Once Upon a Crime

3.5 STARSNot my favorite in the series since there were a lot of characters just thrown in but this was probably the most action packed and took me a little by surprise at the end. This series is just so fun!

The Sisters Grimm series are my audiobook standbys. The narrator is fantastic and these are perfect for long drives in the car. The series is about two young girls, Daphne and Sabrina, who, after the disappearance of their parents and a year spent jumping from one wretched foster home to another, go to live with the grandmother they never knew they had in Fairyport Landing. The Grimm sisters find out that they are the descendants of the famed Brothers Grimm, who brought the fairy tale creatures [...]

The Sisters Grimm never fails to amuse because of the way it takes famous fairy-related literature and puts a modern twist on them. Far more than the overall plot or even the themes, it is the little moments in these books that make them worthy reads. Once Upon a Crime is the fourth adventure of Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, two children who late discovered their family heritage as the jailer and protector of fairy tale creatures known as Everafters. After spending months in an orphanage and one lou [...]

I’m still a little angry because the cover of this book kind of gives away the end of the book – or, if not the end, then the climax. Based on that, it was super easy to figure out who did what to whom. [shrug] As I’ve said about these books before, they’re definitely for kids but still fun for adults. My 13y/o is totally done with the series and is kind of annoyed with me for not having finished, so that’s something I’ll have to work on catching up with soon.Daphne, Sabrina, Granny, [...]

"What are you looking at?" the gingerbread man said to her. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to stare?"For once, Sabrina fumbled for words."She's sorry," Daphne offered. "It's not every day you get to talk to a cookie, you know." The gingerbread man's brown body suddenly turned red and his icing face crinkled in anger. "Hey! Cookies are round, buster. Do I look like I'm round?""Sorry," Daphne said, "I didn't mean---""That kind of ignorance is why gingerbread people are treated so badly all over [...]

While not really dropping in quality, I felt like the Sisters Grimm series lost a little steam in the fourth book. The mystery was a little more obvious, and the rhythms of the series are becoming a bit more repetitive. Sabrina is going to have an angsty personal problem (learning that her mother was all for fairy tale detecting, which isn't Sabrina's bag) that will be resolved, a mystery must be solved (a murder mystery this time, but the culprit is given away by the cover art), Mr. Canis will [...]

My friend Jenne once said that all books are better with a giant robot. This book has a giant Wicked Witch robot that climbs the Empire State Building, a la King Kong. Four stars right there.Oh, and the rest of the book is good too.

The Sisters Grimm books are great palate cleansers between books that are more heavy. I love the new characters from fiction that pop up with each new book in the series. It was really fun to have the Grimm family running around in New York City and the introduction of the fairy folk, with A Midsummer Night's Dream as their "true story" was a kick! "You and Daphne should probably read this," Granny said. "It's going to tell you everything you need to know about the fairy folk."Sabrina glanced do [...]

Actual rating: 4.25/5.Thank you, Michael Buckley, for creating this world. This is competing with Percy Jackson & The Olympians for my favorite middle-grade series, and that's saying something. And these books keep getting better and better with each one, and this one is my favorite so far - and I'm only halfway through the series. On to the next one.

I just have so much love for this series. So much love. They are just as good this time as when I first read them 5 years ago. <3

I enjoyed this book. I actually guessed way early with this book who the villain would be, way earlier than I usually guess. But I didn't mind, because it is always very satisfying to learn that you are right. I'm trying really hard to guess who "G" is, but you don't have any clues other than she is female and went by the initial "G." I am trying to think of possibly fairy tale maidens. I've thought of Galinda the good witch, Gretel, Guinevere, and dang. I forgot the fourth one I thought of. I'm [...]

When the fairy-tale detectives, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, rush to New York City hoping to find an Everafter who can cure Puck, they trigger a chain of events that includes a murder mystery, and learn many new things about their mother who, along with their father, is still in an enchanted sleep. The author has created a world in which humans and fairy-tale creatures live side-by-side in an uneasy alliance. Readers, well grounded in their fairy tales, will get the most pleasure from recognizing t [...]

I recently read The Sisters Grimm number 4. It was written by Micheal Buckley. It was published in 2007. There are 272 pages. This book is intended for 5th to 9th graders. The main issue is that there trying to figure out who killed Oberon king of fairies. The setting is New York City. The main characters are Sabrina. She is scared. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Daphne is 7 years old loves her sister. Sabrina and Daphne journey to there home town New York City to get puck some help. While t [...]

In some ways, this book definitely feels like somewhat of a departure for the series. The story focuses on a different location, there is an incredible focus on an unexpected character, and the book is about revelations that I didn't see coming.Without going into an incredible amount of detail as to avoid spoilers, Michael Buckley continues to weave a fantastic story using characters in a very clever ways. There were some bits I didn't LOVE such as all the pirate business, but then there was suc [...]

