Summary: Elizabeth has been forced to go to a new school because her stepmother has coerced her father into paying for her daughters' educations instead of Elizabeth's. After writing a paper on the historical aspects of the Brothers Grimm works, Elizabeth's history teacher sends her to the New York Circulating Material Repository to work as a page. The Repository houses items, not books, that people can check out. Elizabeth soon earns the right to access to the Grimm Collection, a room that holds actual magical items from fairy tales, such as Snow White's stepmother's mirror and the seven-league boots. Something strange is afoot, however. The items start disappearing and are being increasingly replaced with non-magical ones. Elizabeth and her fellow pages must discover who is behind the thefts and how to stop them.
Shulman, P. (2011). The Grimm legacy. New York, NY: Puffin
My Impression: This is a fun book for those well-versed in fairy tale lore. There is typical teenage drama, including unrequited crushes, popularity issues, and the ubiquitous "evil stepmother" conflict. Since the book is told from Elizabeth's perspective, the reader is taken along her journey of trusting, then mistrusting, then trusting her friends. We feel her jealousy at the other pages' romance and her embarrassment at Snow White's mirror revealing hidden feelings between her and another page. The pages break rules, subvert authority, and sneak around, but it is all for the best of the repository. Their adventure in saving the artifacts, and two of their friends' lives, is a fun adventure reminiscent of some of the best of children's fantasy.
Reviews:
"This modern fantasy has intrigue, adventure, and romance, and the magical aspects of the tale are both clever and intricately woven, from rhyming charms to flying-carpet rides. The author brings the seemingly disparate elements together in the end, while still making certain that her protagonist's problems are not completely solved by the world of magic. Shulman's prose is fast paced, filled with humor, and peopled with characters who are either true to life or delightfully bizarre. Fans of fairy tales in general and Grimm stories in particular will delight in the author's frequent literary references, and fantasy lovers will feel very much at home in this tale that pulls out all the stops." - School Library Journal
Menaldi-Scanlan, N. (June 1, 2010). Grades 5 & up: The Grimm Legacy. School Library Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/884612-427/grades_5_amp_up.html.csp.
"Shulman (Enthusiasm) intermingles classic fairy tale elements and modern-day conflicts in this clever novel set in New York City. The story begins when teenager Elizabeth Rew lands a plum part-time job, working as a page in the "New-York Circulating Material Repository," an institution housing rare objects to be lent to an exclusive circle of patrons. The most secret and by far most interesting section of the building is the basement, where magic objects mentioned in the Grimm Brothers' tales are stored. Much to the librarians' dismay, however, some of these valuable items go missing. With the help of her fellow pages, Elizabeth gets to the bottom of the mystery, but catching the thief poses enormous danger and necessitates the aid of some powerful equipment, including Snow White's mirror, a pair of winged sandals, and a magical golden key. Mixing tongue-in-cheek humor (like the magic mirror's blunt appraisal of Elizabeth's beauty: "Bitsy Rew is brave and true./ A pity she's not pretty too") with suspense, Shulman conjures an enticing slice of magic realism that fairy tale buffs should relish. Ages 10–up." - Publisher's Weekly.
The Grimm legacy (June 28, 2010). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved October 13, 2011, from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-25096-5.
Uses in the Library: This could be used to support a unit on fairy tales, or to highlight an often overlooked genre, urban fantasy.
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