The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3) By Michael Buckley

Justyn Rampa

I adore this series.

I deeply, deeply love this series!

In fact, reading this series makes me feel like I did when I was reading all the Harry Potter books. Not that Sisters Grimm is a direct correlation to Harry Potter, but in some ways yes, they are very similar. Our main protagonist is struggling to come to terms with losing their parents, to fulfill a destiny of which they previously had no idea, and their world is full of fantastic and terrifying characters.

The difference of course is that Sisters Grimm directly plays on established characters and stories and uses them in a brand new creative way while Harry Potter indirectly plays on other works to create an original world. However, both of them grapple at times with very mature themes that elevate the work to being more than a simple children's story.

Reading this book in particular, I reacted out loud to the words on the page. I laughed, I gasped, I shouted, I cried (a little bit).

Michael Buckley is a clever man who not only manages to re-invent characters that have populated the childhood of people all over the world for generations, but also he tells an incredibly compelling story about a family struggling to be whole again and all complications that can arise in our relationships as we struggle to be the best version of ourselves.

I suppose he is writing the stories of people who simply looking for their happily ever after, which is something to which we can all relate.

Alison

4.5 STARS
This series is so good at pulling you in omg

Erin

The books started getting a bit creepier and better from here on. Most kids authors don't bring up mental health (another reason why the characters should've been aged up and this series been put in YA or at least Teen) but it was done well and tastefully. Can I just say again that I LOVE Puck??? Wishin he was 15 though...because that's how he acts when we're supposed to go "Oh, he's 11". I think Buckley forgot how young 7 and 11 are. I can easily believe, knowing many 11 year-old-girls, that that is about how old Daphne is. Best line in the book? "I believe the words you're searching for are 'Thank You'."

Chak

I am no longer recommending this series to people based on the amount of murders and violence, and also based on the author's treatment of The Little Mermaid character. The author identifies her as fat (she does not look "fat" in the picture), and as such, portrays her as petulant, out of control, horrible and unlovable (since she got "fat"). Really bad message to send to girls (and pretty much everyone else), Buckley. However, my son loves this series, and I am entertained by the large majority of it. Therefore, we will continue to read this series as a family. I just won't recommend it to others anymore. I don't want to be blamed.

Michael

I enjoyed the first two books in the series but this is the one that put me over the edge and MADE me buy Books 4 - 9. That right there should tell you all you need to know.

Dinnu Reads Books

The only thing that is starting to annoy me a bit is Sabrina's obnoxious personality. She does not listen anyone and rebels against every wise suggestion. She does the most dumb things and is a very angry character, she's a lousy sister, granddaughter and friend. Her character is supposed to grow and learn from her mistakes but I just don't find her learning moments all that believable. She just decides that now she has learned her lesson... and then the next book she is a dumbass again... It's difficult to believe in the rehabilitation of a character when they're in a loop of making similar mistakes... 😆
What balances it is that the adventure part of the story is sooooo good. It's fun and interesting and the stakes are high but not too high. The other characters are fun and interesting! 😊 😊

haven f

Such a fun book, full of magic, mystery, and fairy tales!

Sabrina and Daphne, the Sisters Grimm, continue their adventure to find and save their parents. But they come across some unexpected events and Sabrina decides to be foolhardy, so her Grandmother grounds her..... Unsuccessfully.

My copy of this book has some pretty scary pictures of everybody (bad proportioning), but some normal ones too. I'm a little confused at the artist's art style and consistency.

sj

The Problem Child is the third Sisters Grimm book in a series of [runs off to check]...nine. Really? Nine? Holy crap, I should have checked into this before I got The Boy all into them.

Okay, so I talked
a little bit here about why I'm reading these, and the ARDUOUS PACE my 13y/o is setting for me. He doesn't cut me any slack when it comes to these, because he hasn't yet picked up his mother's bad habit of having eleventy billion books going at once.

So what did I do all day today? I finished this book, of course, so that I can be ahead of him and have a little breathing room when it comes to the schedule he's set for us.

