A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Brilliant book.

Adam Gidwitz has, first off all, created a fairy tale book with all the grim and gory you could ever wish for. You know what I'm talking about--fingers cut off, body parts in the stew pot, skinned beast becomes boy.

And then, in a stroke of brilliance, Gidwitz pulled 5 of the more obscure Grimm tales, and found Hansel and Gretel wandering through them, tying them together in one of the most satisfying fairy tale books I've ever read.

With plenty of authorial intervention (e.g. "Please send the small children out of the room!") overseeing the narrative, there's no holding back: the stories themselves are transposed directly from Grimm (the grimmest!), but with Hansel and Gretel weaving their way through. It's clever, fun, and I finished it in a day.

Pick this one up before March to join in with the Sur La Lune book discussion!