Michael Buckley - Reviews

Fairy Tale Detectives

The Sisters Grimm series, Book 1
Michael Buckley
Amulet Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Canids, Girl Power, Fairy Tales, Hidden Wonders, Twists
****

Description

Since their parents vanished under mysterious circumstances over a year ago, eleven-year-old Sabrina Grimm and her younger sister Daphne have bounced from one miserable foster home to another. Now, the social workers claim they have actually located a living relative, Esmerelda Grimm, in the sleepy rural town of Ferryport Landing... only their father insisted that "Granny Relda" died long ago. Sabrina thought she'd die of boredom in Ferryport Landing before escaping Relda, whom she sees to be yet another illegitimate and unfit guardian - that is, until bedtime stories start springing to life around them and Granny Relda reveals their own ties to the famed Brothers Grimm. They were not so much story collectors as detectives, whose famed books were mostly case files of their investigations into magical creatures. Now, Sabrina and Daphne must plunge headfirst into dangers straight out of a fairy tale if they're to have any chance of living long enough to find out if their own story ends happily ever after.

Review

At first blush, it may seem like it's been done to death: modern kids discover old-time magic's alive and well in a backwater town, and find themselves up to their necks in danger before they can say Rumplestiltskin. On some levels, perhaps it has been done several times before, but not the way Buckley does it. He offers some very interesting takes on modern-day fairy tale characters, whom the kids loved when they were words on the page but often find far less charming in the waking world. I actually wished he'd kicked the writing up to a higher grade level so he could explore these takes in more depth; as it is, I don't feel the plot adequately served the setup. However, I'm inclined to be a bit lenient, as it admits that it's the start of a longer series. Perhaps as the kids do some maturing, the story will take on a little more depth.

The Unusual Suspects

The Sisters Grimm series, Book 2
Michael Buckley
Amulet Books
Fiction, MG Fantasy
Themes: Anthropomorphism, Canids, Girl Power, Fairy Tales, Hidden Wonders, Twists
****

Description

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm survived their first trial by fire in the family business of fairy tale investigations, but now the girls face an even greater challenge: their first day of school. Changing schools is bad enough, but in the small town of Ferryport Landing, their teachers are as likely as not to be centuries-old figures from legend and lore. Sabrina, for one, has had just about enough of the Everafters, as these immortal figures call themselves. After all, Everafters were behind the abduction of her parents, and the Everafters of Ferryport Landing have a special axe to grind with the Grimm line: long ago, their ancestor, with the help of a powerful witch, created a barrier around the town and surrounding countryside to protect their endangered magic from the encroaching mundane world (and vice versa), a barrier which keeps them from leaving and which will only fall when the last Grimm relation dies. On her first day of sixth grade, Sabrina's anger seems perfectly justified, as one of her teachers is found dead in his own classroom, clearly the victim of a wholly unnatural Everafter monster. As the young Grimm sisters track down a brutal murderer, they uncover a horrific plot and perhaps a lead on the Scarlet Hand, the secret Everafter organization that stole their mother and father.

Review

The pace and humor of the first book carry through this second volume, though (as expected and hoped) some of the darker tones come more to the forefront. Sabrina has to confront her own shortcomings as they threaten to endanger the investigation and their lives, while the Everafters themselves continue to offer interesting, often humorous yet surprisingly thoughtful takes on fairy tale characters. As a warning, the ending is a cliffhanger.