The Grimm Conclusion

From the beginning, when their wicked stepfather tricks Jorinda into thinking she has decapitated Joringal (A Tale Dark & Grimm; In a Glass Grimmly), this is gruesome, grisly fun. It's not until the siblings visit the narrator in his Brooklyn classroom that they learn the importance of telling their stories. Despite the gleeful horror, this is ultimately a warm and empathetic novel.

Readers of Gidwitz's previous two books (A Tale Dark & Grimm, rev. 1/11; In a Glass Grimmly, rev. 11/12) will not be surprised that the sister and brother in this story both endure terrible adventures, including death. From the beginning, when Jorinda and Joringel's wicked stepfather first tricks Jorinda into thinking she has decapitated her brother, then prepares a stew from the boy's flesh, this is gruesome, grisly, grim fun. Gidwitz works his two main characters into several different folktales including "Ashputtle" (a Cinderella variant) and "Sleeping Beauty." An omniscient narrator comments throughout, offering warnings, consolation, and explanations. It's not until Jorinda and Joringel visit the narrator in person in his Brooklyn classroom that the siblings, who have been tamping down their feelings of helplessness and anger, learn the importance of expressing their emotions and telling their stories. This volume is filled with metafictive references to the previous books and their characters; it also introduces some entertaining new characters, from a terrifying ogre named Malchizedek and a dimwitted prince to three ravens who offer their own arch commentary on events. Despite the gleeful horror, this is ultimately a warm and empathetic novel about devotion, and it will make a great read-aloud to groups that can handle the gore. susan dove lempke