A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

2010/256 pgs

About the Book: Interwoven short stories that tell the true story of what happened to Hansel and Gretel.

Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: A Tale Dark and Grimm received a lot of buzz late last year, so I was eager to check it out. The book starts out explaining that the fairy tales and stories we know are altered and that the author is going to tell us the true Grimm tales the way they were meant to be told-gory, gruesome, dark and all. And they are that-gory and dark, but they're also brilliantly woven together to tell one large story arc.

The author often interjects into the story to break up some of the tension and "scarier" parts. Some of the tales are darker, but I don't think it's anything scarier than any other horror novel for middle grade or young adult. There's also lots of snark that the author interjects into his comments which gives the book a lot of humor.

The opening tells the reader that Hansel and Gretel get their heads chopped off in the first story and after an opening like that, you can easily sell this book to older tweens and teens! I can't wait to start booktalking it to readers-I'm sure they'll snatch it up!