Common Sense Media Review
By Sally Engelfried
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting, funny, violent, and touching Hansel & Gretel tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 13 parent reviews
Based on 20 kid reviews
Kids say the book is a captivating blend of humor and horror, featuring intense violence and dark themes that may not be suitable for younger readers. Many enjoy the engaging storytelling and the author's humorous asides, which help balance the gory content and maintain a sense of adventure throughout the tale.
- humor
- violence
- engaging storytelling
- dark themes
- suitable for older kids
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Starring Hansel and Gretel but including themes from several other lesser-known Grimm's fairy tales, A TALE DARK AND GRIMM tells the story of two children who are beheaded by their parents, a king and queen. Once their heads are returned to them, Hansel and Gretel go on a quest to find parents who are worthy of them, because \"they believed firmly in their little hearts that parents should not kill their children.\" As is to be expected, they do find a house made of cake, but their adventures also extend to a stint in a magical forest, a journey through hell, and villagers who take them in but who are not what they seem. There are also riddles to solve, spells to break, and ravens who prophesy. The narrator, who often interrupts the story with conversational asides, adds just the right amount of humor to the often dire circumstances.
Is It Any Good?
In A Tale Dark and Grimm, author Adam Gidwitz does what fairy tales have always done: He tells important truths by wrapping them in the metaphor of an exciting story. Unlike some of the more Disneyfied takes, however, he makes sure not to leave out any of the darkness on the road to happily ever after. That's what makes this book, as Gidwitz says, "Awesome ... in a horrible, bloody kind of way." Readers familiar with the classic tale of "Hansel and Gretel" will finally understand why the children decide to return home even after their parents abandon them, as they are fully fleshed out characters with whom readers will empathize. Gidwitz's own asides add humor and help make the book an excellent family read-aloud.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the narrator's warning that the book is full of horrible things. How horrible did you think the things that happened to Hansel and Gretel were compared with some of the movies you've seen? Can books be as scary as movies?
Besides Hansel and Gretel, did you recognize any other familiar fairy tale elements in A Tale Dark and Grimm?
The narrator says you too will probably have to forgive your parents some day. Have you ever had to do this? How did it make you feel?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fairy Tale
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic , Fairy Tales ) , Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dutton Children's Books
- Publication date : October 28, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 192
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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