School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Sabrina Grimm, 11, and her 7-year-old sister, Daphne, are still on the trail of "The Scarlet Hand," which has kidnapped their parents. On the way to rescuing them, the sisters meet their likable Uncle Jake, whom they had never heard of before. Granny Relda had arranged for everyone in town to forget him after he inadvertently broke the spell that kept a deranged Little Red Riding Hood in the asylum. The book is loaded with cameos by fairy-tale characters, including Prince Charming as playboy turned sleazy politician. Although they will delight fairy-tale fans, some of the most interesting figures get short shrift. Puck, who combines magic with mischief in a way that both attracts and repels Sabrina, disappears from the action early on. Granny Relda's gentleman friend and every tale's wicked wolf is resurrected only at the end of the novel. Still, there is plenty of plucky Sabrina, nurturing Granny Relda, and Daphne. The end leaves plenty for the next book to resolve. Each chapter starts with a menacing silhouette, and black-and-white full-page illustrations add more macabre details. Recommend this to anyone who is craving a bit of dark humor rolled up with whimsy and adventure.-Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
And speaking of sisters... book three in the Sisters Grimm series, The Problem Child by Michael Buckley, continues the adventures of 11-year-old Sabrina and seven-year-old Daphne, first introduced in The Fairy-Tale Detectives (PW praised the book's "good-natured inanity and eccentric personalities"), descendents of Jacob and Wilhelm. Here they set out to solve the most important mystery of their lives: what happened to their parents more than a year ago? The search for answers leads them to the most famous fairy-tale character of all. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved