Tales From the Hood

Buckley, Michael. 2008. Tales From the Hood.

Tales from the Hood is the sixth novel in The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. This is a series that is fun and exciting. A series that I would have absolutely loved if it had been around when I was a kid. One that I still love now even as a grown up. It focuses on Sabrina and Daphne Grimm and their grandmother, Granny Relda, and on their sibling-of-sorts Puck. (Puck isn't a real relation mind you, but he has been unofficially (in a way) adopted into the family by Granny Relda.) Sabrina is beginning to grow up, not mature necessarily, but grow up. In other words, she's starting to get to that age. That difficult age. And as such she's not always the easiest person to get along with. She's not really "listening" or "obeying" the rules laid out for her by Granny Relda and Uncle Jake. This time is difficult for Daphne as well. Daphne has always loved and looked up to her older sister, but now....now her sister is unrecognizable at times. So weird, so mean.

I won't really get much into the plot. It's exciting enough that it will keep you reading. But if I talk about book six, then it would probably spoil some things from earlier books--especially book five--and that just wouldn't be any fun at all.

I like this series a lot. I like how the fairy tales are woven together in a fun, topsy-turvy way. The characterization and the plot twists are just really well done.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Magic and Other Misdemeanors

Buckley, Michael. 2007. The Sisters Grimm: Magic and Other Misdemeanors.

Typically, I'm not a big fan of prologues. However, Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm series always proves to be the exception to the rule. With just a page or two, he draws you into some rather intense and emotional scenes...whetting your appetite for more while never revealing too much. Even though I've seen the smallest glimpse of what is coming, I'm still on the edge of my seat. The books are always so action-packed, adventure-fulled, and suspensefully tantalizing that I've just got to read more.

Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck are back! It's always so interesting (to me) to see what trouble these three get in and out of in each novel. For those that may be new to the series, you should definitely read them in order. (This is the fifth novel.) But here's a brief refresher course. Sabrina and Daphne are sisters who have come to stay with their grandmother--Granny Relda--in the small town of Ferryport Landing. The three are descendants of the ever-famous Brothers Grimm. The town is a town where Everafters live--Prince Charming, Snow White, Three Little Pigs, Three Blind Mice, Rapunzel, etc.--and the Grimms are their keepers. They guard the town; they guard these fairy tale creatures from escaping the town's boundaries and preventing some of the darker ones from wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting world. This doesn't always make them popular. Some love them. Some hate them. Granny Relda is training her two granddaughters. And that gives you some idea of what these novels are about. They're intense-but-wacky treats for young readers. Action. Mystery. Humor.

Magic and Other Misdemeanors is about many things--their ongoing quest to save the girls' parents from their enchanted sleep, their ongoing quest to uncover the mysteries of the Scarlet Hand gang, about their adventures trying to save some burglaries of some local witches, and their troubles with the new city government and their new tax problem. The book is exciting. I'm not sure every reader will be as *thrilled* with the time elements. But they made my day. They really did.

http://www.sistersgrimm.com/books.html

The others in the series: The Fairy Tale Detectives, The Unusual Suspects, The Problem Child, and Once Upon A Crime. The sixth book Tales From the Hood came out May 1rst. My review will be coming soon, I promise!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Pig Finds Love in NYC

Buckley, Michael. 2007. Sisters Grimm: Once Upon A Crime.

I've made it no secret how much I absolutely adore the Sisters Grimm series. (Just so you know, the first three are now available in paperback. The fourth, Once Upon A Crime, was released in early May. The fifth, Magic & Other Misdemeanors, will be released this fall. Amazon lists a December 1 release date.) Once Upon A Crime features many of the same characters that have appeared in the earlier books, but as always Buckley adds in a generous sprinkling of new characters: Titania and Oberon, Cobweb, Moth, Oz, Ebenezer Scrooge, Mother "Mama" Goose, Sinbad, Long John Silver, a fairy godmother, and a couple of fairy godfathers. And that's just to name a few.

What can I say about Once Upon A Crime? If you love the series and are familiar with the other books in the series--Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives, Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects, Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child--then you are going to want to add Sisters Grimm: Once Upon A Crime and Sisters Grimm: Magic and Other Misdemeanors to your wishlist. No doubt about it. If you're not familiar with the series, quite honestly, you should begin at the beginning. Although technically, the first chapter does it best to orient you to the series as a whole. And it might be able to stand alone. But you'd be treating yourself to begin at the beginning.

