In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz - ADVISABLE

Gidwitz, Adam  In a Glass Grimmly, 314 pgs.  Dutton, 2012.  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: R.  

Jack and Jill are cousins who embark on an adventure to find a looking glass, which they swore their lives they would find, in exchange for Jill to be beautiful and for Jack to be popular.  They live through some familiar fairy tales, such as Jack and the Beanstalk and the frog prince and some not so familiar tales including goblins and dragon-sized salamanders.  They go from tale to tale searching for a magic looking glass and figuring out who they are.  

Although the suggested age for this book is third grade and up, the violence is EXCESSIVE, including a room made of children’s skeletal bones and Giants who slice their own stomachs open.  If the violence was referred to it would be one thing, but the author delights in giving the gory descriptions of the violence.  The tales are entertaining and the narrator does a great job of providing comic relief, but it is for an older audience, readers who aren’t squeamish and who can be warned of the violence.  The books are creative and entertaining, the audio book reader is fantastic, but just make sure the reader knows what they are getting into.  

MS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.