A Tale Dark and Grimm

A Tale Dark and Grimm is written by Adam Gidwitz and is a New York Times Bestseller.

The title says it all for this book as the tale is definitely dark and Grimm as in the Grimm Fairy Tales.  Anyone who has read a Grimm tale knows that it is nothing like a typical fairy tale.  This particular tale has a twist to it as it takes the story of Hansel and Gretel and basically follows them through their own story as well as crossing over into some of the other Grimm tales.  Their lack of trust from being betrayed by their parents gives them the fuel they need to keep on going in the face of danger and death.  The narrator's asides and conversations give a humorous twist to the book and keep the reader involved.  As I was reading, I could not help but think about students that I know who would love this book.  There was of course plenty of symbolism in the story as well as lessons that could be learned, and it was fun to go through the stories and see if I was correct in my assumptions as I followed the characters throught their adventures.

Gidwitz, A., Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (2010). A tale dark and Grimm . New York: Dutton.