Book Review- Grimm Legacy

Review By: Gena
Reference Staff

Title: The Grimm Legacy
Author: Polly Shulman

Have you ever wished you could sail the skies on a flying carpet, or dance until dawn in enchanted shoes, or even ask the all-seeing mirror from Snow White a question? Well, in New York City there's a certain library where privileges allow you to borrow just those kinds of things. It's there that Elizabeth Rew comes face to face with magic, danger and a little romance in Polly Shuman's youth novel "The Grimm Legacy".

Elizabeth needs an after school job, a few friends and some excitement in her life, and she finds all that and more when she is recommended for a job at the New York Circulating Material Repository. This isn't just any library-- it houses all manner of rare items that populate the stories written down by the Brothers Grimm.

See, those weren't just fairy tales. Magical items really do exist, and the items Elizabeth finds were collected by the brothers as they traveled the world. Elizabeth soon learns that working at the library brings a lot of responsibilities, a lot of adventure and more than her share of danger.

Someone is taking magical items that in the wrong hands could prove fatal-- and worse still, Elizabeth and her fellow pages are being threatened by a gigantic bird! Who can she trust? Who is responsible for the thefts? Can she count on magic to save the day when all else fails? Will Elizabeth get to live Happily Ever After?

This is definitely a magical book; the characters are well written and lively, with believable voices and attitudes. I enjoyed this youth novel and would recommend it to anyone interested in fairy tales or magic, or anyone who just wants a fun book that combines both in a delightful way.