They went to Scrooge (from A Christmas Carol) for help. Now he owns a shop selling magical objects and he talks to spirits for people when they need it. At one point, he says, "Ever since that business with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, all the spirits in the astral plane feel it's their duty to come and show me how I've ruined the holidays of everyone I know. I'll admit, I was a pain at Christmastime, but since then I've been haunted by the Ghosts of Easter, Passover, Thank [...]

The fourth in a most entertaining fractured-fairy-tale detective series, Once Upon a Crime was a great read. In it, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm & company drive from Ferryport Landing, where most of the Everafters, or fairy-tale characters, live, to New York City, to take the ailing Puck to Faerie so he can be healed by his family (Oberon & Titania and offspring). Turns out Faerie isn't quite what it used to be. The fairy-tale detectives find thuggish fairy godfathers, characters from Oz (th [...]

The books are getting progressively darkerd the main protagonists are starting to exhibit behavior that doesn't seem in character for them. (For instance, I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, and perhaps I'm just remembering being 11 differently, but I'm fairly sure I didn't spend a lot of time "dreaming about my first kiss" at that age. There's also a few continuity issues that I've noticed, possibly because I'm reading them all so close together.

Sabrina is learning there was more to her mother than met the eye. Taking Puck to Faerie took on a new twist when the King was murdered. Although Sabrina wants to retire from the family business, she said she would complete this last case. From dwarves to Pirates to the Great and Terrible Oz, the story twists and turns through NYC. Will they make our back to Fairyport Landing? Will Sabrina stay with the family business? Can they wake her parents?

The character "Puck" is such a huge part of this book which particularly struck a chord with me as I named a kitten Puck back in 1990 when I got her as a kitten (yes also named from Shakespeare's play) and sadly March 4, 2008 she passed away. So reading about the boy Puck's adventures in the book was greatly cathartic.

I just love this series. Michael Buckley is clever, and the characters are just so personable. I like the idea of the girls being descendants of the Brothers Grimm (hence, Sisters Grimm). It's just a fun and easy read. (Albeit I found two typos that I'm going to e-mail someone over there about for the reprint.)

I'm really enjoying this series. I'm reading it at the same time as my 10 year old, and even though the reading level is easy for him we are both enjoying the books. He is a big fan of the author, and I think Puck and Sabrina are good reminders for me as a mom of what is going through the heads of kids my son's age.

I really like this series. Meleah & I have been listening to the audiobooks. LJ Ganser is a great narrator. What I really like are all the characters pulled from children's literature. You just never know who will pop up.

This was one of my favorites in the series so far, I think that it is so imaginative, and I love how the relationships are developing and the story is getting a little more complex. I love Sabrina and Puck's relationship, it is just cute and entertaining!

So far better than the previous ones. Which mostly means Sabrina wasn't as annoying. Although I'm sensing a double standard as the characters (AKA Granny) suddenly seem a lot more ok with the girls using magic.

I love how Puck saves Sabrina from near death

Warning: Spoilers for Books 1 - 6 are inevitable in this review. Oh, and find this review, and the my reviews of the rest of theSisters Grimmseries, as well as my reviews of many other books on my blog, Feminist Quill: feministquill.wordpress/2This review covers books four to six of The Sisters Grimm series. I'm your reviewer for the day, and if I sound a tad automated, it's because I'm too tired to be witty.*Puts on Damon Salvatore voice*Once Upon Crime finally lets the sisters, their grandmoth [...]

This has the prefect title! And while it is a total disappointment on one hand because I was eager to read a 'Midsummer night's dream' retelling with faeries who are real faeries like in the old legends, it is the best in the series yet. Superficial, flat, too short and ridicuolous in a negative way, it is however the most adventurous, deep, rich and with the best ending tale about the sisters Grimm. So, now I'm engaged to this series which seems to be improving each installment though remaining [...]

The awesome things about this book:1. Murder mystery, New York City, and fairy tale characters.2. The title. Like seriously it kills me with punny cuteness.3. Puck. Also Puck and Sabrina.4. Fairy tale characters in turf wars, the Great and Terrible Oz, and a certain, really big mechanical green someone.5. We finally get the arc where we deal with SSabrina wanting things to go back to the way they were and it’s perfect.Basically I’m still having a ton of fun with these books and I can’t wai [...]

I really enjoyed this installment of the series. I loved the interactions of Everafters with the chaos that is NYC and the ways they found to use their gifts to survive there. I had some suspicions about the identity of the killer but other developments took me by surprise. The emotional growth of Sabrina in this book was impressive and realistic, especially for a Fairy Tale Detective. Considering that it had been over a year since I read book 3, I was able to get back into the thread of the sto [...]

This series is a good read for intermediate fantasy readers. I found that it got a bit boring after the first two books. There is an ongoing mystery that the characters are trying to figure out. However, I found that I just got bored with this plot. It might be that it's not different enough to hold my attention, but I'm sure it would be exciting for younger students who don't read as much. Also, once a student finds a series they like, it's good for them to stick with it.