The) - Fairy-Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm #1)

Filled with emotion, suspicion, and humor! Sabrina and Daphne are the true fairy-tale detectives! If fighting a giant didn't sound hard enough they have to do it with not knowing who trust, their side-kicks turn on them and attempt murder!

Filled with emotion, suspicion, and humor! Sabrina and Daphne are the true fairy-tale detectives! If fighting a giant didn't sound hard enough they have to do it with not knowing who trust, their side-kicks turn on them and attempt murder!

What a pleasure. This book was bought for my son, but we started reading it together. It is the perfect mix of excitement and pure reading pleasure. Perfect for all ages from 9 up. Made me want to go out and re read all the fairy tales of my youth

My kids loved connecting the different fairy tales to the characters in the book. It was suspenseful and they liked coming up with theories on what would happen next. I have an 11 yr old boy and a 10 yr old girl. They really enjoyed the story.

An entertaining book about the fairy tale characters we should be familiar with. The 2 Grimm sisters orphaned 18 months ago have gone from one foster home horror to another before coming to their "dead" granny Grimm. Quickly they are pulled into the mystery of an invading giant and MayorCharming' s intentions for the town. When the giant takes Granny and Mr Canis the girls enlist the help of Puck, the magic mirror, the flying carpet and the notorious Jack to rescue them. An exciting ending with reasons to read what comes next in book 2.

If book heroes and villains were real would they live up to our expectations? I loved finding out as the Grimm sisters met several of the Everafters during their search for Grandma Relda. I loved their adventure, and the twist Mr. Buckley added to the fairy-tale characters and their world. Sabrina (street smart and strong) and Daphne (adorable and optimistic) were lovable characters. And the other characters just added to the story's charm. It was like a cross between the show, Once Upon a Time, and the movie, The Tenth Kingdom. (Fairy-tales are real and the characters need to overcome obstacles.) I'm like the magic beans trapped in a jar. I can't wait to get out and read the next book. I need to know what shenanigans the Grimm sisters will get into next.

This book completely sucked me in. As a matter of fact, a while after reading the entire series I purchased it for a friend's son. That evening I picked it up and found myself unable to put it down for a second time.

Michael Buckley has a remarkable way of joining fairy tale to reality. The Sister's Grimm offer a dark, gritty twist to the loveable version of the fairy tales we remember from childhood. The author explains how he discovered the darker side to fairy tales in section at the end of the book. The story is written in an easy to read manner and the characters are well developed. However, the true motives behind the acts of some of our favorite fairy tale characters will knock the reader off their feet.

This is a good book for older kids - 4th grade up - because the they should be able to relate to the main character of the story. However, any parent or guardian should know what will and will not scare their child before letting them continue with the entire series. Some of the plot points can be troubling.

OMG! This book is delightful!!!
It's about these two orphaned girls who are the great, great, great,great granddaughters of the Bros. Grimm.

Way back when, fairy creatures and humans lived side by side in harmony, but tensions built, etc...soon the "Everafters" became persecuted and many went into hiding.
Magic was banned, dragons were caged, etc. The Bro.s realized that the fairy tales might be coming to an end so they set out to document everything they could.
Some of the things they wrote about were hundreds of years old, some they witnessed first hand.

The Everafters began congregating in America and founded the town at Ferryport Landing. Things were good for a time but as more and more humans came, they felt endangered. So a group of rebels surfaced and decided they were going to fight back. They saw humanity as an infestation that needed to be rooted out.

To preserve peace, one of the Grimm Bro.s asked a witch to cast a spell preventing any of the Everafters from leaving, thereby containing the problem. The price for the spell was that the Grimm Bro. was also trapped. And for the spell to remain in place, a Grimm family member must always remain the in Ferryport Landing.

Now, Granny Grimm has sought out her orphaned grandaughters and brought hem to come live with her there in Ferryport Landing. Of course, the youngest (about 7 or 8) is delighted. The 12 year old thinks the woman is crazy and an imposter.

The usual suspects are emerging, including Mayor Charming and the Ginger Bread House witch, Frau Pfefferkuchennhaus!!! :)

Just a delightful, entertaining story!!!

