Postcard For Reader

A Tale Dark & Grimm

A Tale Dark And Grimm
Author: Adam Gidwitz
Series: ---
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
How Received: BEA10

Reader, beware.

Warlocks with dark spells, hunters with deadly aim, and bakers with ovens retro-fitted for baking children lurk within these pages.

But if you dare, follow Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into the wilds—where magic, terror, and a little bit of humor shine like white pebbles lighting the way.

Come on in. It may be frightening, and it’s certainly bloody, but, unlike those other fairy tales you know, this one is true.

Once upon a time, you see, fairy tales were awesome.
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I love Grimm fairy tales. I love the originals, I love most adaptions of them (yes, even the squeaky clean Disney ones) and I love them when they're mixed up and mashed up (Into the Woods? Best musical ever).

So I was bound to like this on some level or another.

I love the fact that Hansel and Gretel are the star of every one of the stories and how Gidwitz manages to thread them all together; it was a lot of fun to read. His comments as an author within the text themselves were hysterical; I think I laughed out loud just as much as I grinned at the blood and guts that Hansel and Gretel were spilling.

I think the thing I like most about it is that it manages to stay true to the original tales while making it acceptable for younger kids to read. Yes, it's a little gory and a little horrific, but at the same time it's lots of fun to read and easy for a middle grade kid to understand. And it's even fun to read as an older kid! (I shall never grow up from this stage of 'older kid.')

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 7/10. I loved the way Gidwitz weaved the tales and how he kept to the original, but I wasn't impressed by the writing itself.
Cover Comments: LOVE.