Customer Reviews

The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, Book 3) (Bk.3)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

OK kids, I know authors don't usually write their own reviews. Hey, some author's don't even write their own books! You're just going to have to get used to me being off the leash - I'm crazy I tell you.
Ahh, The Problem Child. It was certainly the most ambitious installment in the series and I think it has some truly surprising and funny moments, but this book is considerably darker than the first two. Why? Well the villian is a beloved character few people have ever thought of as a bad guy but my choice should give you some insight into my brain. Plus, I included the Jabberwocky, a creepy creation from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This is one demented duo but they may hold the key to finding Sabrina and Daphne's parents.
I think the book is pretty imaginative, if I do say so myself. We meet the Little Mermaid living at the bottom of the Hudson River in a kingdom of discarded trash, the legendary witch of Russian folklore - Baba Yaga, and we have some fun with Prince Charming as he runs for re-election as the town's mayor. I think the jokes are fun, the settings are intriguing, and the girls are tested more than they ever have been. Plus, lots of Puck and the return of Mr. Canis.
I think where this book stumbles is that the pacing is a bit off. I cram a lot into a day and these poor girls are running all over town - no one eats, no one sleeps - it's very manic. It's something I have to work on - but I admit, I've seen Raiders of the Lost Ark too many times and Indiana Jones never went to bed - not once!
For fans, this book is important because we learn a lot about Granny Relda and her relationship with her late husband, and her two sons, Jacob and Henry. It's a complicated relationship filled with a lot of hurt feelings, especially when long lost Uncle Jake returns to help save the day in a fumbling Harry Potter in a leather jacket sort of way. I've also heard some weird complaints about what a fairy tale is as if that was actually defined somewhere. For some reason people get a bit uncomfortable when characters from other books intermingle but to be honest those people probably hate it when their pork chops touch their apple sauce, too. The first page of the first book is a promise to readers that I'm going to stick in everyone I can that makes sense because I'm trying to create a new world where every great character from every great children's classic lives next door. That's how I've chosen to create conflict in the books so if you're going to keep reading you better get used to it. It might mean that the Jabberwocky will eat The Tin Man (He doesn't by the way - but hey, that might be a good idea for book 4!). Another problem is that Daphne has very little growth in this book (even if she is hysterical) which is something that has to change in future installments.
The big theme of the book is Sabrina's addiction to magical items and how hard work is more valuable than taking the easy way. It also sets an important precendent for the character - Sabrina's addiction is a sickness, thus, magic will never be something she can wield to her advantage. She's going to have to rely on herself and not enchantments - steering this book away from being another fantasy book about a kid who can fly, or turn into a cat, or whatever else is going on out there.
So, I'd love to give this book a 5 but 4 is pretty good - again, the pace is frantic and the darkness might surprise some younger readers so 4 is more of a warning for everyone who might just be joining the series. It's a big departure for the characters but for people who are interested in Sabrina's journey its a pivotal book in the series.
Again, this one ends on a cliffhanger - but I promise you won't be disappointed with where I'll take you in Book 4. After all, wouldn't you want to meet Puck's family?

For anyone who hasn't heard of the Sisters Grimm Fairytale Detective books, do yourself a favor and get yourself the whole set! They are WONDERFUL! And they're not just for kids! The style is very similar to JK Rowling's Harry Potter series, and The Sisters Grimm are certain to delight children and adults alike!

The books are told from 12 years old Sabrina Grimm's perspective. It turns out that she and her sister, Daphne, are descendents of the famous Grimm brothers who recorded many of the fariytales we know and love today. However, the fairytale characters actually exist and are living in secret in upstate NY! Prince Charming is the mayor of this secret fairytale town, and he is still courting Snow White (they've been having a lovers' quarrel for the past 800 years).

