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The Council of Mirrors Michael Buckley

Time to wrap up the Everafter War and say goodbye to the Grimm family-- this is the LAST book in the fantastic Sisters Grimm series. As such, it's spoiler-rific for earlier books in the series.

Mirror has taken control of Granny's body and is trying to get through the barrier. Ferryport Landing has been ransacked, looted, and reduced to little more than rubble. Uncle Jake is crazed with grief. The remaining mirrors can see only one future where the Grimms are victorious, and it involves Daphne forming a coven and Sabrina leading an army.

Sabrina's excited to be taken seriously, but she has to earn the mantle of responsibility and not just run from it.

Plus, zombie chipmunks and the end to the craziest love story ever.

A wonderful end to a wonderful series. Puck remains a perennial favorite. I love that he's the one that gives Sabrina the tough words she needs to hear to lead her army. I also enjoyed Bunny's backstory, which sheds a ton of new light on her character and motivations. I find Atticus problematic (in that way that violence against women has become a convenient short hand for "bad guy").

But, overall, a very fitting end to this series. I especially like the double epilogue.

Book Provided by... my local library

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The Sisters Grimm: Book Eight: The Inside Story (Sisters Grimm, The) Michael Buckley

The Grimm sisters are inside the Book of Everafter, running through various storylines as they try to track down the Master and save their baby brother. They have to rely on all their fairy tale knowledge, because the Editor is after them to make sure the stories stay as written.

I like how in this one, Daphne and Sabrina are inside the fairy tales, instead of the fairy tale characters being inside the real world. It gives us a different perspective. Lots of adventure as always and FINALLY Sabrina seems to be growing a bit as a person.

My only complaint is that this book has been out for over a year and we have to wait until Spring 2012 for the final installment.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that the new TV show, Once Upon a Time, looks like Sisters Grimm, but for grownups? I'm very excited for it. Too bad ABC's the only station our antennae won't properly tune. I'll be watching it online the next day, I guess.

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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I thought it would be interesting to post a photo of my bulletin board in my office once a month to see what I am working on. I usually post up covers that I am designing or art directing to 'live with them' for a while an see if they are working. Some title on my board are The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Meanwhile, The Popularity Papers, Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies, Fizzy Whiz Kid, Sisters Grimm, Bear In the Air and Anxious Hearts. So the beginning of every month I will make a posting "Scenes from my Bulletin Board".

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I changed the poll over the sidebar, because I left a few things off. I revoted for everyone that had voted, so your votes are still counted. If that makes sense. ANYWAY! Check out my sidebar (yes, JacketFlap and GoogleReaders, you will have to visit my blog... :) And vote on what you want to see me read/read me review during MotherReader's 48 Hour Challenge in June. I can't make a decision, so I'm passing the buck. HA!

Anyway, Thursday night, I went to class, I went out to dinner with a friend, and then I came home, curled up on the couch with Sasskerdoodle (aka, Sassy, aka my dog, or, as I call her, my puppy friend) and read

Tales from the Hood Michael Buckley

This the the 6th and latest installment in the Sisters Grimm series. In this one, the Grimms are the only non-Ever Afters left in Ferryport Landing after Mayor Heart and the Sheriff of Nottingham have run everyone else out of town.

Mr. Canis has been arrested and is struggling ever more to keep the wolf at bay.

Bluebeard is presenting the prosecution (and trying desperately to win Snow White) so who better to hire for the defense than Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. They're not sure they can win (the Mad Hatter, is, after all, the judge) but are happy to one again be a thorn in Nottingham's side.

Of course, Sabrina's not so sure they should even try, especially since Daphne won't go get the secret weapon. When Sabrina steals the key and sneaks out, even Puck is disappointed in her, and Daphne won't even look at her anymore...

There is the bright lining though, as it appears that finding Goldilocks might be closer than ever...

I feel this is more of a place-holder novel in the series. It wasn't as heart-pounding exciting as Magic and Other Misdemeanors but rather one of those books to get you to the next exciting one. If that makes sense.

Despite the lack of tension (as compared to the last book) you still get the (now dark) zaniness of Ferryport Landing, I mean, the whole scene with the Scarecrow as the town's librarian? I also loved Puck's take on the situation-- Oz is a swindler, so the Scarecrow's brain must have been second hand. A good one for fans of the series, but you definitely won't get what's going on if you haven't read the previous ones.

Also, in March, the new Last Apprentice book came out and it was taking my library too long to order it, so finally I just went to the bookstore and bought my own copy.

Attack of the Fiend Joseph Delaney

The Spook knows that the witch clans at Pendle are banding together, which can only mean evil. He's taking his time to carefully plan to counter it, but then when Tom goes home to see what was in Mam's trunks, he finds the farm destroyed and the trunks missing...

So, it's off to Pendle immediately to save Tom's inheritance, not to mention Jack, Ellie, and the baby who are being held hostage.

The Pendle clans have joined forces to raise the Devil himself. If they succeed, they won't be able to control him after a day or two and it'll be bad for everyone.

Unfortunately for Tom and the Spook, the witches have created a monsterous creature that can see in mirrors to spy on people. A creature that lives off human blood.

But, Tom and the Spook have Alice, as long as she stays on their side...

I read recently that this is a 7 book series, so, Book 4 is the pivotal book of such things. It ends much darker than the others and we can tell something bigger is looming. It's also creepier yet. They're making a movie of this series and on one hand, I'm really excited, but on the other hand, I don't think I would be able to actually watch it. The books are scary enough!

But, on a lighter note, Ingrid Michaelson opened last night's show with this. PRICELESS.

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If you have not yet started reading The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley, what is wrong with you?! READ IT! NOW! Because I desperately need to talk over the latest installment, Magic and Other Misdemeanors with someone. Seriously, if you have read this, contact me.

Wow. This book blows the others out of the water. A lot of the darker themes from the previous books (like the Scarlet Hand) really come to play here. Mayor Heart is taxing all non-Everafters (including the Grimms) out of Ferryport Landing. For, as Sheriff Nottingham says,

Ferryport Landing is an Everafter settlement... Too many outsiders have come in here, stealing our jobs, enjoying our hospitals and schools. But not for much longer. Mayor Heart has decreed, and I wholeheartedly agree, that Ferryport Landing is an Everafter town for Everafters!

Meanwhile, Charming is still missing and Snow White is heart broken. Baba Yaga, Glinda, and Morgen LeFey all have had something stolen, but Granny is too preoccupied with the taxes and leaves the case to Sabrina and Daphne.

Oh yeah, and Mr. Canis is having a harder and harder time controlling what literally is the beast within and there are some seriously odd rips in the space/time continuum.

The ending leaves a lot of answered questions and March seems too long to wait for Tales From the Hood

I have further, plot spoiling thoughts here.

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So, you know how when you are totally in love with a series and you pre-order the next volume as soon as possible and then just kinda drop everything to read it when it comes through the door? Please tell me I am not the only person like this.

Anyway, here are some books that fall in that category. I read these most of these day they came out. I'm just slow to talk about them.

The Last Apprentice: Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney.

Ok, I didn't preorder this. But I totally pre-reserved it at the library. If anything, this book is scarier, creepier, and grosser than the first one. And possibly even better.

Thomas Ward and the Spook are off to Priestown (which, as you can imagine, is a town full of Priests, and they're never fans of Spooks). The Bane is an evil thing that crushes its victims flat and is starting to control the minds of the people living near its prison, in the catacombs underneath the church. Thomas and the Spook need to finish it once and for all, but the Spook has tried, and failed before.

Oh, and they're going to be hanged for being Spooks. All in a days work!

Regarding the Bathrooms: A Privy to the Pastby Kate Klise

Ok, once again, something I pre-reserved. I only have so much bookshelf space people!

The kid's in Sam N's class are back. It's summer, and they've all found jobs. Marriages are on the rocks, international crime rings seemingly have ties to Geyser Creek and deep secrets of the past are uncovered. Probably the best book in this series since the first one.

The Sisters Grimm: Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley

When we last saw Sabrina, Daphne, Puck & Co., Puck's wings had been torn off and he was dying. SO! The family makes its way to New York City, the heart of the Faerie Kingdom so Puck can get well...

It turns out that Veronica Grimm (before she went missing) was a hero here. Sabrina is NOT HAPPY to find this out. She is angrier than ever. Then, King Oberon is found poisoned and an innocent Faerie is blamed. Sabrina wants out of the game, and Grandma Grimm lets her quit, but now Daphne won't talk to her...

This is one of my favorites in the series. The change of locale and new cast of characters keeps the scenario from getting repetitive and old. Also, it's not often that you see the cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream making fractured appearances in children's literature. Where it's funnier if you're familiar with the play, it still works for people who haven't read or seen it (and I think most of the target audience falls into this category).

I also love the introduction of the Godfathers. More Mafia than turning pumpkins into coaches, they're brilliant. As is Bluebeard as a Wall Street financier. Once again, all jokes that younger readers aren't going to fully understand, but it's not only for adults.

The changing and evolving relationship between Sabrina and Daphne is one of the best, and most subtle, parts of this series, and this is a good volume (if less subtle) in that regard.

And yes, I've already pre-ordered Magic and Other Misdemeanors
Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now by Lauren Child

This hasn't even been published in the US yet, but Amazon will obtain a UK copy for you.

Clarice has some bigger worries in this latest installment (and more pages in which to explore them! yippee!) It's still zany and fun and silly and everything you love about Clarice, but also deeper and older. Betty moves away and everyone's cranky and she's so worried and anxious about everything that she's not sleeping anymore, which isn't helping with school. There's a new girl, Clem, and everyone seems to love her, but Clarice doesn't trust her at all.

There's still a lot of Ruby, a lot more of Marcie (as she's back from France) and less of Minal Cricket. A must read for Clarice fans.

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The Ezra Jack Keats Awards. Heard of them? Here's a description:

The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award was established in 1985 to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators new to the field of children's books. Many previous winners of the award have gone on to distinguished careers creating books beloved by parents, children, librarians and teachers across the country.

All clear? Good. I mean, until I started working for the New York Public Library system I hadn't really heard of them either. Then everyone involved ended up in my Story Hour Room. Yes, this past Thursday we at the Donnell Central Children's Room found ourselves hosting the award ceremony for the 2007 Ezra Jack Keats Award winners. I was given a job: Buzz around everyone and snap photos for posterity. Okey-doke. Trouble is, there's a reason I never went into photography as a profession. I was a Fine Arts double major in both English and Photography in college. That was before I realized that when it comes to composing shots, I'm lamentable. Basically it all boils down to the fact that I'm too self-conscious to snap photographs of folks I don't know. It gives me a jim jams. It's why I can't act or be hypnotised either. Can't explain it. Anywho, after taking surreptitious snaps of people I already vaguely knew (I think I probably took 45 pictures in varying angles of super nice guy Angus Killick) I gave up the whole enterprise and started chatting things up with people like Heather Scott. And Heather would have won the Hot Shoes of Children's Literature Award for this particular kidlit gathering, had I only thought to take a snapshot of her feet with my own camera and not the library's. Lackaday.

The winners of the award, I should probably mention, were as follows:

Brooklyn based Kristen Balouch will receive the New Illustrator Award for her book, Mystery Bottle (Hyperion, 2006), a heartwarming story about a young boy and his grandfather separated by the distance of their countries and united by a mysterious bottle.

The 2007 New Writer Award will go to first-time children’s book writer Kelly Cunnane for For You Are A Kenyan Child (Atheneum, 2006), illustrated by previous Keats Book Award winner Ana Juan, which recounts a day in the life of a young boy growing up a small Kenyan village. Kelly Cunnane lived in Africa for many years but now resides in Beals, Maine.

Ms. Cunnane left a lovely note for Pooh in the guestbook.

But who should be in attendance other than special guest star Michael Buckley! Yes! Author of the Sisters Grimm books (we have the art currently on display, by the way) and all around nice fella. We chatted about possible movie deals, which I will keep mute about. Authors get all touchy when you start yammering on about who's buying what when the actual "buying" part hasn't actually taken place. We discussed the total number of books he might write (could be 6, could be 9). I complimented him on having books that resemble the Lemony Snicket stories but that hold up so much better after multiple readings (well done, Abrams). He's a swell fella. He's also going to talk with some of our local schoolkids at some point here, so that should be fun. I may just have to do his book with my homeschooler bookgroup soon. And say, did you ever notice that the Sisters Grimm books have their own theme song? Howzabout that?

Anywho, lovely evening. Good stuff. Now if I can just finagle some pics out of the Office of Children's Services . . . .

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Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child is the third in the Sisters Grimm series (The Fairy Tale Detectives and The Unusual Suspects are the first two). In this third book, the Sisters Grimm, Sabrina and Daphne, are still on the trail of The Scarlet Hand, the group which has kidnapped their parents. In their attempt to rescue their parents, the sisters meet their Uncle Jake, of whom they had never heard before as their Granny Relda had previously arranged for everyone in Ferryport Landing to forget him after. One day, when he was a young man, he accidentally broke the spell that kept a deranged Little Red Riding Hood locked up in the asylum where she'd been kept since she arrived in America. Jake had undone the barrier spell that keeps the Everafters trapped in the town in order to allow a unspecified female Everafter whom his brother Henry (Sabrina and Daphne's father) loved, to get out of the town. Jake had left town after his father was killed trying to track down Red Riding Hood and her "pet" Jabberwocky, and Granny Relda used forgetting dust on everyone so they wouldn't remember that Jake had been able to undo the barrier spell, since the latter is the only thing that keeps the Everafters trapped in Ferryport Landing and stops them from waging war on humans. Unfortunately, Jake's still impulsive, rash and too quick to use magic, and he encourages Sabrina's interest in magic as well, unmindful of the fact that all magic has a price. And things nearly go badly wrong as a result of their combined addiction to magic.

It's not exactly clear who the problem child is in this book: first there is Red Riding Hood, who is clearly bonkers, as she's still suffering, centuries later, from the trauma of her own grandmother being eaten by the Big Bad Wolf, and her "pet" Jabberwocky is a destructive beast; then there's Sabrina, who's far too wilful for her own safety and once her uncle Jake introduces her to magic, via a powerful wand, she becomes even worse; and then there's Jake himself, who doesn't seem to have truly learnt his lesson from his own impulsiveness and, although he claims he wants to make up for what he did, he's as immature as ever.

I struggled with the second book in this series, when I read it last year, and I struggled with this one too, so I don't think I'll be reading any more of the series after this one. Not that they're not fun books - they're just not for me...

Sisters Grimm: The Problem Child is also available from Amazon.com. It was a Cybils SF&F nominated book.

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