A Tale Dark and Grimm

 I completely understand why Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark and Grimm won the 2011 Kentucky Bluegrass Middle School Award.  It's just what adolescent readers like...gross detail, shocking truths, unstoppable characters and fantasy.  Lots of fairy tales woven into this story.  It wouldn't be my favorite, but I'm educated and experienced enough to know that an author would rather receive an award from his/her true audience than listen to any criticism from a librarian.  ;)


And I truly have no criticism.  This book was a unique read.  And for that, I applaud Gidwitz.  His use of narrative voice is authentic and lesson-worthy.  I'll encourage our teachers to use excerpts as they attempt to teach some of the more difficult of writing skills.  Figurative language always gives adolescents a little bit of trouble. 

Here's an excerpt... 

“Hansel and Gretel came together like two magnets meeting, like meteors that have been screaming through space toward this one moment of collision. They met in the middle with a bang, and instantly their feet went out from under them on the slick roadway. They landed, hard, in a puddle of icy mud.

They stared at each other, sitting in the puddle.

Lost and then found.

Dead and then alive.

Covered in mud.

Sitting on their behinds in three inches of filthy water.

And they began to laugh. They threw their arms around each other and laughed until tears streamed down their faces. They sat, freezing, muddy, in a puddle in the middle of the road, with the gray sky overhead, and their parents’ castle waiting just a few miles away. They sat there and held each other until their arms ached."

I found this to be a quick, easy read that many middle school readers will enjoy.  Especially, if they enjoy reading lots of gore and humor!  Believe it or not, the author successfully blends the two!

Happy summer reading!
This makes 21 for me!
RC