In this third novel, The Problem Child, Sabrina and Daphne are trying to confirm the identity of their parents' kidnapper and are doing everything in their power to save their parents. They are aided (and thwarted) in their quest by their Granny Relda, Puck the Trickseter fairy from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a host of other characters from The Little Mermaid to Baba Yaga.

Michael Buckley keeps his readers guessing by taking many twists and turns, heightening the mysteries and throwing in very important life lessons. I loved this book! It took this 37 year old reader back to the excitement of being 12 again and delighted me to no end. I can't WAIT for the next book!

Book three is the darkest of the lot so far and picks up the plot from the cliffhanger ending of book two. Sabrina Grimm is in deep, deep trouble, staring down the claw of a Jabberwocky. Her arm is broken, and her only hope lies with Puck, who of course wants to be paid for the rescue.

It appears that her parents have been kidnapped and bewitched by Little Red Riding Hood, a mentally unbalanced child and certified nutcase, who may or may not be a ringleader of the scary Scarlet Hand movement.

This book introduces Daphne and Sabrina's Uncle Jake, who helps them in the search for their parents, and also gets them in a lot of trouble as he encourages them to break their grandmother's rules. They learn that the only way to defeat the Jabberwocky is with the Vorpal blade, a sword that has been broken into three parts. Once they get the first section, they find the clues they need to locate the other two pieces, but it'll take more than all the King's horses and all the King's men to put them together again.

To make things more complicated, this is an election year in Ferryport Landing, and for the first time ever, Mayor Charming has an opponent. Politics makes strange bedfellows, and the Grimms and Everafters need to form alliances against their enemies.

The moral of this story is that there's no such thing as a free lunch, every action has an equal an opposite reaction, everything has a price etc..etc.. but then I'm sure you knew that already. This book doesn't end as abruptly as book two, but again we're left with a tantalizing glimpse of what the next episode holds in store. Bring it on!



Amanda Richards, August 6, 2006

The Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child is the third installment in the continuing tale of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. Nearly two years ago the girls' lives were turned upside down when their parents disappeared, the only clue to the mystery being an ominous blood red hand print found inside their empty car. The sisters spent the next year and a half running away from a series of deranged foster families before we meet them, bound for Ferryport Landing and a woman claiming to be their grandmother, a grandmother they were told was dead. Now, with Granny Relda to guide them, the Grimm sisters have entered into their birthright as guardians of Ferryport Landing and the Everafters. In their first case as fairy tale detectives the girls, along with their new found Granny Relda, Mr. Canis, Puck, and Elvis (the dog, not the king of rock), defeat Jack (of beanstalk fame) in his attempt to loose the giants and return to glory by killing them. This encounter brings them once again in contact with the Red Hand.
In the second book, The Unusual Suspects, Sabrina and Daphne are enrolled in school. Daphne is the apple of her new teacher, Snow White's, eye, while Sabrina battles both her own growing anger and the horrors of sixth grade. Sabrina learns, with seemingly deadly consequences, that her anger could mean the end for everyone she loves. In the last chapter Sabrina is brought face to face with the Red Hand, but what she finds is beyond all of her expectations.
In The Problem Child all the sins of the family Grimm and those closest to them come back around. Sabrina discovers that her parents' captor is none other than Little Red Riding Hood, driven to insanity by the Big Bad Wolf (otherwise known to us as Mr. Canis). In the search for their parents the girls will find and face a long lost uncle, new found love, old inner demons, and finally the strength to choose good when tempted by a powerfully seductive evil. Several new and wonderful characters are introduced in this latest book, including the Little Mermaid, and a few old characters are more fully developed. For The Problem Child Buckley has gone beyond the most commonly known fairy tales to find his characters; you may have to search a bit to read more about them. Be sure to follow The Sisters Grimm in this dark, though often humorous, tale.

