The Problem Child by Michael Buckley

The Sisters Grimm: Book 3

Audience: 9 and up

Rating: A-

Synopsis:

The third book in this series picks up exactly where number two left off. Sabrina and Puck are facing the evil Little Red Riding Hood, and her pet “Kitty,” otherwise known as the monstrous Jabberwocky. In their dangerous encounter, Sabrina learns a bit more about who is holding her parents captive, but this knowledge doesn’t seem to bring her any closer to saving them. Until… a new unknown relative appears. Uncle Jake offers to teacher Sabrina about magic, which makes her feel more powerful than she’s ever felt before. But Daphne and Granny Relda disapprove of Sabrina’s magic-habit, should she and can she abandon her new power?

Chatter:

(Spoiler Alerts! ) The plot thickens! This book was the least complete of the three I’ve read so far. I guess you could argue that it tells a whole story if you consider Sabrina’s defeat of Red Riding Hood the conflict, but there were a lot of things that seemed to be thrown in and unresolved. The fact that the missing parents, who have been the center of the plot for three books are conveniently rescued in one line disturbed me! I kept re-reading it and asking, wait, but where were they? Just because Granny Relda captured RRH (Red Riding Hood) doesn’t mean the girl revealed the parents’ hiding place or that it would be that easy to bring them back to the house.

True, the parents are still sleeping. I guess that will be the major conflict for the next few books. It also disturbed me that Puck’s injury wasn’t resolved in this story. I missed his character in the book while he was unconscious. I didn’t find Uncle Jack to be all that good a substitute. And while all the characters kept saying that Sabrina and Jake were similar, I didn’t think so. Jake seems to be much more like Daphne; both are huggers, charmers, and impulsive. In fact, because Daphne has wholeheartedly embraced the Everafter lifestyle, I had a hard time believing that she wouldn’t also be begging to learn magic from Uncle Jake; that seemed to me like something she would love. The only characteristic Jake and Sabrina seem to share is that they get in trouble without meaning to.

Will they be able to save Puck? I certainly hope so; he’s my favorite character. I guess I’ll have to read Once Upon A Crime to find out!

Questions:

Will the Grimms be able to save Puck?

Can Jake be trusted to watch the house? Will he be able to resist the magic?

What will Charming do now that he’s not mayor?

How will the Grimms manage to wake up Henry and Veronica?

Has Sabrina learned her lesson about playing with magic?

Keep reading!

-Paige

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