Book Review: The Grimm Legacy

The Grimm Legacy

by Polly Shulman

June 21st

I was shelving (which I avoid at all costs, partly because it isn't necessarily my responsibility, mostly because I hate it - also partly because I check out dozens of books I never read) and I ran across this gem in our new book section. It isn't a new book and I was brining it back to where it belonged when the titled sang out to me. As a lover of fairy tales I had to read the description (which sounded like an awesome version of Warehouse 13) and found out the main character was named Elizabeth. 

I have this thing for main characters with my same name, I'm just fascinated by their stories.

You'd feel bad for the unfortunate, Cinderella style life Elizabeth is living in the first few pages of the book - except she has a heart of gold. Now the book isn't so bold to tell you that, but the opening scene shows Elizabeth giving her gym shoes to a homeless woman in sandals, in the middle of winter. Then, we don't really talk about the whole thing again until later. It was a sweet gesture, which really begins to show us who Elizabeth is.

Elizabeth gets a job at a brilliant, I-want-to-work-there, materials lending library. If you need a fondue pot, they are your library; if you need a medieval costume, they are your library; if you need something magical ... well, I'm assuming we are getting there, but I'm not there yet. There is something evil lurking in the library and I, as a reader, am not sure who I should be trusting. But I'm sure Elizabeth will figure it out, because we Elizabeths are pretty awesome!

June 22nd

Well, stomach aches are good for one thing - you get to stay up late reading a book without having to make up an excuse. I was able to FINISH The Grimm Legacy in one day. I love when that happens.

Even if Elizabeth had another name, she would still be awesome. She is real, she makes mistakes, she feels guilt, things don't always work out, and she is a little insecure. However, she is awesome - she saves the day, she has good ideas, she wants to trust people, and she is willing to have everyone be involved in the solution. 

The story itself is pretty intriguing. I expected things to work out one way ... and they didn't. It wasn't a twist, but rather the book avoided cliched story lines. The ending was excellent, it was tied up in a pretty bow, but still excellent. I really enjoyed this thrilling tale of the "real" Grimm story artifacts and how they are stowed away just waiting for certain people to check them out ... only what will they leave behind.

The next book in the series is The Wells Bequest ... Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells’ science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo’s bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever—and whenever—it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself!

His search for the time machine, the girl, and his fate leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of powerful objects straight out of classic science fiction novels: robots, rockets, submarines, a shrink ray—and one very famous time machine. And when Leo’s adventure of a lifetime suddenly turns deadly, he must attempt a journey to 1895 to warn real-life scientist Nikola Tesla about a dangerous invention. A race for time is on!

In this grand time-travel adventure full of paradoxes and humor, Polly Shulman gives readers a taste of how fascinating science can be, deftly blending classic science fiction elements with the contemporary fantasy world readers fell in love with in The Grimm Legacy. Description from GoodReads.  

Quick note about level: Although School Library Journal levels this book at 6th-9th grade, I would say that elementary students would also love it. "Rating" wise there is nothing here to keep them away from and, as long as the reading level was appropriate, I'm sure many would enjoy it. 

New Books that look BRILLIANT

Here are some new YA titles that I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into ;)

Book titles link back to original book descriptions.

Proxy by Alex London

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Son to a master manipulator, Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

Lexicon by Max Barry

At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics—at least not in the usual ways. Instead, they are taught to persuade.The very best will graduate as “poets”: adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive. Whip-smart orphan Emily Ruff is making a living running a three-card Monte game on the streets of San Francisco when she attracts the attention of the organization’s recruiters. Emily becomes the school’s most talented prodigy until she makes a catastrophic mistake: She falls in love. Meanwhile, a seemingly innocent man named Wil Jamieson is brutally ambushed by two strange men in an airport bathroom. It turns out Wil is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets and is quickly caught in their increasingly deadly crossfire. In order to survive, he must journey to the toxically decimated town of Broken Hill, Australia, to discover who he is and why an entire town was blown off the map.

Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Sixteen-year-old Winston Winters is awaiting the inevitable.

Stuck at a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Win knows it’s only a matter of time until he transforms into something dark, something wolfish, just like his father. Until he hurts people too. So in order to do the least amount of harm to those around him, he masters the art of shutting others out.

But meeting fellow cross-country runner Jordan Herrera thwarts Win's plans for emotional isolation. A scholarship student with secrets of her own, Jordan’s boldness and wit draw him in. And when she asks Win to accompany her to an all-night party in the deep New England woods, he’s torn. Because he’s not sure they should get any closer. He’s not sure Jordan will be safe with him. But she insists. And he goes.

Win wants to believe he’s not dangerous. That he would never hurt someone he cares for. But as he leads Jordan into the wilderness with his father’s blood running through his veins and wild wolves running through his fragile mind, Win knows this is simply not true…


Born of Illusion by Teri Brown

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

Geeking Out on YA Fiction News

Well, here is some YA News for you that will probably have you freaking out too :) 

1. Did you read Ransom Riggs' "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"? You didn't. Oh, heavens no! Go get it right now. Seriously, don't wait because the line at the library will soon be SOOO long. Why? Right, my point, they are making it into a movie. This book has the awesomeness of the X-Men and avoids all the right cliches by adding family mystery, adventure, and danger the likes that you don't expect. Who is good, who is evil. Seriously, read it now.

Even better than them making it a movie? They have Tim Burton (yes TIM BURTON) as the director of this creepy tale. I couldn't have chosen someone better if given the responsibility. Now, as long as they cast it well (please don't cast someone known to be Miss Peregrine, please!), this movie is sure to rock our socks of ... July 15 2015.

2. If that wasn't great news enough for this book - they are making a sequel (Hollow City) and there is a sneak peak at one of the creepy pictures!!

Here is the book description from GoodReads

This second novel begins in 1940, right after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends flee to London, the peculiar capital of the world. There, they encounter a dangerous madman named Caul, who also happens to be Miss Peregrine’s brother. Caul has discovered a way to rob Peculiars of their abilities and steal them for himself—and it will take all of Jacob’s efforts to save his friends from certain extinction.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly creepy) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

3) If you've been paying attention you know that I really, really like the Lunar Chronicles. I've read (and Reviewed) Cinder and Scarlet. Cinder was actually the very first book I reviewed here on the blog. Well, Marissa Meyer is writing away and a sneak peek of Cress, the Rapunzel story we are all awaiting, will be available shortly! Check out the Facebook page to stay updated. In the mean time, read the short prequels to Cinder (The Queen's Army) and Scarlet (Glitches).

By the way, Marissa Meyer, I wouldn't mind a post-story to what happens with Scarlet. Crossing my fingers that we will see more of her in Cress!

Marissa Meyer is awesome (as if we didn't already know) and responded to my statement via Twitter

4. This isn't really new news, but if you liked Shadow and Bone, you can read the first five chapters of the upcoming Storm and Seige from Leigh Bardugo. You do have to have some kind of reader to read this one, but I hadn't seen that was out yet and am excited to dig in!