Grimm

by Mike Nicholson

If you have the misfortune to spend a night at Hotel Grimm, it may be the last night you spend anywhere! ... or so the residents of Aberfintry believe. From its vantage point high above the town, the hotel has long been the source of dead guests and ghost stories. When eleven-year-old Rory McKenna becomes an overnight advertising sensation for Zizz Cola, Hotel Grimm's mysterious owner, Granville Grimm, presents Rory with the task of giving his hotel a new image. Refusal is not an option. Can "Zizz Boy" do it again, or will he become Hotel Grimm's next victim? Full of unexpected twists and turns, surprising allies and things that go bump in the night, Rory's life is about to get very complicated. Set in the fictional town of Aberfintry--located in Scotland's Trossachs region--this is a humorous adventure story from the prize-winning author of Catscape . (Ages 8-12)

Genres: Middle Grade

252 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Becky Scharnhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Grimm with my 11 and 13 year old. We were expecting a slightly creepy mystery, with a bit of humor. It was that, but it was also so much more. This story dealt with prejudice, acceptance, fake news, and disability. It was about family, forgiveness, grief, and growing old. It made all of us laugh, and it made me cry. We’d pause often while reading it to discuss what we thought was the truth. My kids asked questions and flipped back to review information and decipher clues. I loved watching them search for the truth and use their critical thinking skills to figure out what information could be trusted and what was suspect. We usually read it before bed, and each night my kids begged me to read “just one more chapter” before we quit. In a world where fake news often dominates, and people are quick to make judgments about others, this book was exactly what we needed. When we got to this line… “What hope is there if the people who believe that something is wrong, decide not to make noise about it?”… we paused and reread it several times. Then my daughter took a photo of it so she would never forget it. I hope she doesn’t.

[Mary Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grimm is an incredibly enjoyable story brimming with action, humour, a reluctant but brave hero, wonderfully eccentric characters, sinister occurrences, a mystery to solve – and a curse! Oh – and rats! I hope that this has whet your appetite as this is a story to devour in a single sitting!
Eleven-year-old Rory McKenna’s life is forever changed when he unwittingly becomes the marketing genius for Zizz Cola. His success draws attention from the eccentric, and feared, owner of the sinister Hotel Grimm which overlooks the town. When a letter arrives summoning him to a meeting, he dare not refuse … for fear that he will meet a fate on par with, or worse than, some of the unfortunate former residents …
When he visits the hotel, he is charged with the task of rebranding Hotel Grimm in order to attract guests. He is rather surprised by the owner of the Hotel, Granville Grimm who may not be quite what he has been branded by the town newspaper, The Chronicle. Will Rory be able to improve the Hotel’s reputation in time to save it from closure? Has its owner been misjudged by the town which so fears him, or will Rory become the next victim of Hotel Grimm?
This is such a clever, insightful story which was full of brilliant twists, revelations and family secrets that kept me completely intrigued as I uncovered the history of Hotel Grimm – and what an incredible history is revealed! The messages around treating others fairly, honesty, media influence and not pre-judging others were brilliantly interwoven into the story.
I really liked Rory who is determined, tenacious and courageous when needed. He is willing to admit his mistakes and learns that honesty may well be the best policy. I loved his relationship with his housebound Grandfather who he clearly adores. I also really liked Bonnie, a wheelchair user, who is bright, helpful, astute and kind-hearted. Rory and Bonnie’s friendship is warm and honest.
This is a thoroughly engrossing and perceptive mystery which completely immersed me in its pages … and I LOVED the ending!

[Jaide · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Too over-the-top.

I loved the author’s friends-solving-a-mystery book “Catscape”, but this one was just too much.

Rory overhears a girl on a skipping rope singing a made-up song about Zizz Cola. Immediately he gets approached by the American owner of said soda and when he repeats the rhyme he’s made the poster-boy for the company, with worldwide fame. For this he gets teased and ostracized at school. Then the town’s Hotel Grimm asks for his marketing help since he was able to help the cola company. And Hotel Grimm is a stain on the community because literally every guest has died.

Like I said, it’s a lot.

[Vonprice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review is part of this Halloween compilation:

http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....

[Louise Alston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a simple style, but its story is very entertaining, and I would include it on a reading list for reluctant / weaker readers. Worth a read!