Customer Reviews

The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The author came to my son's school and spoke to a gymnasium full of kids. When my son came home, he couldn't stop talking about it. He thought the author was the funniest adult in the world. Apparently, Mr. Buckley taught the kids how to write their own fairy tale, and let the kids participate. From what my son told me, they created the story of a bald princess who had to shave the back of an elf in order to get hair. Anyway, I'd never seen him so excited to read a book. He was not disappointed and read the whole thing in two days. This book is over 200 pages! I couldn't believe it. I figured he'd forget about it, but then he said he found out the next one comes out on Halloween and he wants me to pre-order it for him AND, get this, he wants to read the original Brother's Grimm fairytales. As I remember, those are pretty messed up, but I suppose they can't be any worse than playing "Halo." Anyway, I started reading this book for myself, and I have to admit, it's brilliant and amazingly funny. I don't know if the Harry Potter books are this well written, but from what I've seen in the movies, they're not this funny. And it's not toilet humor. It's WITTY. In fact, I was surprised how much my son liked it, considering how smart it is. The author has won me over as a fan as well, and I'm a 41 year old man. Dear God, please don't tell my golfing partners.

Anyway, I was so impressed I felt I had to write a review. Anything that can get my kid to read rather than sit on his butt playing video games is a godsend.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are orphans ever since their parents disappeared. Since then, they've been shuffled from foster home to unpleasant foster home. And the girls have gotten very good at running away. But that was before a woman claiming to be their grandmother took them in and brought them to the little town of Ferryport. Sabrina's of the opinion this boring little town is just another place to run away from. But looks can be deceiving . . .

Michael Buckley has created a delightful new series that's part mystery, part fantasy, and part adventure. Ferryport is a special town, with an unusual population that includes pixies, dwarves, and all the other kinds of characters that ever populated fairy tales and legends. The Grimm sisters quickly discover that they are heirs to a family legacy that includes writing the continuing history of these "Ever Afters" and solving Ferryport's mysteries. In this case, that mystery includes the appearance of a giant. But not to worry, the Grimm sisters are on the case! Buckley manages to take the tropes of a good mystery novel and create a cast of fairy tale characters to fill the roles and provide the clues. The writing is intelligent and witty without overwhelming the young reader or becoming to simplistic for the audience. At two hundred and eighty pages or so, this will be a decent read for the youngster graduating from the shorter series work and still seeks for something in the same format. Even for an adult reader like myself, the story had me hooked from the beginning, and while I had some notion of how it was going to play out, even I was surprised by a few of the twists and turns the story took. Buckley creates some grand characterizations and a some very good chuckles, such as Jack working in a men's Big and Tall shop.

The books themselves are as well crafted as the story. Taking after the Series of Unfortunate Events, these books are smaller than the average hardcover, with a cloth cover rather than a dust jacket. They also have the riffled pages, which make the books more aesthetically pleasing, and the pages easier to turn. Peter Ferguson's occasional black and white illustrations provide some delightful breaks between the text and help the readers visualize the events as they occur in the book. The audience for this book will likely range from advanced readers in third grade through fourth and fifth grade audiences. It is probably a little too advanced if the child is just beginning to read series like The Magic Tree House or Dragonslayer's Academy, but just right if they have gotten to the end of those series and are ready for something that's a bit more challenging. Likewise, readers that are cutting their teeth on Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew or the Boxcar Children will probably enjoy this new brand of detective fiction, especially if they also enjoy a bit of fantasy in the mix.

If you enjoy this story, there is a second book out in The Sisters Grimm series, THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS. Readers who enjoy this might also want to check out the Sammy Keyes mystery series by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

The Author of this book came to my school about a month ago and everyone was comepletely entranced! About a week later we went to the school library and about five copies were sitting there. I was one of the lucky kids who got there first! This book is really great and I love how Michael Buckley combined danger, humor, and fun. This is a fantastic book, I' ve read the second one too, and I hope the 3rd one comes out soon.

Emily

Michael Buckley has reinvented our favorite fairy tales and takes readers on a surreal romp through magical forests and enchanted balls. It's funny, touching and even terrifying at times. Prince Charming is a corrupt mayor with one of the seven dwarves as his lackey and limo driver, the Big Bad Wolf is a tormented, yoga-practising, modern-day werewolf, and Jack (of beanstalk fame), works at the local men's Big and Tall store and is presented as a pompous, thieving delinquent. What's not to love here?

i love kids books, myself, so when i can pass one on to my kids that they in turn love - its a miracle. my son is mad for this book, he read it in record time and has not stopped talking about it. he raced to read the second one and is miserable that the third will not be out for another 6 months. he has decided that now he will read the brothers grimm fairytales in between to be more up to spead on them, and not just know the disney versions. thank you for a great new series.

My first-grade son is almost 7 and cannot get enough of this book. For the first time, we are reading something together that neither of us wants to put down. He begs for two more pages, and I cave every time.
If you're not sure if your child is old enough for this book, buy it anyway and read it for yourself. This is the kind of literature that inspires a lifelong love of reading.

