The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley
The Sisters Grimm #1
The Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm, Book 1)
Michael Buckley
From School Library JournalGrade 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. FromGr. 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 EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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The Sisters Grimm #2
The Unusual Suspects (The Sisters Grimm, Book 2)
Michael Buckley
From School Library JournalGrade 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_ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionNancy 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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The Sisters Grimm #3
The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, Book 3)
Michael Buckley
From School Library JournalGrade 4-6–Sabrina Grimm, 11, and her 7-year-old sister, Daphne, are still on the trail of The Scarlet Hand, which has kidnapped their parents. On the way to rescuing them, the sisters meet their likable Uncle Jake, whom they had never heard of before. Granny Relda had arranged for everyone in town to forget him after he inadvertently broke the spell that kept a deranged Little Red Riding Hood in the asylum. The book is loaded with cameos by fairy-tale characters, including Prince Charming as playboy turned sleazy politician. Although they will delight fairy-tale fans, some of the most interesting figures get short shrift. Puck, who combines magic with mischief in a way that both attracts and repels Sabrina, disappears from the action early on. Granny Relda's gentleman friend and every tale's wicked wolf is resurrected only at the end of the novel. Still, there is plenty of plucky Sabrina, nurturing Granny Relda, and Daphne. The end leaves plenty for the next book to resolve. Each chapter starts with a menacing silhouette, and black-and-white full-page illustrations add more macabre details. Recommend this to anyone who is craving a bit of dark humor rolled up with whimsy and adventure._–Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA_ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionA third installment in this much-talked-about new series of mysteries set in a modern-day fairy-tale community The sisters Grimm, intrepid detectives of fairy-tale crime, come face to face with their parents' kidnappers, the mysterious organization of Everafters who call themselves The Scarlet Hand. One of them turns out to be the world's most famous fairy-tale character and the other an unstoppable killing-machine known as the Jabberwocky. Without Mr. Canis (aka The Big Bad Wolf) fighting at their side, the girls have little hope that they'll be reunited with their mother and father. That is until their long-lost Uncle Jake returns home with stories of a weapon, now destroyed, that can kill the Jabberwocky. The girls must find the pieces so the deadly blade can be reforged, and in the process butt heads with some of the most powerful Everafters in Ferryport Landing. Will the sisters Grimm save the day? "Adventure, laughs, and surprises kept me eagerly turning the pages." --R.L Stine, author of the Goosebump series
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The Sisters Grimm #4
Once Upon a Crime (The Sisters Grimm, Book 4)
Michael Buckley
Product DescriptionIn the long-awaited fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series, the Grimms take on New York City! Surprises abound for Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, fairy-tale detectives extraordinaire. When they venture into the big city, they stumble upon a murder, face betrayal by a friend, and discover an amazing secret about their mother, Veronica. Sabrina just wants to be normal—no detecting, no dangerous escapes, and especially no Everafters. Unfortunately, New York City is a hiding spot for many famous fairy-tale folk. And there’s a murderer in their midst! The girls and their friends must figure out who killed Puck’s father, King Oberon, while coming to terms with their mother’s secret life. Will they stop the murderer before he or she can strike again? And will Sabrina ever accept her family’s destiny? The colorful world of the Grimms expands in new and hilarious directions in Once upon a Crime. Critics and readers alike have embraced the Sisters Grimm series and its independent, quick-thinking heroines. About the AuthorMichael Buckley’s previous books include a New York Times bestseller, a Kirkus Best Fantasy Book, and two Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum winners. He has written and developed television shows for several networks. He lives with his wife, Alison, in New York City. Peter Ferguson is a comic book and editorial artist living in Montreal, Canada.
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The Sisters Grimm #5
Magic and Other Misdemeanors (The Sisters Grimm, Book 5)
Michael Buckley
The latest exciting installment in the New York Times bestselling series When the past and future start mixing with the present, Sabrina and Daphne have their first case to tackle solo—with a little help from the troublemaker Puck. The girls suspect that a rash of magical thefts may be at the root of the problem, but with Mayor Heart’s outrageous taxes to pay and Mr. Canis’s continuing transformation into the Big Bad Wolf, the Grimms have a lot to worry about and not a lot of time to waste. Can Sabrina and Daphne solve the crime and change the future for the better?....
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