I guess all of that is really neither here nor there, though. For those of you that are too lazy to click that link up there, The Sisters Grimm is a series of books by Michael Buckley, and it bears a striking resemblance to the television series Once Upon a Time. There's a town (in the books it's in New York, in the series, it's in Maine) full of all the faerie tale creatures/people we know from the works of Grimm, Lang, Andersen, Baum, etc.

In the first book, we met Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, sisters whose parents disappeared one stormy night, and since then they've been bouncing around through the system, moving from orphanage to orphanage, foster home to foster home...until their social worker finds a grandmother they didn't even know they had.

Sabrina (11) has a difficult time accepting the fact that Relda Grimm is really their grandmother, her father hasn't ever mentioned his parents, after all - she has an even harder time accepting the notion that Ferryport Landing is a "safe haven" for faerie tale creatures, and that the Grimms are basically in charge of keeping them out of the way of humanity.

Things happen, and the girls learn that their parents aren't really dead (of course). The long arc is Sabrina and Daphne trying to bring them home. The books follow the monster of the week format, in the first it's Jack (he of the beanstalks), in the second it's Rumplestiltskin...but in the third it's Little Red Riding Hood.

I was rather meh about this series up until this third book. They were cute, and I appreciated how many of the details Buckley got right, but I was also very aware that I was reading a series for children.

The Problem Child, though - it goes beyond "cute" and starts to deal with topics like mental illness and addiction. Heady stuff for a younger crowd. But it's handled deftly and without a lot of finger pointing and shaming. I really liked that we were made to understand exactly WHY our villain went 'round the bend, and I think it was done in such a way that even VERY YOUNG readers will understand and sympathize. Addiction is handled in a similar manner (in this instance, it's an addiction to magic) and consequences are very clearly shown, as is how it can be made to seem alluring.

No, of course it won't replace talking to your kids about such things, but if you've already had a discussion on the topic, this can reinforce it - similarly, it might be a good way to bring the subject UP if you haven't already.

I have to admit, after finishing The Unusual Suspects last week, I wasn't in much of a hurry to continue the series (I am still hoping to get the kid into my books of faerie tales, but I think it'll have to wait for now) - but I'm very much looking forward to picking up Once Upon a Crime later this week.

(Also, I LOVED what happened with The Little Mermaid in this book. That's all I'm sayin'.)

YoRWtFIW

Originally posted
here.

Chelsea

With every book in this series, my love grows exponentially. They're a little like
Jasper Fforde's
Thursday Next series, except all of their literary in-jokes are fairy-tale related. (Which, I suppose, makes them more like his
Nursery Crimes series, actually.)

Buckley is great with characters, especially little Daphne. (who will never, ever get less charming and sweet. Are there any other seven year olds asking for vocabulary lessons and practicing martial arts, while consistently having more insight into other people than their older siblings? Because I want to know about them.) He also does a wonderful job of handling serious topics in a way that doesn't demean the true nature of the issue, but also takes it to a level that grade school kids will understand. (Specifically addiction in this particular novel, with self-control, self-awareness, bigotry, loss of family members, good vs. evil, and many more either making long-term appearances over the series as a whole or at least showing up in the previous two novels.)

The friends who recommended the series to me (on a semi-daily basis, if you get right down to it) both mentioned that the second and third books in the series were the weakest, so I'm dying to get my hands on the next two, if they're only going to get better from here.

Haley Parker

Probably more like a 3.5, this was my fave one yet.

Catherine

Wow! This series just keeps getting better. Buckley deals with some heavy material -- mental illness and addiction -- all within the context of fairy tales and magic, and in an entertaining way that children can understand.

I can't help but compare Buckley's treatment of the fairy tale creatures with the TV series Once Upon a Time, which I watched for a while. (I gave it up earlier this season when . I just couldn't watch the soap opera anymore.) With the exception of Rumpelstiltskin, Buckley comes out on top: Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Snow White (who is an elementary school teacher in both series, natch) & Prince Charming, etc. The children's series repeatedly features more complex and believable characters.

Melissa

This is the 3rd book in the Grimm Sisters series.

I was back and forth between liking the book and being annoyed by the main character. I understand the point the author was trying to make with the magic corrupting someone and having to pay the price for taking the easy way. However, I just ended up annoyed with Sabrina and her attitude and wondering when she would ever learn not to be stupid.