Eleven-year-old Sabrina Grimm, and her eight-year-old sister, Daphne, have had a tough time since their beloved parents - Veronica and Henry - disappeared without a trace a year and a half ago. Since then, the New York City natives have spent their lives living much like sewer rats, as they were shuffled from bad foster home to bad foster home. Sometimes they were treated as slaves; others they were just verbally abused. So when the girls are told that they will be living with their Granny Relda, they're both extremely skeptical. Ever since they were both toddlers, the two of them were told that their Grandmother was dead - end of story. But now she seems to have been resurrected in the form of a doughy-faced, friendly woman who claims to be their long-lost Grandmother. Daphne is only too happy to accept the woman's claims; but Sabrina is a different story. A little older, and quite a bit wiser, Sabrina believes that Granny Relda is nothing more than an imposter, and will try anything to prove her a liar, and escape from Ferryport Landing, New York, before the two of them disappear like their parents. But escape is nothing but a distant dream when it comes to Granny Relda and her slightly wild-eyed, stooped gentleman friend, Mr. Canis. Mr. Canis is a bizarre individual who never seems to leave Granny Relda's side, and will do everything in his power to stop Sabrina and Daphne from leaving Granny Relda's home. But as the two girls spend more time with Granny Relda, they begin to learn a few very strange things about their ancestry. First, Sabrina and Daphne are relatives of the Brothers Grimm - a pair of writers who penned some of the most famous fairytales in history. Second, those so-called fairytales are actually true tales of mischief making that were taken directly from the Brothers Grimm's case files. Third, Ferryport Landing is full of fairytale characters - from Beauty and the Beast, to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; and even The Wizard of Oz. And, to add insult to injury, each of the fairytale characters are forced to stay on Ferryport Landing until the last of the Grimm's dies out. Granny Relda's stories and recap of their family tree, however, only leave Sabrina convinced that the lights are on, but nobody's home. Daphne, on the other hand, has fallen head-over-heels in love with Granny Relda - along with her huge Great Dane, Elvis - and is only too happy to believe everything the woman says. But when Granny Relda begins talking about giants, and Jack and the Beanstalk, things get a little scary. Unfortunately, that's only the beginning. Soon, Granny Relda and Mr. Canis are picked up by a giant, and quickly disappear from sight. Even though they've only been in Ferryport Landing for a short time, the two girls realize that it is up to them to take on their role as fairytale detectives, and save both Granny Relda and Mr. Canis before it's too late, and they're forced to head back to the orphanage. But to rescue the two guardians, they'll have to defeat Prince Charming, the Three Little Pigs, and even a hero who has recently turned criminal.

I have adored fairytales since I first began to read, so I knew that I would be unable to resist Michael Buckley's new FAIRY-TALE DETECTIVES series. Buckley has created two wonderful characters in Sabrina and Daphne. The two girls are wise beyond their years, and possess so much intelligence, savvy, smarts, and personality, that it would be hard for any reader to resist them. Daphne's adorable innocence shines at all times; while Sabrina's oft-times down-trodden skepticism breathes a new kind of life into the story, pitting the girls against friends and foes of all shapes and sizes. Like the girls, Granny Relda is an enjoyable individual, whose strange-colored home-cooking, and reluctance to allow either Sabrina or Daphne to leave the house without her permission or accompaniment creates a mystery and buzz around her character that only makes the reader want to learn more about her, and her silent companion, Mr. Canis. Buckley has done a fabulous job of bringing various fairytale characters to life, and presenting them in a different light than their original pretext, making many of them come across as rude, self-involved, and money-hungry. Each fairytale character manages to take on a different personality that makes them even more interesting than before; and uses their newfound motives to create side stories throughout THE SISTERS GRIMM. Buckley has taken the fad of fairytale re-tellings to a whole new level, adding in his own characters, and mixing old and new together to create an adventurous new series that takes the reader on the ride of a lifetime. WARNING: Starting this book will bring about the inability to put it down until the last page is turned.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I just finished the first in this series and I am hooked. Buckley creates a fresh appealing world of fairy tale creatures. The Grimm sisters delightful, each with their own strenghts and weaknesses. Little girls will especially identify with Daphane. I hope that this becomes a long series, and I can't wait to see what kinds of hues he paints the rest of the fairy tale creatures in the next installment.

Perfect for read aloud and extremely inventive. I highly recommend this series, although it might be a little scarey for very young children. My 8 and 10 year old children adore them and beg me to read them aloud every night.

Fantastic series. I cannot say enough about these books.

Clever plots, great characters, lots of humour that kids usually get, but parents will enjoy. And it is very, very fun guessing which 'fairy tale' character is which in the books.

We would give 10 stars if we could!!!

I loved this book! The first thing that caught my attention was the cover with Sabrina and Daphne running away from the giant. The book is funny, witty, and a must-read for any fantasy lover. I think the books would make a great movie, but I do not want them to be runied by producers and directers. I highly reccomend this book for any body who likes fantasy. Happy Reading!

Canis means dog in latin!