The Unusual Suspects (The Sisters Grimm, Book 2) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Peter Ferguson (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–In this second book in the series, Sabrina and Daphne continue their family's fairy-tale detective work in the Hudson River town of Ferryport Landing. The village has more than its share of Everafters, a group of fairy-tale characters who escaped persecution in Europe by fleeing to America over 200 years ago. Here, the sisters start attending the local elementary school where the principal just happens to be the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Snow White is a most beloved teacher. Almost instantly, one of their teachers is found dead in his classroom, tied to the ceiling in a spider web. While investigating his murder, the girls uncover a devious plot and get closer to discovering the whereabouts of their missing parents. Free-spirited Daphne is a perfect foil for her older, grumpier sister, Sabrina, whose understandable anger over the loss of her parents is the main theme of this novel. There are as many references to frightening aspects of today's world as there are nods to folklore and sometimes both appear in the same sentence. While this mixing of sensibilities proves that fairy tales can be as dark as reality, it also occasionally trivializes truly upsetting modern problems such as nuclear weapons and child labor. The story is fast paced and the main characters are sympathetic and appealing. The abrupt ending will leave readers hungry for the next book in the series.–Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA
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Product Description

Nancy Drew meets Shrek in this funny, exciting new series of mysteries set in a community of fairy-tale characters. In the second book, The Sisters Grimm (Book Two): The Unusual Suspects, girl detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm start school at Ferryport Landing Elementary. If there is one thing they’ve learned since they moved in with Granny Grimm, it’s that having fairy-tale characters as neighbors means facing the unexpected. And sure enough, their new school is full of surprises. Daphne’s lucky enough to get Snow White for a teacher—she’s so good with little people—but poor Sabrina’s stuck in Mr. Grumpner’s class, where the students are either sleepy or psychotic and her teacher is teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Is this just typical sixth-grade suffering or is there something seriously wrong at the school? When Mr. Grumpner is found dangling from the classroom ceiling in a spider web, even sunny Daphne is convinced that Ferryport Landing Elementary has a monster problem. Can the Sisters Grimm solve the crime?

The Sisters Grimm are a welcome addition to the ranks of literary girl sleuths, and their adventures are sure to enchant.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810959267
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959262
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375,282 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Sisters Grimm Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HILARIOUS! MYSTERIOUS! WONDERFUL!, December 27, 2005

By	Betty L. Dravis "[e-mail], autho... (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Before I finished reading the first book in this series, I just HAD to order the second one from Amazon, so there would be no break in the reading. THE BOOKS ARE THAT GOOD!

The perfect blend of humor, mystery, and adventure ... with some very unusual characters. Fantastic!!!

As I said in the Book One review, I bought the book for my grandkids and started reading it myself. Now, Ashley is reading Book One while I finish this newer one. Then when we both finish, Book One goes on to Johnny, and Book Two goes to Ashley.

Families that read together, stay together. The same goes for praying, of course.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Future Looks Grimm, October 17, 2005

By	The Careful Collector (www.thecarefulcollector.com) - See all my reviews

The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects is the continuing tale of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. The sisters, who were in the foster care system for nearly a year and a half following the disappearance of their mother and father, now live with their grandmother in the town of Ferryport Landing. In Book #1, the girls learned what it means to be Grimm, to be the guardians of Ferryport Landing and the Everafters. Together with their Granny Relda, Mr. Canis, Puck and a two hundred pound dog named Elvis, the girls foiled the plans of Jack the Giant Killer to release the giants into Ferryport Landing that he might regain his fame by slaying them.
Now, some three weeks later, they will face a new and frightening challenge: starting at a new school. While Daphne becomes the star of the second grade (and Snow White's favorite student), Sabrina finds the sixth grade full of sleep walking children and a few very persistent bullies. When a teacher is found murdered on the sisters' first day of school, the Grimms once again find themselves on the case. At the same time Sabrina must confront her prejudice against the Everafters and her ever increasing anger.
Michael Buckley has surpassed himself. The Unusual Suspects exceeds The Fairytale Detectives in humor, excitement, danger and its confrontation of childhood, family, and social issues. All of the characters are blossoming, each newly exposed layer hinting at clues to the mystery. Ideas of who is good and who is bad in this phalanx of fairy tale characters are dashed, and the ending is unexpected, to say the least.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another unbiased review from the author, January 11, 2007

By	Michael Buckley (My Own Little World) - See all my reviews

Again, I know authors don't review their own books but what's with all the rules, huh? I like to shake things up - I'm crazy like that.
Now, Book 2 is the book that hit the NY Times bestseller list. It sat there for a month during the Christmas season battling it out with Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and Meg Cabot. It was bloody and I lost a tooth. Still, it was worth it because I think this book sets the stage for the rest of the series. Like I've said, the first one is a bit cute, but this one starts to get a little darker and builds on the previous story. We meet more fairy tale characters and have lots more hair-raising situations, but what is special about The Unusual Suspects is Puck. The character made famous in A Midsummer Night's Dream becomes a full-fledged member of the team and gives Sabrina nothing but headaches. I enjoy the dynamic of the two girls and this annoying flying boy and I found myself sticking Puck in as much as I could. Also important to note is that the Unsual Suspects dives into a new breed of character that few authors have ever explored - namely, the children of famous fairy tale characters. What would the child of the Frog Prince and his princess be like? How about Beauty and her Beast? Miss Muffet and her Spider? Plus, we're introduced to our first truly creepy villian - Rumplestiltskin which illustrator Peter Ferguson has done an incredible job of capturing. The book's themes focus on prejudice and bigotry and Sabrina continues to work on her trust issues - something that isn't going to change over night. Fans of folklore might also like the introduction of Snow White who teaches a self-defense class called "The Bad Apples" and, like many of the women I write about, turns out to be the damsel who can take care of herself.
But I'm most proud of Sabrina's development in this book. She is a complicated character working on issues that don't just fix themselves because the story has ended. I wanted to give her real problems and have her react to sistuations in ways that are genuine and logical, even if they do make her seem like a bratty little jerk at times. Some people are put-off by how headstrong Sabrina can be but I also think some people read too much Nancy Drew and don't expect girls to have opinions, be tough, and make mistakes that have repercussions. Not to knock Nancy Drew - it's a classic series, but I'm trying to write about a character that is both affecting and is affected by the world, not one that is sugary sweet and never-changing. The only downside to the book is that it's not three books. The story I wanted to tell was bigger than the pages we had and due to cost and time issues, this book ends on a cliffhanger, as does the third book in the series, The Problem Child. It was a risk to end it this way because who knew if anyone would care, but to wrap it all up in a neat little bow would have been phony. Luckily, it seems people do care because Book 3 is as popular as the second. I promise that not every book will be a cliffhanger but if the story requires it that's what it's going to be.