The Sisters Grimm

by Michael Buckley

The first two books in the bestselling series!

Welcome to Ferryport Landing, a community where fairy-tale creatures - the Everafters - live alongside humans in peace. Well, sometimes. When crime's afoot, it's up to the fairy-tale detectives, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. to investigate the case.

In Book One, someone has set a giant loose on the town, and the Sisters Grimm must stop the giant and find the Everafter behind its murderous rampage. Is it Mayor Charming, formerly Prince Charming, who may have plans to get his kingdom back? Or Jack, the onetime gient killer, now working at the Big & Tall store?

The mysteries continue in Book Two, when Sabrina's teacher, Mr. Grumpner, is murdered - and found dangling in a giant spiderweb. One thing's for sure: Ferryport Landing Elementary has a serious monster problem. Can the Sisters Grimm solve the crime?

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Mystery, Retellings

580 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Michael Buckley was born in Akron, Ohio. He tried his hand as a stand-up comic and lead singer for a punk rock back before attending Ohio University. After graduating with honors he moved to New York City to be an intern on the Late Show with David Letterman which led to stints developing programming for Discovery Networks, MTV, MTV Animation and Klasky Csupo (producers of Nickelodeon’s Rugrats). Today he lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Alison, and their son Finn.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Jennifer Dai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choice book #1 Quarter 1 (The Sisters Grimm book 1)

The book The sisters Grimm is a fantasy book written by Michael Buckley.

The story takes place in a old mysterious mansion in Ferryport landing, New York.

A girl 12 year old girl named Sabrina and her 7 year old little sister named Daphne are orphans their parent disappeared one day mysteriously, they are on a train with Miss Smirt, Miss Smirt is the girls caseworker. They are making their way to Ferryport Landing to have the girls live with their grandmother who the girls believe that had died before that even were born. Their grandmother Relda Grimm live in a house that Daphne describes as a doll house. Sabrina wasn't sure if she is going to trust Relda Grimm because from what they had been told by their dad was that their grandmother was dead. On the other hand Daphne is pretty careless and just treated Relda Grimm like she had knew her for years. They also meet Mr. Canis, we don't really know much about him but according to Sabrina she described him as the skinniest man she had ever seen. Mrs. Grimm (Relda Grimm) and Mr. Canis had a pet great Dane named Elvis.

Ms. Applebee's house was destroyed and he barely made it out alive according to Mrs Grimm (Relda Grimm) the house was stomped on by a giant. They encountered the giant and Mrs Grimm and Mr Canis was carried away by the giant. Sabrina and Daphne are now lost in a forest as they met a boy that tried to drown them because he thought that they were spies and claims that he knows Mrs Grimm will he help Sabrina and Daphne rescue Mrs Gimm and Mr Canis? Or will he drown Sabrina and Daphne?

I think that this book was really good. It didn't feel like a complete ending because it is a book in series and the author wants us to keep reading their books to find out what happens. I had never really read any books the same as The Sisters Grimm and if I were to compare this book with the all the other books I have read it would be sitting on the throne with all of my other favorite books.

[Sethv · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think you should read it if you like fiction, mythes and spells.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the next book series that Annabel, Mia and have started to read (along with Harry Potter of course!) Sisters Grimm is a creative and interesting look at a fantasy world in which fairy tale characters are imprisoned and the Grimm family is in charge of keeping the peace as fairy tale detectives. Sabrina and Daphne are the two main protagonists and they are given a rude awakening when, after their parents vanished and they spent 2 years in foster care, they land in Ferryport to live with their eccentric grandmother Granny Relda and her "partner" Mr. Canis. The story focuses on the appearance of a giant in Ferryport along with clues about their parents' disappearance. My daughters loved the story, loved the protagonists (even though Sabrina can be a pain) and they are definitely looking forward to continuing the series!

[Marlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This maybe should only be 4.5 stars. The first time I read these books it took me a bit of time to get into them and enjoy them. However, my son and I are doing this series again for probably the 8th or 9th time. They never get old or boring for us. Lots of fun and lots of laughs. A family favourite that we read over and over again. The second book in the series, however, is my least favourite in the series, as well as my son's. This is because of how angry Sabrina always is, though there is a reason for it and it does get explained. It doesn't stop us from reading it over and over and enjoying it every time.

[Jozi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years and years ago, getting close to a decade now, I would say. Probably doesn't hold much interest for me anymore, but the entire series was a childhood favorite of mine.

The writing isn't too juvenile, which was always a plus. Some of the characters are lovable and others lovably annoying. Definitely a good, solid choice for young readers who like fairytales - but make sure those readers can tackle the bigger books, as these do pack quite the wallop page-wise, especially being for pre-teens and younger.

[Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I’m not the kind of person into fairytale remakes, I still enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to young readers who are looking into an easy to read adventure. Overall this book had some unrealistic turns in it, and made it rushed in a way. It was a very cute storyline that most would love, but this is all just my opinion.

