Bibliographical information:

Buckley, Michael. The Fairy-Tale Detectives. Illus. Peter Ferguson. New York: Amulet, 2005. Book 1 of the Sisters Grimm.

Brief summary:

Daphne and Sabrina Grimm have been in the New York City foster care system since the disappearance of their parents a year and a half ago. Now, someone claiming to be their grandmother has filed for custody, and they've been sent to live with her. They discover that life in Ferryport Landing, New York, is quite odd. The town is populated by Everafters, fairy-tale creatures who came to America when the age of fairy tales seemed to be ending in Europe. Sabrina is initially skeptical, but as the girls learn how their family's fate is intertwined with that of the Everafters, they are swept into the family business of helping to keep the peace in Ferryport Landing.

Comments:

This book has an engaging mix of reality and fantasy, from the New York City foster care system to policemen who are pigs. The interactions of various fairy-tale characters who are thrown together in a town are amusing, and the mystery-adventure holds the attention with an appealing mix of magical devices, humor, and tension.

Grade/Age level:

Ages 8-12

Cautions:

The disappearance of the girls' parents hangs over the book, and is not resolved by the end of the novel.

If you like this book, you might also like . . .

--Lisa Gordis

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