The Fairy-Tale Detectives

The Sisters Grimm #1

by Michael Buckley, Peter Ferguson (Illustrator)

For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Young Adult

284 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley was born in Akron, Ohio. He tried his hand as a stand-up comic and lead singer for a punk rock back before attending Ohio University. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to be an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman which led to stints developing programming for Discovery Networks, MTV, MTV Animation and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats). Today he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Alison, and their son Finn.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim and had so much fun reading it! The start feels like a series of unfortunate events stitched together with the spider wick chronicles, but ultimately finds it's own path. It's adventurous and filled with all sorts of familiar faces from fairytales we all know and love.

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fun fact about me as a child is that i read at least six of the books in this series, and i managed to do so ONLY when i was extremely sick.

these were so boring to me in childhood that i had to be on forced bedrest, with no other books and not allowed to watch TV (because when we stayed home sick we were not permitted screen time, to discourage truancy-based crimes and deceit), in order to get through them.

it is for this reason that these books make me think of the following:
- being dead tired but unable to fall asleep
- feeling feverish
- Trader Joe's Spiced Cider, which i also only drank when i was sick, due to the fact that it was disgusting but my mom made me

i do love fairytales, though. so. 3 stars.

this is part of a project i am doing where i ostensibly review books i read a long time ago, but mostly just share childhood memories to an uncaring crowd.

[Melanie (TBR and Beyond) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That's why crazy people are so dangerous. You think they're nice until they're chaining you up in the garage.”

How did I miss this book in life?!?!?! Why did I never even hear about it! Thankfully I have remedied this situation and read the book!

This is what I expect in a great middle-grade novel. This book was well-written, had wonderful characters, great adventure, lots of humor and just an overall good time. I have no clue why I have never heard of this book, but I'm sure glad I stumbled past it in my library and it caught my eye. I adore The Brothers Grimm so when I saw that name attached to this book it was a no-brainer for me. I knew this book was going to be made just for me.

I had no real expectations with this books, since I had never heard of, so it was a very pleasant surprise to read something so great. I was pretty surprised at the humor in this one, it was something that adults could enjoy just as much as kids. There was nothing inappropriate though. I know some children't movies and books have adult jokes in them that can kind of push the line - this wasn't like that. It's completely safe to let your kids read, in my opinion.

I'm a sucker for fairy tales and nursery rhyme characters and this had them in abundance. This book is what I was expecting from The Land of Stories but didn't get. I don't think there were any characters that I didn't like and the kids weren't annoying or whiny, which is a plus. They are sisters (hence the title) and their relationship with each other was very believable. Another huge plus for me with this book is that I LOVE that they included Puck in this story, for those who are familiar with that character I'm sure it will bring a smile to your face as well.

I would highly recommend this one. If there was a set for sale on the entire series, I would just go ahead and purchase it, that is how impressed I was with this first installment of the series. I will certainly continuing the series. Five stars all the way for me.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needing something a little shorter to fit into my reading schedule, I turned to this series debut by Michael Buckley, which takes readers behind the scenes and into the stories of the Brothers Grimm. Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been shipped off from one foster home to another for many years. What they’re told that their paternal grandmother has agreed to take care of them, though Sabrina becomes very dubious, having heard that the woman died many years ago. However, after meeting the slightly eccentric woman and seeing family photographs, the girls are more apt to believe these tall tales. The transition from NYC to Ferryport Landing is a shock, though not as much as the truth behind their ancestry. Grimms have long been around to ensure that Everafters are protected, but also abide by all the rules, keeping humans from locking them away. That being said, the form of protection offered is isolating them in their current township and not permitting any further exploration. Surely a factor in all the resentment. Grandma Grimm explained further that she is a form of detective, working to puzzle together some of the odd happenings around Ferryport Landing while also battling the sinister ways of Mayor Charming, once an English prince and now a power-hungry fool. With Sabrina and Daphne on board to help, they come across a house that’s been flattened by what one can only presume is a large boot, beanstalk leaves surrounding the property. The girls watch their grandmother in action as she opens up the investigation and begins positing what might have happened. However, as luck would have it, a giant returns to the scene—large boot and all—where he scoops up Grandmother Grimm, leaving the girls in a sense of panic. A new mystery on their hands—how to retrieve their grandmother—the girls seek the assistance of other Everafters, while dodging some of the more nefarious characters who cross their paths. One can only hope that this will have a happy ending for all. Buckley uses some strong fairytale references, sure to entertain the young adult or teen reader, surely the target audience for this book.