Once Upon A Crime opens much where The Problem Child left off. We see Sabrina and Daphne on a trip with Granny Relda and Mr. Canis--not to mention a wounded and possibly dying Puck--to New York City. And also Mr. Hamstead. Ernest Hamstead, one of the three little pigs. The family hopes that they can find the kingdom/land of Faerie and get Puck some much needed medical attention. Why New York City? That's where many EverAfters settled BEFORE the town of Ferryport was sealed to keep them in. They find Faerie sure enough--but it's not in very good condition--but Puck is relunctantly taken in and treated. It seems Titania is happy to have her son back, but Oberon is less than pleased to welcome him back home. But what seems like a good beginning, turns dramatically tragic when Oberon is murdered. Now Faerie is really chaotic. And it is up to the Sisters Grimm to solve another case. And to protect Puck.

The adventure is just beginning, and this holiday season--the book closes on Christmas Eve--will be unforgettable for the Grimm family.

Baba Yaga Addicted to 'Days'

I have been having the best time reading The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. On Friday I reviewed THE FAIRY-TALE DETECTIVES. On Sunday I reviewed THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS. And today I bring you the third installment: THE SISTERS GRIMM: THE PROBLEM CHILD.

Buckley, Michael. 2006. The Problem Child.

The adventures never end for the Grimm family, just as the family was stepping out of danger in THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS, Sabrina is off for an adventure of her own trying to solve the big mystery of who kidnapped her parents. Fortunately, Puck is never far behind. (Not that Sabrina likes being rescued by Puck!!!) The danger they face this time--none other than Little Red Riding Hood and her pet "kitty" Jabberwocky. Yes, Sabrina now knows WHO took her parents and even WHY her parents were taken by the psychotic "little girl." But she still doesn't know WHERE they are or HOW to save them. Sabrina does realize that one person (even with unexpected help now and then) CANNOT hope to win against the bad guys. This is a family situation. How 'lucky' that the Grimm family is about to increase in numbers. Who should appear out of thin air but the girls' uncle??? Yes, Uncle Jake is in town...but does he create more problems than he solves? Uncle Jake is back and he has a few secrets...

The story will be continued in THE SISTERS GRIMM: ONCE UPON A CRIME which releases May 1, 2007, according to Amazon. (Oh how I'd love to get my hands on an ARC of this!!!!) It will be added to my "wish list" on the right as soon as I click "publish."

http://www.sistersgrimm.com/newsite/index.html

The Big Bad Wolf Does Yoga

A few days ago, I reviewed The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives. Today I am reviewing the second book in the series entitled THE SISTERS GRIMM: THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS.

Buckley, Michael. 2005. The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects. Pictures by Peter Ferguson.

In most towns, the police do not rely on an old woman, two kids, and a sleepy dog to solve crimes, but Ferryport Landing was no ordinary town. More than half of its residents were part of a secret community known as the Everafters. Everafters were actually fairy-tale characters who had fled Europe to escape persecution. Settling in the little river town almost two hundred years ago, they now used magical disguises to live and work alongside their normal neighbors. Ogres worked at the post office, witches ran the twenty-four hour diner, and the town mayor was the legendary Prince Charming. The humans were none the wiser--except the Grimms. As fantastic and thrilling as it sounded to live among fairy-tale characters, it wasn't a dream come true for Sabrina Grimm. Being the last in a long line of Grimms (descended from the famous Brothers Grimm), she and her sister had had the family responsibility of keeping the peace between Everafters and humans thrust upon them no less than three weeks ago. And it wasn't an easy job. (2)

Our story begins roughly three weeks after Fairy-Tale Detectives concluded, the two sisters are still adjusting to their new home. Still adjusting to living with 'the big, bad wolf' in his disguise as Mr. Canis. Still adjusting to their new stepbrother of sorts, the infamous Puck. But even more change is on the way: the two must begin attending school OR they'll be taken back into foster care and into the care of the dreaded Ms. Smirt. Changing schools is difficult for most kids, but it becomes even more challenging in Ferryport where some of the staff are Everafters...and some of the students are children of Everafters.

Sabrina had been to a lot of schools in the last year and a half, and they all had a few things in common. Every one of them had a couple of grouchy teachers, a bully, a bully's punching bag, a weird cafeteria lady, a bathroom that everyone was afraid to go into, and a librarian who worships something called the Dewey Decimal System. None of those schools, however, had a teacher-killing monster scurrying through its hallways. And they said New York City had everything. (90-91).

