Adam Gidwitz's finale is the "grimmest, Grimmest tale" (as the narrator puts it), sure to have readers frightened and laughing.
In previous installments, we've journeyed with Hansel and Gretel (A Tale Dark and Grimm) and Jack and Jill (In a Glass Grimmly). Now Jorinda and Joringel take the stage--and are sometimes brutally killed. Their stepfather decapitates Joringel early on, makes a stew out of him, then feeds him to their neglectful mother. Jorinda inherits the role of Ashputtle (the Grimms' Cinderella), and it takes a really dark turn. The helpful narrator often jumps in to insist you stop reading if you have a weak stomach (since it only gets worse), but readers who stick around are in for a special treat as the narrator's identity is revealed.
Happy endings abound, but first Gidwitz lays down some wicked truths over everyone's favorite fairy tales, cushioned by comedy. --Adam Silvera, children's bookseller and reviewer