A Grimm Warning

Gr 4 Up—This delightful installment brings listeners back into Colfer's (The Enchantress Returns) unique fairy tale realm with twins Conner and Alex Bailey. Alex has settled into her training as a fairy godmother, while Conner is forced to work his way through school trying to be "normal," which is very difficult when you have fairy blood. When brand-new Brothers Grimm tales are discovered in Germany, Conner's interest is piqued. It's lucky that his class is heading there on a field trip, even luckier that his crush, Bree, is going as well. As the Grimms' tales are read, Conner realizes these stories are warnings about events that'll happen 200 years in the future—which is TODAY. Frantic, Conner must find a way back to the Land of Stories to warn his sister and grandmother of impending doom. Colfer narrates his tale with ease, creating the illusion of more than one voice. Familiarity with previous installments is not completely necessary to follow the story; however, listeners will most likely want to hear the first two and will definitely be clamoring for the fourth due to the epic cliff-hanger. A great choice for fantasy and fractured fairy tales enthusiasts.—Amanda Schiavulli, Finger Lakes Library System, NY