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

~ (Author), Peter Ferguson (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–Buckley has created a world in which humans and fairy-tale creatures live side-by-side in rural New York in an uneasy alliance. Brought here by Wilhelm Grimm in an attempt to save them, the Everafters are now kept in check by the man's descendants. Enter Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, two sisters seemingly abandoned by their parents, who have been brought to live with a grandmother whom they thought was dead. Heartbroken and wary, the girls are immediately swept up in a mystery that includes giants, pixies, fairies, and witches. Readers well grounded in their fairy tales will get the most pleasure from recognizing the characters–Prince Charming, Jack-the-Giant-Killer, the Three Pigs, the Magic Mirror, and more–but the fast pace, sly humor, and cleverly inserted vocabulary lessons will entertain even those who are meeting the characters for the first time. Softly rounded, black-and-white illustrations and old-fashioned silhouettes at the chapter headings complete the first-rate design of this madcap adventure.–Sharon Grover, Arlington County Department of Libraries, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. After their parents disappear, sisters Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are placed with a grandmother they have never heard about. Sabrina, the eldest, is highly suspicious; why didn't their parents mention Granny Relda? She grows more concerned once they arrive at Relda's home in the New England town of Ferryport Landing, where Relda serves emerald-green meatballs in rooms lined with books about magic. Then Relda reveals the truth: the Grimms are descended from the famous storytelling brothers, and Ferryport Landing is a magical town, populated with "Everafters," characters straight from fairy tales. After Relda goes missing, it's up to the girls, and their new magical friends, to rescue her and stop a corrupt politician--a well-cast Prince Charming. Buckley's debut novel gets bogged down in labored world building and sometimes stilted prose, but the wild parade of magical folk in the gleefully fractured fairy tales (Snow White teaches school; the Three Little Pigs are policemen) may draw some fans. A second volume in the Sisters Grimm series, The Unusual Suspects, is also available. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810959259
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959255
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,410 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 1 in The Sisters Grimm Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I found my son reading this book -- and not on his X-box!, October 6, 2005

By	Mr. Honest and True - See all my reviews

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.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whodunnit Once Upon a Time . . ., January 25, 2006

By	Shanshad "shanachie_shadowfax" (Discworld) - See all my reviews

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

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!, November 27, 2005

A Kid's Review

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