If you go down to the woods today, be sure of a big surprise.
The Battle of Nearby Village is over, and deep in the Darkwood, Gretel and her friends journey into the hostile mountains of the north, seeking new allies in their fight against the huntsmen. There they find Gilde the Bear Witch, along with a Werewolf named Scarlett and a winged man named Hex. Meanwhile, Hansel and Daisy set off on a dangerous trip of their own to the Citadel, where they end up in the middle of a political battle for the future of the whole country.
Can Gretel and her friends persuade Gilde to join forces, or at least stop fighting them at every step? Can Hansel find a way to heal the land's divisions and make the huntsmen change their ways before disaster strikes them all? And how did Trevor the spider get hold of a wig? Discover the answers to all these questions and more in Such Big Teeth. Venture into the Darkwood in this modern fairy tale that will bewitch adults and younger readers alike.
It's hard to find properly funny books for older children. Younger kids have Wimpy Kids and David Walliams coming out their ears; once they hit tween years, it's just wry comments and occasional jokes, nothing with humour built right in. (Prove me wrong in the comments! I'm always looking for new humour titles.)
This series is really helping to deal with that lack. Hansel, Gretel and their friends are recovering from the Battle of Nearby. Gretel and the Witches are trying to drum up help for the inevitable march on the Citadel, while Hansel and Daisy head there for some reconnaissance as the Hunters regroup from their defeat. Although there's no recap, and as always I'd forgotten the specifics of the previous book by now, I picked things back up really quickly. Gabby has the gift of making exposition seem completely natural and normal, so I didn't even realise I was being reminded of things I read almost exactly a year ago.
It's fun picking out all the little references to other stories and fairy tales. I guess who Hex was as soon as I saw him, and Scarlett took only a little bit longer. Gilde was pretty obvious, too. I still have no idea who the Glass Witch is, though! But as she hasn't really featured yet, only been (reluctantly) mentioned by other characters, I'm ok with that. I'll get her in the next one. (or the next, or the next, this could run and run.)
I really enjoyed this fun read, and I very much hope that this time next year I'll be writing a review of the next one.
No comments:
Post a Comment