The Grimm Legacy starts when a quiet, studious, teenage girl named Elizabeth Rew gets a recommendation from her social studies teacher to work as a page at the New York Circulating Materials Repository. It is a library that lends objects instead of books. Elizabeth may not fit in very well at school or at home with her new stepmom and stepsisters, but at the library she finds a glorious and welcoming world. The description of the regular objects are fascinating enough, like Marie Antoinette’s wig, but there is a secret collection of magical objects like dancing slippers and mermaid combs from Grimm’s fairy tales that only special patrons can check out.
This is where things get really interesting. The descriptions and use of the magical objects combined with the relationships between the four teenage pages make for a great story. When magical items start disappearing and everyone is suspect, it makes the story move along swiftly.
Author, Polly Shulman is incredibly inventive and creative throughout the book and makes the reader race through to see what happens next. She does a great job of weaving fantasy with the lives of modern day teenagers. The characters seem real enough that many teenagers could identify with them. Also, the lead character, Elizabeth, is a good role model with her strong moral courage and integrity throughout the book.
This book is also different because it is really written for a middle school audience but teenagers would certainly enjoy it and adults as well. There aren’t many books out there for this age group and it is rare to find a really good one. I would recommend it for sixth grade and up because there is a little romance thrown in there with the teenage characters.
The Grimm Legacy is a wonderful book full of magic and whimsy that will entertain kids and their parents alike.
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