the characters grow throughout the stories, learning lessons as they do. The narrator interruptions were, for the most part, very witty.

What I didn’t like: some of the narrator interruptions were just too long. Most of them were fine (and funny), but some of them went on and on, and took me out of the story. Occasionally, the interruptions were over a page long. Too much in my opinion.

But overall, a very interesting read.

4.5 out of 5 stars