Grimm story

FAR FAR AWAY by Tom McNeal. Knopf, 2013.

Finalist for the National Book Award for 2013, this is the story of a young boy named Jeremy Johnson Johnson. His mother disappeared years ago, his father never gets out of bed. Jeremy faces many obstacles not the least of which is the presence of the ghost of Jacob Grimm who speaks to Jeremy in an effort to protect him from harm. When Jeremy agrees to help his friend Ginger play a prank on the local baker, Jeremy has no inkling of the change of circumstances this will cause. History meets mystery meets fantasy in a story that will compel readers to turn page after page to learn the fate of Jeremy and Ginger and Jacob.

Through a Glass Darkly

IN A GLASS GRIMMLY by Adam Gidwitz. Dutton, September 2012.

get ready for some more twists on familiar tales and tropes and archetypes in Gidwitz' follow up to A TALE DARK AND GRIMM. Jack (of beanstalk and other fame) and Jill (who went up a hill) enter into a series of adventures that include characters from other Grimm tales and a few by Hans Christian Andersen and other authors of folk tales. What makes this interweaving of stories work well is that even if readers do not know the original tales they can still enjoy the adventures and perhaps pick up some of their literary heritage along the way. Tie this one to other retellings and perhaps construct a ladder or PARCC model that include these titles:

THE STINKY CHEESE MAN AND OTHER FAIRLY STUPID TALES
THE THREE PIGS
A TALE DARK AND GRIMM
CLOAKED, BEASTLY
THE ANNOTATED MOTHER GOOSE
OTHER GOOSE

Or go in a different direction and include books with interrupting narrators (INTERRUPTING CHICKEN) or tales with motifs and archetypes.

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