Emiline Reviews A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

     I was flabbergasted when I found out there was a perfect book for me.  It is A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.  A Tale Dark and Grimm is spectacular AND scary.  If you are ready for a spine-tingling adventure you need to read this book.

     This book starts with the story of Faithful Johannes.  Faithful Johannes has been serving king after king.  Soon, the throne was passed down to Hansel and Gretel's dad.  (What?  You didn't know Hansel and Gretel were royalty? Gasp!)  Well, in a secret room there is a picture of the Gold Princess.  The King thought she was beautiful, but what he didn't know was that she was sad because all of her husbands had died.  The king didn't care about her past because he loved her so much.  So, he got some gold and bribed her until she said she would marry him.  When the King and the Gold Princess were talking, faithful Johannes was listening to three ravens; they were talking about the Gold Princess' fate and what to do. The ravens said that the Gold Princess would die on her wedding night unless somebody sucked three drops of blood from her lip. All the things they said were true.  Well, when the new Queen almost died Johannes knew what to do.  He sucked three droplets of blood from her lip.  The King did not like that so he killed faithful Johannes. Johannes did not die though, he just turned to stone.  The King and Queen almost forgot about how good Johannes had been to them.

     One day the King was talking to Johannes' statue.  He said there was a way to bring him back to life, but he would have to cut off  the heads of his children, Hansel and Gretel.  The King didn't want to, but he did.  Somehow Hansel and Gretel's heads were put back on and they ran into the forest and away from their parents.  In the forest Hansel and Gretel find a candy house.  What will happen to them next?What is their next adventure?  Find out in A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.

     I think A Tale Dark and Grimm is one of the best books I've read.  I liked that it was based on a Grimm fairytale and that it was creepy!  My favorite character in this book was Gretel because she was always willing to do dangerous things.  When I got this book I knew I was going to love it because it looked scary and fun.  I also love the cover art.  If you don't like scary things this isn't the best book for you, but if you do like scary things then you will love this book!  (And if Adam Gidwitz is reading this-- good job on writing good literature and a great grim fairytale!)

I give this book 5 monsters plus 8 bonus monsters!!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I found this book at The Decatur Book Festival.  My friends at Little Shop of Stories recommended it. You can find A Tale Dark and Grimm at your school or local library, or at your favorite bookstore.

To find out more about this book and its author click this link- http://www.adamgidwitz.com/

And check out my FAVORITE Book Trailer-

Special Report: Marsh Reviews Heather Brewer's THE SLAYER CHRONICLES: FIRST KILL

The Slayer Chronicles:

First Kill

By Heather Brewer

A Spoiler Free Book Report by Marsh

            I’ve been waiting for this book to come out for a long time.  I have read all the Vladimir Tod books and Heather Brewer is my favorite author.  I was eager to see what she wrote next and where she took her character, Joss. 

My mom went to ComicCon and since I read Heather Brewer’s blog, I knew my Auntie Heather was going to be there!!  AND she would have advanced reader copies of The First Kill.  My mom said she’d TRY to find her. 

I was shocked when my mom called me and she said, “Guess who I’m looking at?” 

I said, “Who?”

She said, “Heather Brewer.”

I was like, “OH. MY. VLAD.” 

My mom put someone on the phone.  I ended up talking to my favorite author, HEATHER BREWER!  When my mom came home, I had The First Kill and a signed copy of Eighth Grade Bites.  Inside Eighth Grade Bites it said, “It was FANGtastic talking to you on the phone”. 

                                                                      

The Slayer Chronicles: The First Kill is thrilling.  I never knew what was going to happen next.  I enjoyed that it was from Joss’ point of view.  And I love how it started out when he was ten, especially since I’m a ten-year old boy. But unlike Joss, my sister didn’t die at the hands of a vampire, although sometimes she thinks she is one.  I’m not very strong either.  I’m not that agile.  In fact, I’m really only fast when something is chasing me.  Good thing Joss isn’t me.  He’d never make it as a slayer.

From the age of ten through thirteen, Joss gets stronger, and faster, and becomes a Slayer.  That is mostly what this book is about.  The First Kill changed my opinion of Joss, but Vlad will always be my favorite.

This is one of the best books I’ve read.  I would recommend it to people who love Vladimir Tod and to fans of Joss, but if you haven’t read any other Heather Brewer books, you should start with Eighth Grade Bites!

            I give it ten monsters—out of five.

Find out more about Heather Brewer's awesome books at www.vladtod.com  AND www.slayerchronicles.com . To find out more about Heather Brewer visit her website at http://www.heatherbrewer.com/ .

You can find these books at your local library. 

Or at our favorite Indie Bookstore, Little Shop of Stories, here- http://littleshopofstories.com/

Okay, down to the swag stuff... I'm a Master Minion, well, my mom is since I'm not 14 yet, but I'm going to play nice and share.  We have bookmarks, tattoos, a Vlad Tod tote bag (featured in the video), and also a Vlad Tod shirt (also in the video). If you want to win some swag here's what you need to do--

1. Become a follower of this blog (public, so we can see you!)

2. Comment on this review telling us what you are most excited for in The Slayer Chronicles, and then leave your email

3. Limited to the US residents, because we are kids and we are broke!

4. Contest ends  September 16, 2011 (We have re-opened the giveaway!  Enter now for new prizes!)

Good Luck!!