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Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Horror, Humor
250 pages
Description
Follows Hansel and Gretel as they walk out of their own story and into eight more tales, encountering such wicked creatures as witches, along with kindly strangers and other helpful folk. Based in part on the Grimms' fairy tales Faithful Johannes, Hansel and Gretel, The seven ravens, Brother and sister, The robber bridegroom, and The devil and his three golden hairs.
Horn Book Magazine (January/February, 2011)
Instead of the oft-tried technique of expanding a single Grimms' fairy tale into a novel, Gidwitz takes several tales and weaves them together into one darkly humorous chapter book starring Hansel and Gretel. The brother and sister are two of the unluckiest children ever, as they fall into the clutches of a succession of terrible grown-ups, from their father who cuts off their heads to the baker woman who wants to eat them, and even the devil himself. In the bloodiest and most terrifying story, Gretel falls in love with a handsome young man who lures her to his home in the woods where he daily hacks young women to pieces for dinner. The author introduces the stories and interrupts them periodically in passages set off in bold type, speaking directly to the reader in a deliberately modern and informal tone: 'I'm sorry. I wish I could have skipped this part. I really do. Gretel cutting off her own finger?' The commentary can occasionally feel grating, but the combination of powerful stories and grade-school humor will probably introduce Grimm fairy tales to modern children just as Percy Jackson has popularized Greek mythology. SUSAN DOVE LEMPKE
My Comments
Can't put this book down, but warn kids that the stories are super scary!
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