Modern kid fantasy often seems to turn on a child (or children) who unexpectedly discover that their ancestry links them to magic (think John and Philippa Gaunt of The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp #1), Percy Jackson of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-3), or, of course, Harry Potter). Michael Buckley adds to this august company Sabrina Grimm, almost 12, and her sister Daphne, 7, whose parents have unexpectedly and inexplicably vanished and are believed dead. After a string of foster homes, they are finally summoned to Ferryport Landing in upstate New York by their grandmother Relda, whom they had thought dead. Sabrina is very suspicious at first, sure that Relda is running some sort of scam, and various odd happenings (and odder food) around the woman's house does nothing to ease her mind. Then, about a quarter of the way through the book, the truth is revealed. The Grimms are the descendants of the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm, who wrote, not a mere collection of traditional fairy and folk tales, but a documentation of real magical happenings. In doing so they made a great many friends among the Everafters, as the creatures of fairy tales call themselves, and finding that the latter were beginning to suffer persecution, they helped them to emigrate to the New World, where a magically protected sanctuary was established for them. Ever since then, a Grimm descendant has been required to remain in Ferryport Landing. Relda's son, the girls' father, didn't want to sacrifice his freedom, but now Sabrina and Daphne must prepare to take over when Relda can no longer handle the family responsibility. The detecting of the title comes in when it develops that somebody seems to be using a giant to destroy nearby farms and force the owners to sell. And when Relda and her friend Mr. Canis are carried off in the giant's pocket, it's up to the girls to find out the truth. Helped by pixie Puck and Snow White's Magic Mirror, they set out to do just that and to find and rescue their grandmother.

Buckley's world is populated not only by the creatures of the Grimms' stories but by all sorts of characters from fantasy and myth--the Three Little Pigs, King Arthur and his knights, Mowgli and his animal friends, and others from the Oz books, Pinocchio (Puffin Classics),The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, the Alice duology, the Arabian Nights, and the stories of Andersen and Perrault. The fun lies in figuring out who's who and seeing how they've adjusted to living in the modern world (Prince Charming, for instance, definitely isn't charming--he's been married at various times to Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Sleeping Beauty, and is involved in various scams in an effort to increase his wealth and power). There's also a hint of an organization called the Scarlet Hand which is brewing a revolution, and, in the end, a suggestion that the girls' parents aren't dead after all. This is the first volume of a series currently up to nine. While not equal to Harry Potter (but then what is?), it has a charm of its own, and I plan to follow the Grimms' adventures and find out who else lives in Ferryport Landing and what will be revealed about the Scarlet Hand and the missing parents.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been on their own since the day their parents disappeared. They've been moved from horrible foster home to foster home and when they get placed in Ferryport Landing where a supposed relative has been uncovered. While there the girls discover the truth about their family: the Brothers Grimm were not writing children's tales, they were writing journals of true stories, as did their family after them. When the fairytale creatures, who prefer to be called Everafters, came to America, one of their ancestors had a curse put on them that could not leave Ferryport Landing. But the other side of the curse is that so long as the fairytale creatures must remain there, so must a Grimm. They also discover that there parents did not abandon them, they were taken, by some Everafters who weren't in Ferryport Landing at the time of the spell.

When the sisters get to Ferryport Landing, they are thrown into the magical world when their grandmother and Mr. Canis (formerly, the Big Bad Wolf) are taken by giants. Sabrina and Daphne must find their grandmother, with the help of Puck and Jack the Giant Killer (aka Jack and the Beanstalk) and save her.

But not all is as it seems and not all Fairy Tale creatures are as innocuous as their stories would have you believe. Who is behind bringing the giants to Ferryport Landing?

Retellings have always been a favorite of mine as far as genres go. (Wicked for example, pretty awesome.) This one does a good job of bringing in all sorts of beloved stories and making them real. There are some things that aren't quite clear (like how the Three Little Pigs can shift to human form) but it's a series so there's bound to be more information to come.

