The Inside Story

The Sisters Grimm: Book Eight: The Inside Story moves the story beyond the Everafter War as we left off with the Master having fled into the Book of Everafter. The Sisters Grimm realize they do not have time to wait for Granny Relda and the rest of the family and dive in after him.

The premise of this story was an interesting one. I was looking forward to seeing the kids chase the Master through the pages of children's literature to rescue their baby brother. Unfortunately, this story was not as well executed as previous efforts. Buckley's strength has been his ability to blend multiple characters from children's literature with humor and an integrated plot to hold the reader's interest. In this latest novel, it almost seemed as if Buckley was trying to cram as many character and story references into the story with little interest in plot or humor that was a strength of his previous novels.

The main source of humor in this book is Puck constantly teasing Sabrina about their future marriage after Sabrina finally tells him about her trip to the future. While this is cute, it is not nearly as amusing as the stories provided in previous novels.

The last two books in this series have turned darker. The resolution to the Master's plan leaves the girls with gaining one relative while losing another. The next novel is rumored to be released in May of 2012. I hope Buckley finds a way to advance his plot and return to the humor of his previous stories.

Tales from the Hood

The Sisters Grimm: Book Six: Tales from the Hood made me laugh right from the start. Mr. Canis is on trial for his crimes and Granny must find a lawyer to defend him. Michael Buckley brings in another character from classic literature by introducing the Sherwood Group. Yes, Robin Hood has become a civil attorney dedicated to attacking corporations. After some urging, he agrees to take on the Sherriff of Nottingham and takes the case.

As the book continues, we learn more of the background of Mr. Canis, the wolf and a woodcutter. We also learn that there is a connection between Red Riding Hood and Mr. Canis that the fairy tale does not hint as the future of Mr. Canis hangs in the balance. We learn more about what Charming has been up to while undercover at the Red Hand.

The story has a cliffhanger as the identity of the master is about to be announced as the story concludes.

I already have requests from adults and children to put this series on my Christmas purchase list.

The Fairy Tale Detectives

The Fairy Tale Detectives is the first book in Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm series. My library regional system had the first book available to borrow and review.

Daphne and Sabrina Grimm are no strangers to the foster care system. They have run away from more than one. They are very suspicious when a person claiming to be their grandmother comes forward to claim them and brings them to Ferryport Landing. Grandma Relda Grimm tells the children that they have an interesting family responsibility. They are the descendents of the Grimm brothers and there was more to their life than collecting and recording stories. Grandma Relda informs them that fairy tales are real.

Just as the girls are wrapping themselves around this idea Grandma is kidnapped by a giant and the girls must figure out how to rescue Grandma. They discover that all is not happy in the fairy tale world of Ferryport.

Without Grandma's advice, they must figure out who is responsible for bringing a giant to town. All is not as it seems and they discover there is a villain manipulating the situation in Ferryport.

As the children learn more about the problems in Ferryport Landing, they also find out more about their missing parents.
I love adapted fairy tale stories. This series is promising to be a fun and engaging one. My husband was laughing as he caught a portion of one of the audio CD’s I was listening to during my exercise session. It has great potential for a read aloud. The series has appeal for adults and children.

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