Sometimes you need a reading break, but are not fully prepared to turn to the newspaper funny pages. In those cases (or when I need something shorter), I turn to YA books, where I can usually suspend my belief system and yet still be entertained. Buckley provides that here with this first novel in what looks to be a fairly developed series all about the Sisters Grimm and their detective capabilities. Mixing the story of two humans in a community full of Everafters (read: characters from fairytales), Buckley is able not only to provide the reader with some semblance of a connection to previous well-known stories, but also twist the character to suit the story, such as the sheriff who was once one of the three pigs but has since become a corrupted and hoofed authority figure. Buckley seeks not to create fully believed scenarios, but at least entertain with the characters who pepper the pages of this story. The plot is decent for what it is and I was impressed with the flow, keeping the story moving without getting too bogged down in silly humour (though what might be right in line with the age range for the piece). It served its purpose for me and I will try to use the age-appropriate filter here, seeing Neo return to these books in a few years when he is a strong individual reader and criticising my review for being off the mark.

Kudos, Mr. Buckley, for such a wonderful debut piece. I think I may return for more in the future, as there is something fun about these stories.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. All of these creatures have now moved to America, and live in the town that they are now in. It is the Grimm's family job to keep these fairy tale creatures in line, which is a big job.

One thing that really bugged me was that the story is told through Sabrina's pov, and she spends the first 100 pages doubting everything and being a brat. I think the story would have been a lot more enjoyable if it had been told through Daphne's pov. She's a sweet girl, and it would have made it a much better story. There are also several flaws. The most glaring one is that the Grimm's, generations ago, bonded the fairy tale creatures to the one town, but the catch was that they bonded themselves there too. If the Grimm's can't leave that town, how did Sabrina and Daphne's father move to NYC, and how did they live there themselves? It's never explained. Another flaw is how many story creatures this town has. Okay, there are the Grimm creatures, and Hans Christian Anderson, and the Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland, and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, but then later on in the story, King Arthur shows up. At some point the author has to draw a line, before it becomes every creature from every story, and not just fairy tale creatures.

Overall it was a fun, original, fractured take on the fairy tales. There were jokes that rewarded you for having read the fairy tales, and also from these creatures having to interact with the modern world. The kind of humor you would find in Jasper Fforde's stories, and that I particularly like. It also has a good plot, with a twist at the end that I really didn't expect, which I find very rarely in books on the junior side of the library. On top of that, it's a cute little book, with pages about the size of my hand:) It's a shame that the flaws were so glaring and detracted from an otherwise really cute book. There's a second in the series, and I'm definitely going to read it. I bet it will be a lot more enjoyable now that Sabrina is not doubting everything around her!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magic in the wrong hands only leads to chaos.

Two orphaned girls discover that they're actually related to the Brothers Grimm, and that that famous book of fairy tales is really a true account of past events. They're also surprised to learn that their grandmother is a fairy tale detective, and she expects them to join her in the crime-solving biz. So, what's their first case? Well, it's a doozy:

"I hear they're already trying to rescue their grandmother. Can you believe it?" said the White Rabbit. "Two kids taking on a giant! The whole family will be pushing up daisies by morning."

That's right - there's a giant on the loose! Sounds like a job for Jack the Giant-Killer, but first . . . the girls will need to bust him out of prison.

This was loads of fun, IF you don't think about it too much. The characters in this enchanted tale come not just from fairy tales, but from all walks of literature. I half expected to run into Pippi Longstocking and Huck Finn. Who know? Maybe they'll show up in some later volumes. There are eight more to go, and I think I'll probably try to read every one of them.

It's probably only a three-and-a-half star read, but I'll round up since the author did go to some darker places that I was not expecting.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 premise offers little compensation for having to deal with Sabrina Grimm during the first half of the novel. Recently orphaned under odd circumstances, Sabrina (age 11) and her younger sister are sent to their mysterious grandmother whom the girls were told had died years ago. This all occurs in the first chapter. From there to the halfway point, readers are privy to Sabrina's numerous railings against Granny Grimm proclaiming her as a fraud and a lunatic.

