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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I love fairy tales and Adam Gidwitz's way of retelling them so I obviously loved this book. Full of adventure, and all things Grimm.
A wonderful companion novel to A Tale Dark & Grimm. I especially loved the author's notes at the end where he clarifies the sources of the stories he's modified and added his personal twist to. These days, not everyone has a daddy like mine who read fairy tales to me nightly from his Book of Grimm, so it is an excellent way to link the stories for students!
Readers will love the twists on old favorites and will delight in new to them stories.
Readers will love the twists on old favorites and will delight in new to them stories.
Like A Tale Dark and Grimm, it's a mashup of fairy tales and Lemony Snicket. The story seemed to move faster than ATD&G, and the lesson learned (that's the whole point of Märchen, right?) seems more obvious and less forced than in the first. Also like the original Märchen - dark humor and wonderful German (both a plus). Perhaps fewer asides by the narrator in IAGG. A quick read, plenty of gross-out scenes for middle-grade readers, and a trip through several well-known (and other not-so-well-known) Kindermärchen. Would also make a great read-aloud. And you'll never think of salamanders in the same way again.
Fairy tales that are less Disney and more Grimm with the added bonus of a wise & humorous narrator.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
This book was super fun. Unlike A Tale Dark and Grimm, a lot of the tales are original, but there were still retellings of many fairytales and homages to all the rhymes involving Jack and Jill. Part of me would have liked the sequel to A Tale Dark and Grimm to continue Hansel and Gretel's story, but I really enjoyed Jack and Jill's story too. They had great character arcs, the stories were fun and horrifying in equal measure, all the pieces came together so nicely, and the writing spoke poignant truths with graceful simplicity. If you like retold fairytales, this is a good read.
Loved it! It was just as awesome as the first. To be honest, the frog was my favorite character. Jack and Jill should listen to him more.
It would've been amazing if this were a long series, three books are nowhere near enough.
Jack and Jill are the new main characters in this book, and like Hansel and Gretel they're brave and lonely and resourceful. I really liked them.
Jack and Jill are the new main characters in this book, and like Hansel and Gretel they're brave and lonely and resourceful. I really liked them.
You do not need to have read [b:A Tale Dark and Grimm|11974615|A Tale Dark and Grimm|Adam Gidwitz|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1310058046s/11974615.jpg|10874302] to enjoy this book. But if you loved Gidwitz's first book, you'll like this one too! Both books do a great job of celebrating the dark, unpleasant aspects of fairy tales and turning them into a cohesive story.
More so than in A Tale Dark and Grimm, Gidwitz has a clear lesson inserted into this tale, though it never feels unpleasantly didactic. There's enough blood, vomit, and fire-burping giant salamanders to keep it from being preachy.
It was also interesting to see Gidwitz draw from non-Grimm sources, including John Jacobs, Hans Christen Anderson, and even Christina Rossetti. Some of these references will be a bit more obscure to the average child reader, but Gidwitz cites each and every one of his sources at the end.
More so than in A Tale Dark and Grimm, Gidwitz has a clear lesson inserted into this tale, though it never feels unpleasantly didactic. There's enough blood, vomit, and fire-burping giant salamanders to keep it from being preachy.
It was also interesting to see Gidwitz draw from non-Grimm sources, including John Jacobs, Hans Christen Anderson, and even Christina Rossetti. Some of these references will be a bit more obscure to the average child reader, but Gidwitz cites each and every one of his sources at the end.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes