Amelia's Book Room: The Inside Story

Hey folks! I told you last week I would be reading and reviewing the latest Sisters Grimm book, and here I am! (Warning, if you don't want to be spoiled about the previous books, you might not want to read this!

Just to get you caught up: sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm used to be normal kids living in New York City; when one day, their parents were kidnapped, leaving behind a red hand print as the only evidence. The girls were tossed from one horrible foster family to the next, till finally they ended up with Relda Grimm, an old woman who, apparently, was the grandmother they never knew. They go to live with her in Ferryport Landing, and soon discover that it is no ordinary town. The majority of its inhabitants are real-life fairy tale characters! They also learn that they are the descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm, fairy tale detectives. Since then, they've been (slightly reluctantly) doing their detective duties, along with Mr. Canis (AKA the Big Bad Wolf), the fairy prankster Puck, and other friends.

In book eight, The Inside Story, we pick up where we left off last time: Sabrina, Daphne and Puck chasing the Master of the Scarlet Hand and the girls' recently discovered baby brother into the pages of the mysterious Book of Everafter. They find themselves thrown in recreations of famous stories like The Wizard Of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, and Aladdin. They have to find the Master before he gets to his own story-- because, using the book, he could change history forever. But they must also be quick as they race through the tales--whenever something is changed too much, the Editor sends his Revisers, creatures that erase everything in sight!

This was an excellent addition to Michael Buckley's series; it left me anxious for the next book! I really enjoyed Sabrina's character in this book, more so than in the past. And Daphne and Puck were awesome as always. It's a must-read! (Once you've read all the other books, of course.) Have a good week!

Amelia's Book Room: Ottoline Goes To School

I'm back to swoon over Chris Riddell's gorgeous sequel to Ottoline And The Yellow Cat: Ottoline Goes To School! At a glance, these books by the amazing illustrator and sometimes writer, may look like just another kid's series. But I'm 15 years old and I very much enjoy them!

Aside from the quirky writing and wonderful characters, what draws me in to these books is the illustrations; I never noticed just how much detail Riddell puts into his drawings! As an artist myself, I can only hope to one day have the patience to etch out each squiggly leaf in several rows of hedges, or every detail in a map of a park frequented by Ottoline.

It is in Pettigrew Park that this story begins, and where Ottoline meets a new friend: Cecily Forbes-Lawrence III. (And her Patagonian pony, Mumbles.) Our heroine soon learns that Cecily goes away to school, and she decides that she would very much like to go, too. And so she heads off to the Alice B. Smith School for the Differently Gifted. But there are some rumors floating around that the school is haunted; who better to find out the truth but Ottoline Brown and her best friend Mr. Munroe!

I hope even you older readers will swallow your pride and pick up this delightful book, and look out for the next one, Ottoline At Sea. Happy reading!

P.S. What's this? The latest Sisters Grimm book, The Inside Story, has been out since May 1st and I didn't know? Ridiculous! Buying it tomorrow; review soon!

Amelia's Book Room: Diary of a Fairy Godmother

Hunky Dory is in witch training--or rather, charm school. She's the top student and voted most likely to be the Wickedest Witch in her class. But sometimes she doesn't quite fit in with her classmates. She can turn princes into frogs in a jiffy, but she can't overcome the urge to turn them back. 

Hunky is definitely too good. When she meddles in Wishcraft, she gets kicked out of Harbinger's Charm School For Young Witches. She decides to run away and become what she's destined to be: a Fairy Godmother. Diary Of A Fairy Godmother is a great story for anyone who likes mixed-up and modern fairy tales, with characters like the charming Rumpelstiltskin, little Goldilocks, and the slightly air-headed Cinderella. One of the things I like about this book is the names of the other students; names like Frantic Search and Acid Reflux.

You can find out more about author Esme Raji Codell here; she has written several other books including Sahara Special and Vive La Paris. In other book news, the similar modern fairy tale series The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley recently gained another novel, The Everafter War. I'm currently reading it! Join the Dekoposh Book Club, leave me a comment, and keep reading!

Amelia's Book Room: The Sisters Grimm

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, after being orphaned and passed around from one horrible foster parent to the next, think Relda will be another crazy woman who’ll make them her servants or something similar. However, they soon find out that this old woman is their grandmother—whom they thought had long since died—and that she’s even crazier than the rest.

She tries to convince Sabrina and Daphne that they are the descendants of the famous fairy tale detectives, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and that the town they live in is filled with characters from fantasy stories.

Though disbelieving at first, it becomes inevitable that their strange grandmother is telling the truth. This is a very fun book, with lots of interesting and familiar characters such as Mr. Canis, Granny Relda’s quiet and stern friend; Puck, an odd fairy boy living in the forest; the Magic Mirror, and even Prince Charming.

These books are a lot like the popular movies, ‘Shrek’, wherein you see your favorite fairytale characters behaving like normal people, many years later in their lives, often in very comical situations. One of my favorites is Sleeping Beauty, or Briar Rose, who now owns a coffee shop.

This is definitely a good book for fairy tale lovers, especially those liking the Gail Carson Levine sort of story. Michael Buckley’s The Sisters Grimm series begins with The Fairy-Tale Detectives, continuing in The Unusual Suspects. The latest book to be released is the sixth, Tales From The Hood.

Don’t forget to comment, everybody, and thanks for reading!

P.S. Sorry I’m a day late this week, I had an icky head cold the past few days and my mind was too foggy to write.