After the halfway point, when the author finally lets Sabrina be an effective character instead of her previous killjoy self, the story picks up. Sabrina also becomes tolerable to read about. At times Buckley seems to forget that he is writing a children's novel--perhaps hoping to imitate Jasper Fforde's more effective integration of fictional-characters-as-real-people into his popular Thursday Next novels. This creates scenes that seem incongruously gory, some characters even seeming vicious, especially when, at other points, Buckley seems to be at pains to avoid writing about violence (particularly with the circumstances of the girls' being orphaned). Buckley seems uncertain of his audience and his own style--which changes throughout the narrative.

Overall, the story reads more like a setup for future books rather than an actual story that can stand alone. Hopefully, now that Sabrina is out of her funk and the premise is in place, the sisters' future adventures will be more enjoyable to follow.

You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 wants to drown her.


While for children, this book will be enjoyed by adults. The premise is somewhat similar to Fables: Legends in Exile thought without the heavy symbolism and adult themes. It's true, as some of the reviews have pointed out, that Buckley seems to use a very loose form of fairy tales (and is inspired perhaps by Jasper Fforde and Into the Woods), but the book is amusing and easily accesible by both adults and children.

What I like best, however, is Buckley's use of two girls as the "chosen" ones. Too often the chosen one is a boy, and it is nice to see a book where it is two sisters who work together and love each her. As an aside, why do male authors tend to use the female chosen one more than female authors? At least on the children's book level? Terry Pratchett and China Miéville, for instance have books where the lead character is a young girl. Okay, true Pratchett had the Johnny Maxwell series, but before that he had Equal Rites. When Rowling set up the next generation of Harry Potter in the epilogue, it was another boy. I find it very intersting.

This book as a nice sense of humor, is not too scary, and moves very quickly. Additionally, I was quite impressed by the material at the end (what would be a reading group guide in an adult book). Not only does it include a brief letter from the author, but a brief overview of fairy tales (ie as in terms of literary), suggestions for writing and constructing your own fairy tale, further reading in the form of books and websites, and a brief quiz. All done to teach without looking like they are teaching.

[Intisar Khanani · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter gave this to me and asked me to read it, so of course I did. I mean, even if I don't usually read MG, how do you say no to your super-excited 8 year old telling you she's found a fantastic new book? OBVIOUSLY you read it. She loved it. It was thrilling and exciting and had just the right fright level, and she consumed it about as fast as she's ever read anything. We immediately sought out Book 2 for her.

As for me, I enjoyed it--there were twists I didn't see coming, and a couple I did, and a lovely level of humor throughout. And now we have the pleasure of chatting about it together, which is special indeed. So there we go. Give it to your 8 year old, and prepare for a possible buddy read. ;)

[Mairéad (is roaming the Undying Lands) · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The night is young, and by the grace of magic, so are we.”

2 stars, even 2.5 stars at best.

Unfortunately this didn't make me feel as young as I should be. In fact, I felt bored and felt like reading this was a bit of a chore, which is sad. Again it might have something to do with reading my previous book at the same time so I pretty much could say, out of the both of them--this one was the lesser. :/

Daphne and several characters were the saving graces for me, whereas Sabrina merely dominated the narrative and killed a far bit of the enjoyment for me. Therefore I've dubbed her Sabrina the Joy Killer, much to my distaste. But both sisters were extreme opposites--either one is too engrossed with everything (Daphne <3) or they're so darn septic that they ruin the fun for others (this was Sabrina for me).

Other than that the fairytale aspect was really interesting, especially the twist at the end made me smile and laugh a bit. I just wish there was more for me there to enjoy--namely if Sabrina hadn't seemed so negative and whiny throughout the story. Again, I can understand Sabrina's character, it's just how she was presented to us, the readers, was a major turn-off for me on several grounds. x:

“You can't judge the many by the actions of the few.”

[Sassy Katt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and entertaining read! Definitely gonna check out the second book in the series!

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fairy-Tale Detectives is a pleasant audiobook read that fans of fairy tales (young and those who are young at heart) will probably enjoy. I liked the idea that the Grimms were actually a real family of chroniclers whose legacy continues into the present. Sisters Sabrina and Daphne make for likeable, fun protagonists. I felt for them in that they had lost their parents and were adrift and lacking family and a home. Their grandmother is the kind of gramps you dream of. Although Sabrina was very argumentative and hard to deal with at first, it's understandable why. She's acting out because of what she's dealing with. She feels betrayed at her parents' disappearance, and a series of bad foster homes, not to mention the burden of having to protect her younger sister. Daphne was far more likable, but then, she is still in that stage where she's more resilient against the cold, cruel world. I liked Granny Relda and Mr. Canis and of course, their dog Elvis.