Eleven year old Sabrina Grimm desperately wants to find her kidnapped parents. She has a chance to rescue them but is foiled by a deeply disturbed Little Red Riding Hood and her pet Jabberwocky. Sabrina finds out that the only thing that can defeat the Jabberwocky is the vorpal blade, which is in three pieces and in three different locations. Sabrina, with the help of her Uncle Jake, sets out to find all three pieces and is willing to do anything, even magic, to get the pieces. But Sabrina finds out that while magic is easier, there is always a price for using it.

I've enjoyed all the books in this series and "the Problem Child" is no exception. Michael Buckley does a great job playing with the fairy tale mythology and he'll surprise readers with how he treats certain characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf, Snow White, the Blue Fairy, and Prince Charming. Little Red Riding Hood is not the only problem child, Sabrina is so angry at the kidnapping of her parents that she will do anything to get them back, even if it means placing her family in danger. She is headstrong and flawed - a very believable character. Uncle Jake is in many ways a grown up version of Sabrina, although it's harder to forgive those kind of flaws in an adult who should know better. The fantasy elements are wonderful, although Ferryport is so fraught with danger I wouldn't want to live there!

"The Problem Child" offers fantasy and fun for young and old alike.

Loved this whole series so far. I couldn't put it down, and went straight from book 1, to 2, to this one. All three were excellent stories. They're very clever and well written. And, my 13-year-old son loved them too!

(Available in hardcover and paperback)

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have had several narrow escapes from the evil organization, The Scarlet Hand, that is holding their parents hostage. The girls are hot on the trail of the organization when they meet Uncle Jake (another relative they didn't know they had). It seems Ferryport Landing residents don't remember him either. That's because Granny Relda made sure (with a little help from magic) everyone would forget him after he inadvertently was involved in an insane Little Red Riding Hood escaping from the asylum with a Jabberwocky.

If Sabrina and Daphne are to rescue their parents, they must rely on help from Uncle Jake and even Puck (who drives the girls crazy most of the time). But things get a little muddled when it is discovered that Little Red Riding Hood is bent on recreating her own lost family. That means that Grandma Relda and the family dog, Elvis, are in peril.

The novel is filled with appearances by many favorite fairy-tale characters. Prince Charming and the Queen of Hearts compete in a mayoral election; Snow White is angry with her former love; Canis (The Big Bad Wolf) may have met an unfortunate end; and Rip Van Winkle will make you smile. As for the other cameo appearances, you'll have to read the book to meet them.

And of course, questions are left unanswered for the next installment of The Sisters Grimm. Will Puck get to Faerie in time? Will Sabrina and Daphne's parents wake up from their forced slumber? Who is the head of The Scarlet Hand organization? Will Grandma Relda and Elvis be safe?

The next book will be released December 2007, so the wait won't be too long.

The Sisters Grimm series is a delight. It is in my opinion as good as Harry Potter. It's a fast read and filled with quirky characters and situations that are so much fun.

Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.

The Grimms, the fairy tale detectives of Ferryport Landing where fairy tales are real, are back and in a time of great crisis. When there is no Grimm left in the town, all the fairy tales could escape, causing the world to go through a time of great danger.

The family is trying to get Sabrina and Daphne Grimm's parents back, which isn't as easy as it sounds. Red Riding Hood, whose parents died, has gone insane. With her monster called a Jabberwocky, she's out to find replacements for her missing family members. She's has kidnapped a mom, a dad (Daphne and Sabrina's parents), and the next people on her list might endanger the Grimms and life as we know it.

This is one of my favorite children's fantasies. I have read the first two as well, and am patiently waiting for the forth one, Once Upon a Crime, to come out. I recommend this story for all ages.

I LOVE These books, and this was the best one yet. I tore through each of them like a starved animal, just to find out what happens next. And maddeningly (yet addicitvely) the end of each chapter leads to more questions. And nail biting. And scary things. And having me admit here in this review that the 'doggy' in this story has me checking under my bed at night and jumping at shadows. But in a a good way.

This book was as exciting and then some as the others and I can't wait to read book 4