#tbt: Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Image: Abrams

Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. Illustrated by Peter Ferguson. Amulet Books/ Abrams Books, 2005. 

Happy Thursday! #tbt features Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. The Fairy Tale Detectives is the first entry of the nine book Sisters Grimm series. The sisters Grimm are orphans Sabrina and Daphne, who are placed in a series of foster homes after their parents disappear. They are surprised when they are released to the care of their grandmother, Reida Grimm, whom the sisters thought was dead. Oh, and she may or may not be a witch. She whisks the girls to a town called Ferryport Landing, which has an unusual amount of criminal activity. It isn't long before they learn that they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm and that Ferryport Landing is inhabited by Everafters. 

If you like fast-paced, humorous stories inspired by folk or fairy tales, this is the series for you!

#tbt: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Image: Abrams

The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. Sisters Grimm #1. 192 p. Abrams, October, 2005. 9780810959255.

#tbt features The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. Book one of what would become eight books in the Sisters Grimm series was published in 2005 and features sisters Daphne and Sabrina Grimm. When their parents disappear the sisters are sent to live with a grandmother they thought was dead in Ferryport. Once there, they find that they are expected to become detectives and carry on the legacy that stretches back to the original brothers Grimm. This series is a TMS favorite. 

Middle Grade Monday: The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. Land of Stories #1. 448 p. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, July, 2012. 9780316201575.

This is a student recommendation but I have also read this and the second book of the series. When twins, Connor and Alex Bailey turn twelve, their grandmother gifts them an old book called, The Land of Stories. They are thrilled with the gift because they remember being read fairy tales from the book when they were younger. When the book begins buzzing one night, Alex discovers that it is a portal into the actual Land of Stories where they meet Cinderella, Goldilocks, Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood as well as other citizens. In order to find their way back to their own world, they need to cross The Land of Stories to find The Wishing Well; but find adventure along the way. 

The Land of Stories is the first of a six-book series. There are also five companion books. Additionally, The Wishing Well was optioned and is in development by Twentieth Century Fox with Chris Colfer serving as screenwriter and director.  

Little Red's Riding 'Hood by Peter Stein

Little Red's Riding 'Hood by Peter Stein. Illustrated by Chris Gall. 32 p. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., February, 2015. 9780545609692. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)

This isn't the first time that Red Riding Hood has been fractured; nor is it the first time that Red is a boy. Come to think of it, the automotive angle has been done before as well. In Neal Shusterman's second entry in his Dark Fusion series, Red was a sixteen-year-old boy who cruised his neighborhood is a red mustang and grandma has been kidnapped by a gang of werewolves. That is most decidedly YA fare.

Little Red's Riding 'Hood is much lighter - filled with automotive humor both visually and in the text. Not all the humor is successful but most is clever and fun. The characters are motor vehicles. Little Red is a zippy scooter. The wolf is a menacing monster truck and Granny is a pink golf cart. It's a zany retelling which remains fairly faithful to the "original." The illustrations are peppy. The palette is bright. Readers will enjoy looking for the visual jokes such as "Skid's Brake Repair."

This would be a fun addition to a fractured fairy tale unit.

Audiobook Review: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I played catch-up this summer with the Lunar Chronicles and read both Scarlet and Cress with my ears. I read Cinder with my ears as well, but unfortunately never got around to reviewing it. I thought it was a clever twist on the Cinderella motif and a very impressive debut novel. Here's a double review of Scarlet and Cress.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. The Lunar Chronicles #2. Unabridged audiobook on 9 compact discs. 11 hours. Read by Rebecca Soler. Macmillan Audio, February, 2014. 9781427229649. (Purchased.)

No sequel sag here. While Cinder is imprisoned, facing deportation to Lunar where a death sentence awaits her, readers are introduced to Scarlet Benoit, the granddaughter of a farmer in France. Scarlet is  frantic because her grandmother went missing two weeks earlier, leaving her ID chip behind. Authorities assume that she left on her own but Scarlet knows better. She warily enlists the aid of Wolf, a street fighter of sorts, to help her find Grandmere. Big mistake. No spoilers here despite the fact that the book has been out for awhile. Let's just call this romance a bit star-crossed.

Meanwhile, Cinder gets some help escaping but ends up teaming up with her cellmate, Captain Carswell Thorne, a sort of Han Solo-type, swashbuckling hero in his own mind kind of guy.

The double narrative takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of an adventure. Thank goodness I read this after Cress was published as the only wait I endured was waiting for the one library that owned the audiobook of Cress to ILL it to my library.

Cress by Marissa Meyer. The Lunar Chronicles #3. Unabridged audiobook on one self-contained Playaway. 16 hours. Read by Rebecca Soler. 9781427236373. (Borrowed from public library.)

Cress, a Lunar shell and gifted hacker has been orbiting Earth in a satellite, ordered by Sybil Mira to first spy on Kai and other government officials and, most recently, to find the Rampion, Thorne's stolen spaceship. Cress, who has a bit of a crush on Thorne has not only found it, she's using her skills to keep the ship cloaked. She has a bit of a rescue fantasy going involving Thorne. Wolf is training Cinder to hone her mind controlling skills and Kai is reluctantly planning a wedding. When Cinder and Cress finally make contact, Cress can't believe her good luck. Unfortunately, Sybel decides to make a surprise visit and thwarts Cress' plans for escape. Cress and Thorne end up plummeting to Earth in the satellite; Scarlet becomes a prisoner of Sybil; and Cinder and Wolf reunite with Dr. Erland in Africa. 

Oh my, what an epic story! I just love the pacing, the humor, the action and the romance. Everything fits together so well, so seamlessly. And the sci-fi spin on the fairy tale motifs is just thrilling. The Rampion, Thorne's blindness, Wolf and Scarlet, Cinder and Kai. Oh, this series just tickles me. 

For some reason, I thought this was a trilogy. When I realized that the end of the story was near and no resolution seemed to be imminent, I realized that there would be another installment. Winter is due out November of 2015! Yikes! However, there will be a prequel, called Fairest, that is due to drop in January. It is Levana's story.

I must say that I find Rebecca Soler's performance in all three audiobooks absolutely amazing. Perfectly paced, amazing accents, I have enjoyed all three recordings. I actually thought that the narrator had changed because she inhabits the characters so well. I highly recommend this series in both the print and audio versions. My students just love the series - both boys and girls.