I liked the inside jokes of the fairy tale characters that are very familiar to those who enjoy the subject. Puck was a lot of fun, and so were the three piggies who are now the law enforcement in town. The author surprised me at the twist on the storyline. I did not expect the direction the story went. It's interesting that I had also read the first graphic novel in the Fables series: Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, so I saw some of the same characters with storylines that overlapped in interesting ways. While this is a kids series, I think it has enough nuances that an older reader can enjoy it.

Why didn't I rate it higher? I think the narrator and I didn't click very well. I also felt like the story took a while to develop and get interesting, and it never got to that "I have to hear what happens next" phase. Now that doesn't mean I won't continue this series. I'm definitely interested enough to keep going, but this isn't a series I have to read back to back. I'm happy to fill it in amongst other reading adventures. But still, The Fairy Tale Detectives has an interesting concept and appealing characters that do make me want to come back to revisit them in the future.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best word for this (little) book is "cute" I think. I put it on a shelf I call "youth" as in many ways it's very young and if my kids were small I'd read it to them. On the other hand there are "jokes" or "humorous remarks" that older readers will appreciate.

We start with two "orphans" who have ended up in the care of a dried up lady who dislikes kids but somehow ended up running an orphanage. There have been a chain of....unfortunate foster parents (to use a Lemony Snicketism). Of course that may be a subjective view...do you consider say, psychopaths and such as poor choices for parents?????

Oh well.

Now the girls, oh did I tell you they were sisters, or their family name? Yes these are the Grimm sisters and they're off to live with their grandmother. The only snag is that the girls parents (before they disappeared of course) had told them their grandparents were dead...

Hummm....

Well anyway nice book, good story, lots of humor concerning characters you'll recognize. I'll probably read some more of these for light reads when I can use a vacation from reality, seriousness and so on. Enjoy.

Now...by the way, I just thought I "mention" that this book was published in 2005. It's about a family named Grimm whose members have to solve mysteries and crimes concerning fairytale creatures that the rest of humanity don't see. They live in Storybrook errrr...."Ferryport Landing" or "Fairyport Landing" where all kinds of fairytale folk live. And can't leave.

Then there were a couple of TV shows that came into being in 2011. I'm beginning to wonder if a couple of TV networks might have gotten ideas from....somewhere??????

[Shainlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a review here. BLAST!!!

Ok. This book was so worth it. I kept finding myself grinning and smiling as I was reading it. It was funny and the characters were those that you could adore, while the story was a mystery you actually wanted to solve. They are detectives and it runs in the family. It’s a cool thing to me. These could definitely appeal to a wide range of ages and not just children. They are great.
I highlighted some of the things I thought were neat or that made me smile. Granny is great. Daphne is hilarious and Sabrina is growing into it. I might even get used to our resident trickster.

Lots of magic and more fun to be had.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, please keep my review from going AWOL.

[Mike (the Paladin)]

The best word for this (little) book is "cute" I think. I put it on a shelf I call "youth" as in many ways it's very young and if my kids were small I'd read it to them. On the other hand there are "jokes" or "humorous remarks" that older readers will appreciate.

We start with two "orphans" who have ended up in the care of a dried up lady who dislikes kids but somehow ended up running an orphanage. There have been a chain of....unfortunate foster parents (to use a Lemony Snicketism). Of course that may be a subjective view...do you consider say, psychopaths and such as poor choices for parents?????

Oh well.

Now the girls, oh did I tell you they were sisters, or their family name? Yes these are the Grimm sisters and they're off to live with their grandmother. The only snag is that the girls parents (before they disappeared of course) had told them their grandparents were dead...

Hummm....

Well anyway nice book, good story, lots of humor concerning characters you'll recognize. I'll probably read some more of these for light reads when I can use a vacation from reality, seriousness and so on. Enjoy.

Now...by the way, I just thought I "mention" that this book was published in 2005. It's about a family named Grimm whose members have to solve mysteries and crimes concerning fairytale creatures that the rest of humanity don't see. They live in Storybrook errrr...."Ferryport Landing" or "Fairyport Landing" where all kinds of fairytale folk live. And can't leave.