Even with all of the new adventures and mysteries to solve, Sabrina cannot and will not forget her most important mission; she's determined to find her missing parents and the Everafters responsible for their disappearance. But is her anger and frustration even more dangerous than she knows??? Find out in this second exciting installment of The Sisters Grimm.

http://www.sistersgrimm.com/newsite/index.html

Shoes, Toys, and Cookies: The Elvish Handcraft Tradition

Buckley, Michael. 2005. The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-tale Detectives. Pictures by Peter Ferguson.

The dense forest branches scratched at their faces and arms, but Sabrina and Daphne couldn't stop running, though they had long since passed the point of exhaustion. Fear was fueling each step now. Another thunderous bellow rang in the distance, followed by the terrible sound of falling trees and shrieking animals.
"We have to find a way to stop it," Daphne cried between gasps. Sabrina knew her little sister was right. But how? They were two children versus a vicious monster.
"I'll think of something," Sabrina said, dragging her sister behind an enormous oak tree for a much-needed rest. Sabrina squeezed her sister's hand to reassure her, while she forced oxygen into her burning lungs. Her words were empty. She didn't have a plan. The only thing going on in her head was the thumping of blood roaring through her eardrums. But it made no difference. It had found them. Splintering wood and damp soil rained from the sky as the tree they stood next to was violently uprooted. The two girls looked up into the horrible face above them and felt hot breath blow through their skin. What's happened to our lives? Sabrina wondered. When had their world become unrecognizable? And what had happened to her, the eleven-year-old girl who only two days ago had been just an orphan on a train? (Prologue)

Sabrina and Daphne are young sisters with a legacy or heritage about to catch up with them. When their parents disappeared over a year ago, the two had been placed into foster care or social services. Bounced from home to home, now the girls are on their final journey to a new home. A mysterious relative has stepped up to claim them. Now Ms. Smirt, their social worker, has only to deliver them to Ferryport Landing and her work will be done.

Smirt had made a mistake when she chose a career with children, Sabrina thought, especially since she didn't seem to like them. Ms. Smirt complained whenever she had to touch their sticky hands or wipe their runny noses, and reading bedtime stories was completely out of the question. She seemed to especially dislike the Grimm sisters and had labeled them rude, uncooperative, and a couple of know-it-alls. So, Sabrina was sure it was Ms. Smirt's personal mission to get the girls out of the orphanage and into a foster home. So far it had failed miserably. She'd sent them to live with people who were usually mean and occasionally crazy, and who had used them as maids, house sitters, or just plain ignored them. But this time she had gone too far. This time Ms. Smirt was sending them to live with a dead woman. (2-3)

This 'dead woman' is their grandmother Grimm. Eccentric, yes. And the environment is odd at best. And their are certain rules the girls will have to adjust to...but it soon becomes clear...at least to the reader that this will be a loving, adventure-filled home.

Here is a description of the house beginning with the living room: (can you guess why I like it???)
It was enormous, a much larger room than seemed possible in a cottage so small. Each wall was lined with bookshelves, stuffed with more books than Sabrina had ever seen. Stacks of them also sat on the floor, the tables, and every other surface. A teapot perched precariously on a stack that looked as if it would fall over at any moment. Books were under the couch cushions, under the carpet. Several giant stacks stood in front of an old television, blocking any chance that someone could watch cartoons. On the spines Sabrina read the strangest titles: BIRDS OF OZ, THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EVIL QUEEN, and SHOES, TOYS, AND COOKIES: THE ELVISH HANDCRAFT TRADITION. Mrs. Grimm led them through another door where a dining room table sat littered with books, open and waiting to be read. Sabrina picked one up and rolled her eyes when she read the title: 365 WAYS TO COOK DRAGON. (15)

And it doesn't take long for the adventures to begin....but I won't spoil them here!!! This is one you'll have to read for yourself.

http://www.sistersgrimm.com/newsite/index.html
http://www.sistersgrimm.com/pdfs/Grimmguide.pdf
http://www.sistersgrimm.com/books.html

About the Author:
The Sisters Grimm series is Michael’s first venture into the world of children’s book writing. His mom and dad insist they are proud of him, even if the whole “I’m going to write a book” idea sounded like another one of their son’s poorly thought out money-making schemes he claimed was “life experience.” Michael lives in New York City with his wife Alison and their dog, Daisy.

My Opinion: Loved this one, can't read to read #2 and #3!