Like with the Septimus Heap series, this one is a little young for me, but it's well thought out and sweet.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm's parents disappeared, and since then, life has been more of a nightmare than a fairytale. The young girls have been shuffled from an orphanage to a series of horrific foster homes, and they've become quite adept at running away from all of them.

Mrs. Smirt, an orphanage representative, is bringing the girls to Ferryport Landing to live with their grandmother. The only problems with Ferryport Landing are 1) it is just one more place to run from, and 2) the woman who claims to be their grandmother can't be their grandmother. Their grandmother is dead. Or is she?

Not easily convinced, the girls settle in at the strange family home with Grandmother Relda Grimm and her companion, Mr. Canis. They plan to stay only until they have an opportunity to run away.

But Sabrina and Daphne soon discover that they are the descendents of the famous Grimms of the fairy-tale Grimms. The town of Ferryport Landing is home to humans as well as the characters fairy tales are made of. And Sabrina and Daphne take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

Their first case is huge; pardon the pun. They must prevent a giant from destroying Ferryport Landing. Guess who that giant is.

Will Sabrina and Daphne solve the mystery and save the day? Will they discover what or who is in the locked room? And why does Grandmother Grimm go through the same ritual every time she enters or leaves the family home? And who or what is lurking out of doors, preventing the girls from leaving their windows open? All that and so much more waits to be answered in this exciting adventure.

Book One in Michael Buckley's The Sisters Grimm series is part mystery, part fantasy and part adventure. The fairy tale characters are delightful, Sabrina and Daphne are wonderful young heroines and the story is delicious. Relda Grimm and Mr. Canis are so very interesting.

Armchair Interviews says: The Sisters Grimm: Book #1 The Fairy-Tale Detectives is a story that middle readers and adults will enjoy. It's much more fun than the Series of Unfortunate Events.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives is the first book in the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. I found the book to be a quirky mixture of modern orphan story and whimsical fairytale. The premise is that the orphaned sisters, 12-year-old Sabrina and 7-year-old Daphne, after a variety of heinous foster care experiences (much like in Ruby Holler), are sent to live with a woman who may or may not be their grandmother.

This woman, Mrs. Relda Grimm, lives in a small, isolated town in New York, populated with some unexpected characters and unusual events. There, Sabrina and Daphne learn that their family's business is to keep the peace, and investigate strange or criminal behavior among the Everafters (fairy tale characters, living real lives, trapped in the town of Ferryport). Before they know it, the two girls are caught up in a mystery involving real estate speculation, giants, and a kidnapped grandmother. It's a fun romp, with cameos by famous and not-so-famous fairy tale figures, featuring the creative use of fairy tale objects (Excalibur, the ruby slippers, the magic mirror, etc.).

The Sisters Grimm books are a child-friendly parallel to Jasper Fforde's Nursery Crime series. They're light-hearted and fun, and there's pretty much no end to what the author can do with fairy tale figures and magical objects for future books. I personally prefer the intrepid young Daphne to her more highly strung older sister. And my favorite character in the series so far is Puck (yes, that Puck, in permanent early adolescence). The grandma is pretty fun, too. In addition to fairy tale fun, The Sisters Grimm series also highlights family dynamics, loyalty, personal responsibility, and the difficulty of knowing who to trust. I think that kids will enjoy these books. I look forward to the next book in the series. I especially want to see how things evolve between young Puck and the Grimm sisters. Fun stuff!

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on August 2nd, 2006.

In the year and a half since their parents disappeared, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have bounced around from one foster family to another, all of them horrid. And things aren't looking up. They've just been dropped off with their Granny Relda in the two of Ferrypoint Landing, New York. The problems? Ferrypoint Landing looks like a boring small town. And the girls had grown up believing that their grandmother was dead.

While Daphne quickly attaches herself to her strange new relative, Sabrina is far from willing to give her a chance. Especially when the woman starts telling the girls that they are the decendants of the Brothers Grimm and the stories are real. The case of a supposed giant in the area further irritates Sabrina. Is Granny Relda telling the truth? Is so, how can they stop a giant?

