Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome.

- Opening Sentence

 

 

I read this book because the author, Adam Gidwitz, is coming to visit our school in September and I wanted to be familiar with his works. I'm reading Star Wars: So You Want to be a Jedi also written by Gidwitz. 

I enjoyed this book. Be warned, he talks to the reader, often. So, if meta-fiction isn't your thing, then I would skip this one. He talks about how the next part is scary, and you should make young children leave the room, or about how the reader (supposedly children) might be scared and might want to stop reading. Are you sure you want to keep reading? Ok, don't say I didn't warn you...

It's cute actually, and I think the intended audience (children) will enjoy it. Also, it's a great opening to introducing the concept of meta-fiction and "breaking the fourth wall" to students.

The book doesn't shy away from the scarier parts of fairy tales. Gidwitz actually points out that he was inspired to write these books (this is the first in a trilogy) by a group of second graders. He says that the stories are awesome and "children can handle it." 

This book is based on Hansel and Gretel and includes different aspects of many Grimm fairy tales, including Gretel cutting off her finger (from The Seven Ravens) and Hansel going to Hell and tricking the Devil. I'm not sure which fairy tale that came from. It's a fast-paced story and a fairly quick read. I found myself worrying about Hansel and Gretel, even though I was pretty sure they would end up ok. I like Gidwitz's style and highly recommend this book, with a caveat to consider the specific reader and what they can handle.

I found myself wondering how this would play in a room full of second graders (or even third graders). I guess I will find out since our librarian will be promoting the books to our students.

Bottom Line:

If you are a fan of Grimm fairy tales or enjoy retellings, give this one a chance. :)

"Living a fairy tale sounded good, until you realized you were only getting the bad parts, and all the fairy godmothers and happily ever afters weren't coming."

At the beginning of this final book in the Half Upon a Time series, we find our three heroes separated and trying to avoid the Mirror's prophecy that one of the boys would die and the other would betray May. Jack is training to be a guard for the Evil Queen (known as an Eye). May is living with her stepmother and two stepsisters. And Philip is living in his castle with his mom and Penelope (Sleeping Beauty).

To explain the places where this story takes us would be to give away some of the surprising twists and turns. I would never want to do that. I'd hate to take away the fun of discovering them on your own. Let's just say you will meet even more fairy-tale characters, including the Sandman, Beauty & the Beast and Leprechauns. You even find out the origins of the Grimm Fairy Tale stories. And, of course, Jack's true identity is finally revealed.

The great thing about this series is, it only gets better with each book. And every book surprised me with unexpected revelations. I loved every minute!!

Recommended to

Young Readers to adults. Anyone who enjoys fairy tales and adventures.

"Once upon a time, Jack knew better than to do certain things. You didn't waste time trying to find the perfect temperature of porridge in a bear's house. You didn't point out to your extremely furry grandmother how big her fangs were. And you definitely didn't walk through a creepy fog while music from magical pipes drifted in eerily."

That is the opening paragraph in this second book of the Half Upon a Time series. Jack, May & Phillip are back. In book one, they released the Evil Queen from her magical prison and found out May isn't who they thought she was. The trio is now trying to fix their mistakes and find out the truth about May's identity.

This book touches so many different fairy tale stories that I don't know if I can remember them all: the Pied Piper, Peter Pan (here King Pan in the Land of Never), Bluebeard the pirate, the Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. I may have missed some but I think you should read the book just to be sure. Oh and Jack & Jill.

I enjoyed this story and I'm ready to read book 3 and find out how it all ends. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fairy tale stories or new takes on fairy tales. A great book for reluctant readers in 4-8 grade.