The Witch in the Woods

January 8, 2024
When 11-year-old twins Willow and Jake move from Los Angeles to New Marburg, Idaho, they quickly learn that everything is not as it seems, especially once their parents begin new jobs at the New Marburg Think Tank, or the Tank, “a place full of Very Smart People who would perhaps change the world (according to Mom), if they didn’t blow it up first (according to Dad).” New Marburg proper seems just as mysterious as the Tank; it’s a town filled with robot cops and flying cars that also endures odd electrical storms at night. Upon beginning school at New Marburg Kinderversity, the twins contend with strict, scary teacher Mrs. Houseman, who resents them for reasons they don’t understand. After their father experiences a breakthrough at the Tank during a terrible tempest, Willow and Jake awaken in Grimmworld, a parallel universe where fairytales are real. If the twins hope to return to their dimension, they must team up with a magic being named Old Eli and delve into Grimmworld’s mysterious origins which, they learn, is connected to their own family’s past. Utilizing suspenseful, sometimes frightening, elements, familiar fantasy tropes, fun and whimsical worldbuilding, and characters from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Collings (Light-Years from Home) crafts a fresh fantasy series opener with a multiverse spin. Ages 9–12.

February 1, 2024
Ten-year-old twins Willow and Jake Grimm find themselves in a perilous land of tragic fairy tales after their parents move them from Los Angeles to New Marburg, Idaho. Upon arriving, the siblings struggle to cope with their malevolent new teacher, Mrs. Houseman, but their academic torture turns to mortal danger when they enter Grimmworld, an alternate universe with elements borrowed from a hodgepodge of mostly European stories and folklore. Collings' references range from C. Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio to the mythical Arabian anqa, a fantastical bird, but the author clearly draws the most inspiration from the bleak dangers of tales made popular by the Brothers Grimm. With only an absurd naked mole rat called Chet as their occasional guide, the siblings must work together to save two new friends from a witch and escape back to the real world. Collings brings some freshness to the worldbuilding of this well-worn material, as with the fairies who fashion lacelike wings out of the bones of their prey. In this nightmarish setting, new rules and tricks keep appearing out of nowhere, which is confusing for both the characters and readers. Willow and Jake fall into familiar types: There's one athletic, popular twin and one who's intellectual and awkward, though their unswerving devotion to and confidence in each other is refreshing. Most human characters read white. A convoluted fairy-tale mash-up for diehard Grimm fans. (reading guide and discussion questions) (Fantasy. 9-12)

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