The Sisters Grimm (novel series)

The Sisters Grimm is a children's fantasy series written by Michael Buckley and illustrated by Peter Ferguson.

Overview

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm go through a series of foster homes after their parents disappear. They become maids, servants, and other things that children shouldn't be, mostly because they have Ms. Smirt as their caseworker. After all of that trouble, they end up in the care of their long-lost grandmother. They soon find that they are living in a town of Everafters, live characters from fantasy and fairy tales. The family solves mysteries that might be connected to the disappearance of their parents but an evil group of Everafters, called The Scarlet Hand, are determined to find a way out of the barrier created by one of the Grimms' ancestors; a barrier that makes any Everafter in that town stuck there forever unless the Grimms abandon the town or all the descendent's of the past and future are dead.

Books in the series

• The Fairy-Tale Detectives - Two sisters,eleven-year-old Sabrina Grimm and her seven-year-old sister Daphne, are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm, whom they had previously believed to be deceased, in the small East Coast town of Ferryport Landing. The sisters begin to unravel a mystery that reveals a family secret. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm and that fairytale beings—known as Everafters—reside in the town to which they've been brought. When their grandmother is kidnapped by a giant, it is up to the sisters to rescue her.

• The Unusual Suspects - The Sisters Grimm start school at Ferryport Landing Elementary. Daphne gets Snow White for a teacher, while Sabrina's stuck with Mr. Grumpner and a class of mildly psychotic sixth graders. When Mr. Grumpner is murdered in a particularly unusual way, it is up to the Grimms to find the Everafter who did it. A great friend turns into a great enemy (a member of the Scarlet Hand), and when the school is blown up, Mr. Canis doesn't survive.

• The Problem Child - The Sisters Grimm, intrepid detectives of fairy-tale crime, come face to face with their parents’ kidnappers, the mysterious organization of Everafters who call themselves the Scarlet Hand. One of them turns out to be the world’s most famous fairy-tale character, Little Red Riding Hood, and the other, the Jabberwocky, an unstoppable killing machine. Puck kisses Sabrina. (Of course all he gets is a bruise in the stomach.) Without Mr. Canis fighting at their side, the girls have little hope of rescuing their mother and father. That is, until their long-lost Uncle Jake returns home with stories of a weapon, now missing, that can kill the Jabberwocky. Sabrina, given a wand by Uncle Jake, gets a magic addiction. Only the Blue Fairy can put the pieces of the Vorpal Blade together, but who has the pieces? And who is the Blue Fairy anyway? Mayor Charming, for once, has competition for the mayoral election by the Queen of Hearts, but can Ferryport Landing afford to let the town fall into her (considerably maniacal) hands? And when Puck's wings are ripped off in a Jabberwocky attack at a diner, will he survive, or will he perish in a state of coma?

• Once Upon a Crime - Sabrina just wants to be normal - no detecting, no dangerous escapes, and especially no Everafters. Unfortunately, New York City is a city filled with wand-wielding fairy godfathers, swashbuckling Wall Street pirates, subway stealing dwarfs, and worst of all... a murderer in their midst. This makes Sabrina feel sick about her old home. She doesn't think it safe there anymore either. The girls and their friends must figure out who killed Puck's father, King Oberon, while coming to terms with their mother's secret life. They also have to deal with Puck's cocoon; he sprayed Sabrina and not Moth. Will Moth pull the trigger on Sabrina? Read to find out.

• Magic and Other Misdemeanors - In book five of the series, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are ready to tackle their own case: Who is stealing the magical possessions of the most powerful Everafters in town? With Granny distracted by Mayor Heart's campaigning against human residents, the girl detectives are on their own. Puss in Boots (now an exterminator), Cinderella (a radio relationship counselor), Sleeping Beauty (owner of a coffee shop), and their old enemy, Prince Charming, are among the many suspects. The girls get sucked into the future and are surprised at what they see. Why is this happening? Will the mystery ever be solved?

• Tales from The Hood - A kangaroo court of Everafters, led by the cruel Queen of Hearts, is determined to find Canis guilty and force the Grimms out of Ferryport Landing. Meanwhile, Puck has decided to focus more on his mischievous ways, making a few new troublemaker friends. So it’s up to Sabrina and Daphne to find evidence to save Canis—and their investigation may reveal more than they hoped, as they learn the real story of Little Red Riding Hood.. Is Canis truly guilty? Or is he the good guy?

