Summary: 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.
Review: I picked this series up in a post-Fablehaven
funk. I wanted something fun,
light-hearted, and something I could possibly read to my kids in a few years. I was pleasantly surprised by the Sisters Grimm series. It was refreshing and fun to read about how
your favorite fairy tale characters would interact today. Snow White teaches self-defense classes. Prince Charming is the Mayor. Even better, Shakespeare’s Puck is
indispensible to the story, both as a protagonist and as the prankster we love
him for being. However, in true fairy
tale form, nothing is as it seems, and even these characters have secrets.
I
was expecting this series to be quick, brainless, light on heart and
mystery, and was a little shocked following the series down some pretty dark
paths. Once the overall story started
to intensify, it got dark fast, and didn’t really lighten up until the very
last book. It’s certainly not a series
I’d read to my kids now, but it’s one I’d read with them when they are ten or
eleven.
Rating: Three stars
For the Sensitive Reader: There was more fairy tale violence than I would be comfortable having my younger readers exposed to, and one case of domestic violence is mentioned.
For the Sensitive Reader: There was more fairy tale violence than I would be comfortable having my younger readers exposed to, and one case of domestic violence is mentioned.
1 comment:
I have been reading this series with my daughter for the past couple months. We are currently on book 4. I agree that it is darker than expected. I am also not crazy about Sabrina's character. She is whiny and self-centered, plus quite judgmental. I am hoping she mellows out and learns a lesson or two by the end of the series. My daughter is almost eight, but advanced in her vocabulary and reading skills. She loves these books. It helps that she has a friend reading these stories as well. A friend that has a crush on Puck I must add :). Your age recommendation of 10 seems about right if giving these to a child to read alone. They are 4th-5th grade reading level. I am glad I am reading them with my daughter so we can talk through some of the behaviors and violence in the books.
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