Then there were a couple of TV shows that came into being in 2011. I'm beginning to wonder if a couple of TV networks might have gotten ideas from....somewhere??????

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.35 ***

"...“How did you know that we could get him to do whatever we want if we pretend he’s in charge?” Sabrina asked Daphne.
“It’s what I do with you” the little girl replied. “You two are exactly the same”..."

Wonderful beginning of a series for children starting at around 8 years old:)

Two sisters try to adjust to life with their mom and dad missing... Grandma Grimm steps in and maihem ensues:) Fun and enjoyable!

"...“That woman is hiding something!” she said. “You think everyone’s hiding something.” “And you would hug the devil if he gave you cookies.”..."

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 girls as the protagonists definitely appeals to a lot of young readers. However, the dialogue was a little too cutesy for my taste and I didn't feel the Everafters (Buckley's lingo for "fairy tale" characters) were developed and utilized to their full potential. Maybe later installments in the series will delve more into the lives of the Everafters, but I would have loved to have sat in on a class taught by Snow White, or observed Jack selling his big and tall men's clothing. I think it would have given the one-note "fairy tale" characters more diversity and made the entire book exponentially more interesting.

Admittedly, though, I must give the author props for not pandering to grown-ups. I think too many "children's" movies, books, magazines, etc., are geared towards keeping the parents captivated as well as their kids. This is not outstanding writing, and I think when my sister (who loves "The Sisters Grimm") grows up she will realize it...but, as a kid, I think she had every right to enjoy the book.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS!!!
I knew this was going to include fairytale characters, but this was like a Once Upon a Time for middle grade readers.
There is a town seemingly in the middle of nowhere where these fairytale creatures are stuck. It is up to the Grimm family to keep everyone in line and to solve the mysteries around town.
We meet so many well known characters but with twists on them. We have a glutinous Charming, and a good Big Bad Wolf. Gilda the Good Witch is pretty neutral and the Grimm family is full of spunk.
I couldn't get enough of this. I flew through it since it is pretty action packed. The fun part is solving the mystery but at times I was so caught up in the action, I forgot to consider the clues staring me right in the face. I even did a face palm halfway through this book (I'm not even kidding) because I was like "HOW did I miss THAT?" Great little plot twists thrown in.
I was incredibly impressed with the author's creativity and world building. I loved seeing old characters in new lights and loved the mini-feminists that are the Grimm sisters.
I immediately went and checked out the 2nd one in the series and can not wait to continue!

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 stale to many adults.

[Caroline Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

have you ever wanted to read percy jackson, but with fairy tales instead of greek myths and a tween girl protagonist who hates everyone? throughly enjoyed this stop on my childhood fav reread tour, would highly recommend. honestly think this one might’ve held up the best of the children’s books i’ve revisited

michael buckley was really ahead of his time for making the three little pigs be the town cops lol

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this. Reminds me of the show Once Upon A Time. 💕✨
4⭐

[☀︎El In Oz☀︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

Nostalgia read, and so delightful

[Meisha (ALittleReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sisters Grimm is about two girls, Sabrina and Daphne, whom jump around from foster home to foster home after the strange circumstances that lead to their parents disappearances. They finally land in the home of an elder woman whom claims to their last living relative. Their Granny Relda. Who also claims to have connections to real life Fairytale creatures and beings (and relations to the Grimms Brothers.)
Sabrina has a hard time believing this, keeping her guard up, until a giant kidnaps grandma Relda and her friend Canis. The girls are thrown into this unknown world on their own to figure out how to get Granny Relda and Canis back.
This was a really fun read and found it to be quite the page turner. Even for something that's meant for an age range much younger than me. I genuinely think this is a book that people of all ages can enjoy. And would be a good book to read as a family to your children.
This reminded me a lot of Fablehaven by Brandon Mull and the popular TV show Once Upon a Time. If you've seen/read those, I think you'd really enjoy this one. This is FILLED with every character from every Fairytale you can think of. Even some that are lesser known. There's definitely a lot more characters in here than just the Grimms brother characters. I had a lot of fun bumping into them all and getting to interact with them (as much as you can through a book.) It genuinely felt like reading a modern Fairytale and made this book so whimsy, magical, thrilling, enjoyable and an action packed, page turning read.
I will definitely be continuing the series when I get around to it. And if you haven't picked this one up yet and enjoy middle grade and Fairytales? Do yourself a favor.:) So much fun and such a delight to read!

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad I finally reread this. It holds up.