• The Everafter War - Picking up after the dramatic cliffhanger that ended book six, Sabrina and Daphne’s prayers are finally answered when their parents awake from their sleeping spell. But their happy reunion is short-lived, as they are caught in the middle of a war between the Scarlet Hand and Prince Charming’s Everafter army. As the family works to help the prince’s ragtag group of rebels and protect their friends, Sabrina comes face-to-face with the family’s deadliest enemy — the mysterious Master who turns out to be a close family friend — who reveals a secret so shocking it will rock the entire family to its core. They also find out about a new family member. Who is it?

• The Inside Story - Picking up where the cliffhanger ending of book seven left off, this book follows Sabrina, Daphne, and Puck through the world of the Book of Everafter, where all the fairy tales are stored and enchanted characters can change their destinies. The girls (and Puck) must chase the Master through a series of stories, where they're willing to change what they need in order to save their baby brother. Soon, however, they are confronted by The Editor - the book's guardian - who, along with an army of tiny monsters known as Revisers, threaten the children with dire consequences if they don't stick to the stories. So they move from one legendary tale to the next doing their best to find the Master and stop his plan to steal and inhabit the child's body. Along the way they'll play the roles of Alice, Mowgli, Jack the Giant Killer, Hansel and Gretel, and the Headless Horseman in the stories they visit. Will they be able to find their brother in time?

Michael Buckley plans on there being nine books in the series. He has recently said on Facebook that The ninth book will be called 'The Council of Mirrors', and will be released sometime in May 2012.^[1] Recently on Michael Buckley's Twitter page he announced that he will be releasing "The Sisters Grimm Ultimate Guide". Michael's exact message was :"The Sisters Grimm Ultimate Guide! Edited by Puck and guaranteed to hold you over until Book 9!". It was posted on March 22, 2011. The ultimate guide of the Sisters Grimm will be released a few months before number 9.

Main characters

• Sabrina Grimm: Sabrina is shown having long blonde hair and blue eyes. Sabrina is said to also resemble her mother as she has her face. She is stubborn and does whatever she believes is right. She usually takes on the role as a leader when she, Daphne, and Puck are alone, but it is later shown that she sometimes finds that having everyone look at her for the answer is stressing. She is sometimes overprotective of Daphne but it's only because she wants her sister to be safe. She is always fighting with Puck, but it is obvious that they have feelings for each other. It's shown that Sabrina and Puck are, in fact, married in the future, something that scares Sabrina. It is shown in the eighth book that she is in love with Puck, after kissing him to wake him up from eating a poisoned apple.

• Daphne Grimm: Daphne is the younger sister of Sabrina, and is shown having brown hair that is usually in pigtails. She is quite kind and is Sabrina's reason for not giving up hope. She has her own special quirks, such as biting her palm when she is excited and making up words for her own language (such as gravy, which means cooler than cool). She gets tired of Sabrina always protecting her, and grows up to the point where she can give Sabrina some helpful advice. Puck calls her "Marshmallow" and she is close to the family dog, Elvis. She also enjoys teasing Sabrina and Puck about their future marriage. It's also mentioned that she has a large appetite and can sleep through anything.

• Mr. Canis: Mr. Canis is introduced as Relda Grimm's friend in the first book. He's the big bad wolf in the form of "Mr. Canis." The Grimms saved him from the wolf, and he is now on a mission to regain the memories of his life before the wolf. His real name is Tobias Clay.

• Relda Grimm: As the grandmother of Sabrina and Daphne, Relda suddenly shows up and takes them in when their parents disappear. She is the one who introduces them to the land of Everafters and magic. Granny Relda had red hair in her youth. She has green eyes and a round face. She usually wears a hat with a sunflower on it, and is known for the odd dishes that she makes. Granny Relda was taken over by Mirror at an attempt to save her family.

• Puck: Puck is a 4000 year old fairy who lives in the form of an 12 year old boy. Puck has blonde hair and blue eyes. He has pink insect-like wings. He ends up living with the Grimms after helping them in the first book and officially becomes part of the family. He is also known as the Trickster King, and is always playing pranks, usually targeted at Sabrina. He fights using his wooden sword, can fly while carrying Sabrina and Daphne, and can transform into many things. He likes being the center of attention, and is jealous when he is not in the spotlight. Although he and Sabrina argue a lot and he plays numerous pranks on her,it is shown that they both like each other. When Puck finds out that he is going to marry Sabrina, he thinks it's impossible because he doesn't want to grow up (Everafters like Puck can stay at whatever age they want, or grow up until they turn old) but when Daphne tells him he is going to grow up because of the love he holds for Sabrina, he gets mad at Sabrina and tells her that she has poisoned him into growing. Later though, he accepts the fact that Sabrina is going to be his wife, and even starts planning the wedding, though he might just be doing that to annoy Sabrina. He kisses Sabrina full on the lips for the first time in book three. He has a fairy family back in New York City, and his father,Oberon, was murdered. He has a brother named Mustardseed, a mother named Titania and a ex-fiancee named Moth. He hates being mistaken for Peter Pan.