Daphne is probably the most interesting character in the series and she is the least written about, wish she had more parts in the story.

Overall, a decent read.

Yumiko

This is ridiculous. These books are going by way too quickly. Even though there are nine books I’m already on the fourth one. It isn’t right.

OMFGFGFTJRIRJGN PUCK AND SABRINA ARGHHHH Puck needs to get BETTER omg this book is not half as good without his annoying ass.
I loved this one so much. My favorite so far is the first book. Can’t wait for book four!

Abby

This book was super good! It had way more action, a ton of adventure, and so much fun! This is a very good book to read! But you should most likely read the 1st and 2nd books first!

LobsterQuadrille

I'm increasingly unsure what to make of the Sisters Grimm books. They are fun quick reading with lots of creativity, but it's starting to feel like the pace is too hyperactive. Even in the few quiet and reflective scenes it feels like Buckley doesn't want to linger too longer for fear of kids getting bored so he just plows ahead to the next jokey or action-filled scene as soon as it's feasible.

Not that The Problem Child is a bad book. Mirror gets a fun minor role here, Uncle Jake has good moments, and Mayor Charming continues to improve. But there are missed marks too. If Buckley was going to go with the idea of the Little Mermaid becoming obese, it could have been a nuanced and sympathetic exploration of why some people become overweight and how it affects their confidence and their relationships. But instead she is flatly written as unattractive, self-indulgent, and tyrannical.
I didn't think Sabrina was as outright bratty as some readers found her in the first two books; she was understandably frustrated and scared by being in such an unfamiliar world and feeling powerless to help her parents. But here she's harder to like as she becomes single-mindedly fixated on Merlin's wand despite even the magic-addicted Uncle Jake's pleas. There is a nice scene of Sabrina and Granny towards the end though.

And just one more thing: "Jabberwocky" is the name of the poem and not the creature itself, darn it! It seems like every Alice in Wonderland retelling gets this wrong and refuses to correctly call it the "Jabberwock"! Just needed to get that off my chest, before I move on to Once Upon a Crime.

Milou

This series just got quite a bit darker... and I loved it. I see a lot of reviews stating how this isn't suitable for young kids... but I think they would actually love it. Don't underestimate those young ones. And it isn't That bad.

Whilst this is a story of mindless fun, it also deals with mental illness and addiction. Sabrina gets to use magic, and guess what, it feels great. So great that she ends up doing quite some stupid things to use it some more. The sisters also find out who kidnapped their parents... Little Red Riding Hood. And she is struggling with a psychosis. I mean, being eaten by a talking wolf and loosing your whole family might do that to you. She has escaped the asylum together with the Jabberwocky and is terrorizing the Grimm family.

Daphne is still the cutest, I adore her. And she kicks some serious but in this book as well. Sabrina is struggling with the loss of her parents, the magic addiction, puberty and potential feelings surrounding Puck... so she does some stupid things and is generally a bit annoying. But in a well-rounded, relatable character sort of way. We also get to meet uncle Jack, who has a bit of a mysterious past and isn't the best influence on the kids. And of course there are lots and lots of fairytale and folklore characters with a clever twist, such as Snow White, Charming, the three pigs, and Baba Yaga. The Little Mermaid may not have been handled the best (she didn't take being dumped very well and has turned to eating. She can't exactly be called Little anymore... which leads to quite a bit of fatshaming), but that really is my only issue with this book.

This series contains 9 books, but so far they have all been incredibly fast reads and just pure fun. I have already downloaded the 4th book, and am definitely planning to just binge the lot of them. Highly recommend picking these books up.

Danielle Routh

In Which Sabrina Actually Receives a Modicum of Empathy from Her Family Members But Is Still Hated by Goodreads Reviewers

I was incredibly frustrated after The Unusual Suspects , but my anger has been assuaged by this installment. Uncle Jake is a good foil (and reprieve) for the ever-sanctimonious Granny Relda and Daphne, and even Granny has a nice heart-to-heart with Sabrina about the dangers of magic and why she's so hesitant to use it. (Still, maybe mention that beforehand instead of just giving disapproving looks all the time?) I also understand that, since Sabrina is the main protagonist due to her age and the intended reader's age, she'll receive the majority of the conflict, but can we not give SOMETHING less-than-stellar to Daphne? Or can she at least make an effort to understand her sister? I'm just really tired of everyone assuming Sabrina is The Problem Child (ha) when Buckley doesn't bother to give her growth or any kind of understanding from her family. But still, the series is moving back up, and I'm excited for #4, which (if I recall correctly), was my favorite of the early books.

Anita (Hearts and Whodunits)

Sabrina and Daphne Grimm come from a long line of fairy-tale detectives. There is one mystery they want to solve above all others: Who kidnapped their parents? Sabrina finds the secret hideaway of the Scarlet Hand, which is a group of Everafters who are holding her parents captive. When she tries to rescue her mom and dad, she's thwarted by the most famous fairy-tale character in the world. With the help of her little sister and a long-lost relative, Sabrina finds a powerful weapon, but discovers that magic comes at a high price.
This middle grade mystery was very disappointing. Even though the characters were interesting, and the plot was good, it didn't hold my interest. I set the book down for two days and only picked it up to finish it. I also felt there was too much negativity between certain characters. I loved the previous books in this series. This one just fell short in my opinion.

Lex

no one:

the problem child: has the best written characters I’ve ever seen, has well developed plot lines with incredible villains who are truly terrifying, has brilliant subplot to link all the books together without feeling last minute or forced, discusses association and other real world problems and tackles them in an appropriate yet informative manner

I can only write how much I love this book so many times. Just read it and you won’t regret it I swear. This book is seriously one of the best, most memorable in the series. I especially recommend the audiobook.

Elinor Loredan

A third wonderful installment in the series. I particularly enjoy Uncle Jake's introduction with his coat full of magical things. The debate about magic and its costs between him and Granny Relda adds an important issue to the story.

Again, I don't much like making beloved fairy tale characters into jerks--like the Little Mermaid in this one. Her representation feels like sacrilege! Plus, since the author is trying to stay true to the original stories, I'm not sure why he ignores the fact that she dies and turns into a spirit in the real version.

Still, onto the next book.

SPOILER

I knew Mr. Canis wasn't gone. No way.

Alyssa

I think that Uncle Jake learned that You don't have to use magic to solve everything because he have been using magic almost every time they are in danger and that he keeps on depending on magic items that could help him. But when Sabrina, Daphne and Uncle Jake were going to a dangerous witches house and they were almost gonna be eaten up, Daphne did not use magic, instead she fed the animals treats. I think that time, he noticed that you don't have to use magic to solve anything.

Ashley W

This one actually surprised me with the end. Uncle Jacob came off as the fun uncle, which should have been the first clue that he would probably lead the girls into trouble. I do think that through most of the book his heart was in the right place. The end, I think, was really an excuse to let us know who the real power in town is, The Blue Fairy. I will never look at diner waitresses the same way again. :) While I don't care for the Queen of Hearts, it was nice to see Charming get some competition. Did not care for the fat shaming of The Little Mermaid. Okay, she wasn't nice at all and hardly what I would have imagined, but I felt like the writing was just bullying for any reader dealing with body image issues. Very cute story overall.

Cris

Sabrina and Daphne are searching for the location of their of their parents and who has them. In this story they find the out who has their parents and they meet their uncle, that they never knew existed.

madeline

*3.25

Mark

Family review
Mom - I like that the blue fairy was nobody important. She had all that power, and nobody knew it.
Lexie - I like that Puck drew Captain Doodie face and the goatee on Sabrina's face.
Sophie - I like that they finally got their parents back.
Dad - I like the moral that getting everything you want doesn't make you happy. Life is full of challenge, but it's in overcoming challenges that we find happiness, not having everything we want.

Title	:	The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3)
Author	:	Michael Buckley
Rating	:
ISBN	:	0810949148
ISBN-10	:	9780810949140
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Hardcover
Number of Pages	:	320
Publication	:	First published April 1, 2006

The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3) by Michael Buckley

The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3) Reviews

The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3) Reviews

Releated on The Problem Child (The Sisters Grimm, #3)