The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

by Carol3 Comments
"The Elves and the Shoemaker" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm This is one of three elf stories that follow each other in the Grimm's Household Tales. This one is the funnest to me and it takes place just before Christmas, so it's appropriate to the season. There a poor shoemaker who has only enough leather to make one more pair of shoes. He cuts the shoes out in the evening and goes to bed. The next morning when he went to start his work, two finished shoes were on the worktable. The quality was superb and the shoemaker was able to sell them for more than the usual price, allowing him to buy leather for two pairs of shoes. Once again, he cut them out the night before and in the morning they are finished. He sells them for more than usual again and buys more leather, and on and on it goes until the shoemaker and his wife are quite wealthy. A few...
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Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley

by Carol4 Comments
Once Upon a Crime by Michael Buckley (Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) Another good adventure for the Sisters Grimm. Amber (10) and I read this together and it picks up where The Problem Child left off. The Grimm sister, along with their grandmother, Mr. Canis the Big Bad Wolf, and Mr. Hamstead, one of the three little pigs, are taking an injured Puck to New York City. Faerie is there and Puck's family are the only ones who can heal him. I think this is a series that you really need to read in order. Puck's injury and what happened to the girls' parents were explained in an earlier book, but you really need to know what happened to understand what's going on in this one. I like Sabrina's character. She's growing some, realizing that she can't control everything and that just because she believed things were one way doesn't mean they were. She is truly becoming a Grimm, and is not just the...
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Escapade by Walter Satterthwait

by Carol8 Comments
Escapade by Walter Satterthwait I finally finished this last night. I wish I could say I liked it. It seems like it should be right up my alley - great characters, including Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a murder, a locked room, an English country manor. Throw in some "ghosts" and a séance and you can see why I was drawn to it. Unfortunately I was bored. Phil Beaumont is a Pinkerton detective whose current assignment is to guard Houdini from a rival magician. He accompanies Houdini to a weekend gathering at and English country manor where there are several other guests, including a slightly nutty Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. the old Earl is murdered, Phil and Houdini decide to investigate with the help of another guest's paid companion, Jane Turner. Jane is a very competent young lady and holds her own in the story. "Someone meant to kill her?" she asked me. "Sounds like it." "But that's insane," said Mrs. Corneill. "Why...
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Teaser from Escapade by Walter Satterthwait

by Carol8 Comments
Her eyes were narrowed and she was staring at my hand. "Let me go," she said, her voice low and threatening. The rules of the game had changed, and she didn't like it. (pg. 137, Escapade by Walter Satterthwait) Yes, I'm still slogging through this book. I can't put my finger on what's missing. It's got some great character, a murder in a locked room, witty dialogues, but I'm just bored, trying to finish. I don't hate it enough to just put it down, but I just can't seem to care enough to pick it up rather than doing something else. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. The rules are easy and I only cheated a little. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers. Purchase at...
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