Very entertaining if you like fantasy. I little silly! I can see why my 7th graders like it! ( )

This trilogy was my favorite book series in middle school. I loved that it was dark and twisted while still having humor and a close sibling bond. "A Tale Dark and Grimm" first follows the story of Hansel and Gretel's parents and servant, Johannes, as their tragedies are unveiled. Next, the story follows Hansel and Gretel as they run away from home to escape their parents and search for a new home, finding themselves in a series of dangerous situations put upon them at the hands of their new, would-be parents.
This book could be used in ELAR to create plot diagrams and explore alternate endings for the story, as well as activities where students can analyze the plot and character development in the story. ( )

I definitely liked it, it reminded me of Lemony Snicket in a way. ( )

This was cute. I love how it expanded on the tale of Hansel and Gretel while weaving in other fairy tales. I did like that it was darker than I had expected - very reminiscent of the original Grimm Brothers tales than the Disney versions. People lose body parts, people are murdered, and things aren't black and white.

The asides from the author were cute at first, but I did find them a bit wearying after a while. But as I wasn't in the target audience for this book, take that with a grain of salt. Maybe kids would better appreciate those. ( )

A bit too gruesome for my taste, but definitely the kind of story that could get some reluctant readers interested. ( )