[Myrah]

I think it is a really good book. it is a book with lots of princesses, princes, ogres, fairies, giants, white rabbits and etc. it was a really good read for me. and I really liked the book. I wasn't actually going to read this book, the only reason I read this book was that my mom told me I had to read a book. so I read one of my sisters' library books from st.joseph.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such wit and joy in battling to keep one’s family alive! Such creativity in including as many fairy and folk tales into one believable albeit magical story as possible. Such a wonderfully fun, adventuresome read with great learning opportunities for young and old alike. Loved it!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute chapter book for kids, wanted to read to get my kids into reading these books. i'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. i love that the fairy tales are the center of the books, it has been fun remembering the characters i haven't talked about since i was young.

[Claire Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant texts - funny and engaging for a wide range of age groups. After reading the first couple with my daughters, they moved on very quickly to the rest of the series. The characters are fun, and the plot line develops over the series without becoming boring or repetitive.

[Karen Machin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of fun!!

[Sallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were both amazing books, that fantasy lovers would enjoy! :)

[Louise Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 yr old loves these books and is now on number 4, hoping to read all 9. Style of Land of Stories. Number 2 she said was a little scarey.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!!!

[Barbara Wollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how some of my favorite fairy tale characters have a different side to their personality then in traditional tales

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First two books in series are fantastic. My 3 elementary kids are loving them. Though I admit #2 might be a little scary for some younger kids.

[Hannah Julius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sabrina and Daphne are sisters living in Ferryport Landing, a town where magical creatures live alongside humans. In the first book in this series, Sabrina and Daphne (with the help of their dog Elvis), have to investigate some recent suspicious behavior. In the second book, the mystery continues when Sabrina’s teacher is found dead. These books are funny, engaging and a spin on the classic fairy tales we are used to. The author does a great job of speaking to readers as if they are his equals, despite being intended for a child/young adult audience. Any student interested in fairy tales will enjoy these books, but girls especially will benefit from the strong female protagonists. Sabrina and Daphne solve the town’s problems while working through their own emotional trauma surrounding the loss of their parents. Many readers will be able to relate to this struggle, and it will benefit them to be able to see Daphne and Sabrina doing good in their world despite their grief. These books are longer and more difficult, so they could be used as a read aloud or an advanced book club. They also could be used in a lesson regarding adapting old stories for new concepts.

[Vicky North · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this series aloud every year to my 4th grade students and they absolutely love it!! It is a wonderful read aloud.

[Yulia Aslanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the cool-cool-coolest book-fairy tale I’ve ever read in the context of Grimm myths and stories. Very good plot, interesting characters, unexpected situations and adventures. I LIKED IT! 😍

[Beth Rutkoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent twist on the fairy tales

[Ella Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for teens and preteens who enjoy blood crawling mysteries

[Samantha Whitcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to listen to! Amelia and I enjoyed!

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I skimmed the paperback but as I have not fully been admitted into library school yet I have not tried very hard to locate the correct cover artwork.

Like Sabrina and Daphne, the main characters of this series, both of my parents aren't dead, which is a plus! Hurrah! Perhaps my sister may enjoy it, but also perhaps it is a little juvenile for her. She may like the helmet illustrations on one of the pages, which were formerly kitchen gadgets in their previous lives.

All right, it just took me a while to find my way around the Internet. I just deleted my hardcover review. Eventually, I will hunt down the other hardcover/paperback copies, identify which one I have read, and delete the phony one. But that will be a bit of a pain, and for some of these books, I HAVE read both, in more than one language. That's how librarian life goes, I suppose.

[Sabreea Bouslimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this at age 10 and reread the whole series about a hundred times throughout middle school. The series is about 2 sisters who find out that all fairytales are real and were documented by their authors. They are the descendants of the brothers grimm and throughout the series them, their grandma, puck, and their uncle (with occasional help from others) solve a ton of mysteries and save the world, and deal with a lot of problems. There is a hint of romance, lots of humour, and a great plot with lots of twists and turns and I definitely recommend

[Bhakti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series seems to be quite nice (there are another 7 books in it, so I can't judge it off only the first 2). There are some sections switch between settings very quickly, and the situation also evolves very quickly, (sometimes unrealistically, even though this is a fantasy book there should be some sort of flow, which I feel is missing). However, if you need an imagination boost then this is the book to read! It has an amazing adaption of various characters in different fairytales, especially the ones that the Grimm brothers collected.

[Maddie Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the books kept me very involved throughout the entire series. They have a lot of experiences that just keep you guessing about what happens next. It follows two girls whose parents died in a car accident. They get left with their grandma they had no idea even existed, and the old man that takes care of her, Mr. Canis. They take the girls into some weird town full of strange things. It's a great story line.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this even though it took me longer to finish then I expected (this copy has the first 2 books in 1). This series reminds me so much of the tv show Once Upon a Time which I still watch (now on season 6). I love reading and watching fairy tale stuff so this was perfect. This series is interesting, suspenseful, funny, adventurous, and of course a big mystery. Would highly recommend to fairy tale lovers and elementary school girls.

[Lucee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard that this was a very popular series, so when I saw in in my bookstore I just had to buy it. This book is about the sister Grimm (can you tell from the title?) and their granny. I am not going to do a long review so here is my short one. The character are ok, and plot was fun and mysterious, and it has fairy tale characters, need I go on?

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best children's book I've read in awhile, will definitely follow the series.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melinda LOVES this series