I’ve always said this is like OUAT but better. Still agree. Fairy tale characters trapped in a small town (except they’re aware of who they are). But it’s so much more than that. Sabrina was forced to become the protector of her little sister Daphne when their parents disappeared and they were thrust into the foster system. After dozens of horrible, uncaring, even abusive families, she and Daphne are sent to live with the grandmother they were told was dead. To make it worse, this woman is insane, talking about fairy tale characters as if they actually exist, and she has Daphne under her spell. All Sabrina wants is to run away and get her and her sister to somewhere safe. But Granny Relda is kind and good, if insane, and when she is kidnapped by a giant, Sabrina realizes that everything she said was true. And she’s not about to let the only family she and Daphne have left disappear forever.

It’s a beautiful adoption arc between an angry, untrusting (for good reason) girl and her eccentric grandmother, and I love it.

Oh, and I love Puck the Trickster King. And Elvis the giant Great Dane. And Mr. Canis. *soft sigh*

Now to binge the rest of the series. :D

[Nirkatze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably would've given a higher rating if I were reading this younger. It was fun, cute, but didn't really grip me at all. Still, I can appreciate it, and I think I'll be recommending it to some friends with youngish kids. I also appreciate that while the story starts off with somewhat black-and-white perspectives, it moves into the gray, and that we get some nice hints at how these fairy-tale characters--erm, excuse me, Everafters--may have grown up and evolved during their lives in Ferryport.

Fellow BR folks compared it to Percy Jackson books and the Grimm TV series, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Once Upon a Time. Closest to me feels Percy Jackson--though aimed at a younger audience. The book does a similar thing with Fairy Tales as the Riordan books do with Myths, using the cultural knowledge to spark humor and inspire further learning.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 Mirror. But even then, can they figure out how to save Granny Grimm? Who let the giant out? Why? And is that a red handprint?

see all my reviews at www.tushuguan.blogspot.com

[deah]

I have so much to do but I started this series when I was in primary school and since half the books weren't out then I never finished so I'm starting again from the beginning to the end. It's really nice when you read something again from your childhood and it's still just as good as you remembered and not completely basic like a lot of our fav kids books turn out to be

[Amiad]

לאחר שההורים שלהם נעלמים האחיות גרים עוברות להתגורר אצל סבתן שמגלה להן שהן צאצאיות של האחים גרים והתפקיד שלהן הוא להגן מפני דמויות מהאגדות.

בתור ספר נוער הספר נחמד ועם כמה מהפכים לא צפויים.

[Eve (were)-Baehr]

Found this for free on audible. And listened to this on 3.50 speed, in one day. Yep that’s me.

Wasn’t sure what the age range was for this book.
And as someone who is willing to read across many age ranges and genres (as long as it has no explicit content), I wasn’t super worried about age. Though it definitely ended up being a lot younger than I expected. Not sure what to rate it. And I probably wouldn’t read it again. But I didn’t hate it, and I would probably play for some of my siblings if they were bored.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How did you know that we could get him to do whatever we want if we pretend he's in charge?" Sabrina asked Daphne.
"It's what I do with you," the little girl replied. "You two are exactly the same."

Daphne is my fave, okay?

I feel like I read this at the wrong time in life, and it makes me sad. Don't get me wrong, I still love middle-grade, but I get the feeling that if I'd read this book when I was ten or so, I would have LOVED it. I enjoyed it, but I didn't LOVE it.

But it was cute! It's basically "Once Upon a Time" for kids and I'm here for it. Rather than Storybrooke, we have Ferryport Landing, a town where characters from fiction are intermingled with ordinary mortals, but the Everafters cannot leave. The Grimms keep everyone in line, settling disputes and keeping the border intact. But are Sabrina and Daphne Grimm aware of this? No. Doesn't keep the crazy from happening to them, though.

I love the way the author put together Ferryport Landing. The characters he worked in are fascinating and original and the twists he put on all of them. Jack the Giant-Killer and Mirror and Mayor Charming and Glinda the Good Witch and ahh it was just really cool.

Unfortunately it wasn't my favorite. I didn't like Sabrina all that much. She was something of a season one Emma Swan but not redeemed quickly enough for my liking. Idk, she just kind of annoyed me? But Daphne! and their grandma! and Canis!! Yeah I liked them a lot.

Anyway... 3.5 stars from me! Should I keep going? Idk?