A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Reviewed by Lori
Tale Dark And Grimm
Title: A Tale Dark and Grimm

Series:  The Grimm Series

Author: Adam Gidwitz

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 51063

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.

Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It

Why I Read It: A fantastic title and a love for all things Grimm!

Lori's Notes: A re-writing of a few fairy tales to include Hansel and Gretel (including their own). These two children run away from home, have adventures including a rescue, a trip to hell, and outwitting a murderer.  Some of the stories are dark - just as the Grimm stories were - and bloody.  The narrator who interjects throughout the stories is funny and sarcastic.  I really enjoyed this book and having read many of the original Grimm tales I liked the return of the more grisly parts!

Recommended Readers: This book would be a great read aloud for a slightly older elementary school audience.  Grade 5 and up.

Themes: Fairy Tales Retold, Brother and Sister, Family, Good and Evil, Naughty Children, Crime and Punishment, Happily Ever After.

Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
Fairy Tale: Hansel and Gretel
TV Show: Once Upon a Time

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities:
  • Read the original story of Hansel and Gretel.  How is it different than the modern version.
  • What other fairy tales are in this novel?
  • Why do you think fairy tales were originally so dark and grim?
  • How do Hansel and Gretel escape their fate?
  • Create an artwork piece similar to the cover for a scene from the novel.

Other Books in this Series: 


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: The Poet's Dog Author: Patricia MacLachlan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 127678 Description:   An abandoned dog, able to speak only to poets and children, rescues a pair of young children stranded in the forest. Together, they find a way to overcome their losses. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It: Poetry and Dogs... what more can I say.  Notes: This is one of those novels that I absolutely love.  It is written for a younger audience but there are deeper aspects to the story that are very appealing to an adult reader.   The story is encapsulated within 88 pages, and spells out the story of Teddy, the poet's dog, whose master has passed away, and Flora and Nickel, two children he finds lost in a blizzard.   The children are left in a car by their mother as she goes to look for help after getting stuck in the snow.  The children get scared and leave the vehicle and get lost in the woods where they are found by Teddy who brings them home.  Flo
Read more

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Brain Jack Author: Brian Falkner Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 128664 Description:   In a near-future New York City, computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting write up in the catalogue and a growing interest in tech-related reading. Notes: Sam is a seventeen-year-old Hacker, one of the best around.  So good that he is able to hack into the telecomerica head offices and order a couple of "neuro" headsets for himself and his friend Fargas.  The latest technology that allows you to directly access the computer network using only your brain.  But Sam's hacking brings down services for three days - something that will go down in history.  That's when the CDD (the cyber defence division) start watching him.  It's not long before they hack Sam back and he's arrested.
Read more

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  All the Light We Cannot See Author: Anthony Doerr Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 98669 Description:  A blind French girl on the run from the German occupation and a German orphan-turned-Resistance tracker struggle with their respective beliefs after a fortuitous meeting on the Brittany coast. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read it: This book has been on my reading list for awhile and it was recommended to me by several people. Lori's Notes: This was a fantastic novel.  It may seem overwhelming in terms of size but the individual chapters are very short and read almost like mini short stories within the book.  The characters alternate between Marie-Laure a blind Parisian girl, and Werner an orphan German boy. Marie-Laure's father, Daniel LeBlanc, works in a Paris Museum as a key master and designs intricate puzzle boxes for his daughter.  Werner lives in a children's home with his sister Jutta and because of his interest in radios is quickly recruit
Read more