• Mirror: He wanted to become a human that would allow himself to leave Ferryport Landing. He was also the guardian of the mirror that kept some of the most dangerous tools found in some famous fariy tales such as "Dorothy's slippers" in the hands of wrong doing it can lead to chaos. It is revealed in The Everafter War that he is the Master of The Scarlet Hand.

• Mayor/Prince Charming: The former mayor of Ferryport Landing. He is intent on buying up the town to make it into his own personal kingdom; he becomes an unlikely ally for the Grimms. He is shown to have a crush on Snow White even proposing to her though she says no.

• Officer Hamstead: One of the Three Little Pigs. He is the sheriff of Ferryport Landing until Mayor Heart fired him. He is a great friend of the Grimms. He stays in New York in the fourth book to be with his girlfriend Bess (aka the Cow who Jumped Over the Moon). He was also the one who gave Daphne the key to the safety deposit box with a weapon that could defeat Mr.Canis if he ever went out of control.

• The Queen of Hearts: Current mayor of Ferryport Landing. She hates the Grimms and is a part of the Everafter group The Scarlet Hand.

• The Master: The mysterious leader of the Scarlet Hand which plans to take over the world: both humans and everafters. The Masters agents included the Wizard of Oz, Jack, the Queen of Hearts and Little Riding Hood. The Master's identity is revealed as Mirror in book seven.

• Snow White: Left Charming at the altar, but she and Mayor Charming never really got over each other. She is a teacher at the school in Ferryport Landing and runs a self-defense group called the Bad Apples. She is a fierce soldier in the Everafter War and a friend to the Grimms.

• Little Red Riding Hood: She used to be crazy until the Grimms saved her by using 'The North Wind' a kazoo that was also used on Mr. Canis to rid him of the Wolf. She now lives with the Grimm family.

• Bess: Hamstead's girlfriend first introduced in book 4. She is actually The Cow Who Jumped Over The Moon.

• Veronica Grimm: Mother to the Grimm girls and daughter-in-law to Relda Grimm. Wife to Henry Grimm and sister-in law to Jake Grimm. Under a sleeping spell for most of the books.

• Henry Grimm: Father to the Grimm girls and son to Relda Grimm. Husband to Veronica Grimm and brother to Jake Grimm. Also under a sleeping spell for most of the books. He is shown not to like Puck and thinks of him as immature.

• Mr. Seven: Mayor Charming's former assistant. He was often forced to wear the "Idiot Hat". He proves to be a fierce warrior in the seventh book.

• The Mad Hatter Judge for Mr. Canis' trial. He is extremely crazy which is why Mayor Heart appoints him as the judge. He states Mr. Canis guilty.

• The Little Mermaid She had the sword needed to cut open the barrier but would not hand it over; Uncle Jake, Sabrina, and Daphne stole it from her.She is also very fat.

• Goldilocks She was Henry Grimm's old girlfriend. She saved him from the sleeping spell he was under. Friend to the Three Bears and has the ability to talk to animals.

• Jake Grimm Uncle to Sabrina and Daphne Grimm also son to Relda Grimm. He is in love with Briar Rose (also known as Sleeping Beauty) but they can't marry because Briar Rose's fairy godmothers distrust and hate him. In book 7, he is heartbroken when she gets killed and joins the war for her sake.

• Briar Rose Uncle Jake's girlfriend. Good friend to the Grimms and often help them. Her fairy godmothers don't approve of Uncle Jake and try not to leave the two of them alone. Unfortunately she is killed by a dragon in the seventh book.

• Basil Grimm III: Sabrina and Daphne's younger brother. He was born when his parents were placed under the sleeping spell. Mirror first planned to use him to escape the barrier, but was unsuccessful thanks to the Grimm family. He is said to look a lot like Granny Relda since he has red hair, green eyes, and a round face.

Awards

The Sisters Grimm series received many honors, including the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award^[2] and the Kirkus Best Fantasy Book award.^[3] The series is also a New York Times bestseller.^[4]

External links

• Sisters Grimm Online

The Sisters Grimm books

References

1. ^ http://www.facebook.com/#!/michaelbuckleyfanpage
2. ^ [1] Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award 2006
3. ^ [2] Kirkus: The best Children's Books of 2005, PDF, 2014 kB, p. 21
4. ^ NYTimes.com > Books > Best-Seller Lists Children's Books, published January 8, 2006