This series may be aimed at kids, but any adult would love it as well. I got such a kick out of seeing just who would pop up in the story. And the book doesn't just stick to traditional fairy tales. Characters from the Oz series and Alice in Wonderland pop up, for example.

The story started off a little slowly, mainly because it needed time to set things up. Once the book truly got going, I couldn't put it down. A couple scenes might frighten young children, but I think most of the intended audience should be okay with the events.

This isn't your normal happily ever after fairy tale. It is fairy tales for a post modern world. It is absolutely inventive and fun. I can't wait to read the second in the series.

Let me start by raving about the actual, physical book. Could that cover be any lovelier? It reminds me a lot of the Lemony Snicket book design. Looking from the deep red cloth and incised gold lettering to the ruffled pages and classic illustration, I almost squealed. This is what a wonderful book should look a feel like. Kindle be darned.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are cast in the traditional orphan role after the disappearance of their parents. They are taken in by an oddball grandmother who lives in Ferrtyport, a town populated with people from fairy tales. The sisters discover they are heirs to a long line of Grimm family detectives who investigate fairy tale case. The girls take on a case of their own in this lighthearted mystery. This is a great intro to the whodunnit genre for children.

This smart tale doesn't talk down to the age group. At the same time, it kept the vocabulary and storyline appropriate for the target readers. However, I enjoyed the book a lot as an adult reader.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) for Reader Views (7/07)

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been left as orphans. Their parents have disappeared and they now have to live with their Grandma. They thought Grandma was dead, but she has a whole lot to share with girls. Sabrina is the oldest girl who is confused. She doesn't understand why her parents told her that Grandma was dead.

Their first case is featured in this first book of the series. It seems that there is a giant who is trying to destroy Grandma's hometown of Ferryport Landing. Granny Relda serves highly unusual meals of green meatballs. They didn't know that they have famous people in their family tree. There are a whole bunch of strange residents named the Everafters, including the three pigs, who serve as policemen, and Snow White is a teacher. Granny Relda ends up missing as well and it's up to the Fairy Tale Detectives and their friends to stop the corrupt Prince Charming. Will they be able to save Ferrypoint Landing?

"The Sisters Grimm Book 1: The Fairy-Tale Detectives" is an exciting tale for kids ages 9-12 who enjoy detective stories with a twist on fairy tales. I'm glad that this is the first book in the series; I would love to read more stories that are magical and very creative. Ferrypoint Landing is waiting for you to visit with the Sisters Grimm and help them solve the cases.

Book received at no charge.

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm's parents have disappeared one and a half years ago. The sisters have been adopted many times, but not to loving families. They were locked up and often used as slave labor. For their last home, they were sent to Ferryport Landing, New York to a woman whom claimed to be their grandmother. The girls thought their grandmother was dead.

When the girls finished moving in with their grandmother, she revealed they were related to the Brothers Grimm. She said all the stories the brothers wrote were not fiction, but real. She said the Grimms are responsible for being fairy-tale detectives. Of course, Sabrina thought the lady was nuts. She convinced her sister to escape. That night, the girls tried to sneak out of the bedroom window, but were attacked by pixies and their grandmother had to save them. That pretty much nixed the idea of running away.

The nightmare continues when grandmother is kidnapped by a rampaging giant. Why the giant kidnapped their grandmother is a true mystery, one they will have to solve before it's too late.

This is a fun, exciting and a sort of scary kind of adventurous series that is addictive to the core.

These books are great fun, but they play very fast and loose with the characters from the Grimm Fairy Tales and the plots of those tales. If you take the Grimms very seriously, which a lot of people do, you may not be happy with them being sort of goofed on. On the other hand, if you are passingly familiar with the tales, but not deeply into them, you may get a kick out of the fun that Buckley has reimagining modern lives for these well known characters.

That said, it is the Grimm angle that gives the books in this series their kick. Without it, the actual plots, the heroines, the level of writing, and the overall appeal, is about average for middle grade fantasy/adventure. (I actually prefer Mull's "Fablehaven" series, which does the same sort of thing with mythical creatures, which are protected in various "preserves".)

So, well worth considering, with a good chance of catching a young reader's fancy.