THE WITCH IN THE WOODS: Grimmworld, by Michaelbrent Collings, Shadow Mountain, March 5, 2024, Hardcover, $18.99 (ages 9 and up)
Two siblings find themselves in the middle of the Grimm fairy tales in The Witch in the Woods, the first book in Michaelbrent Collings Grimmworld series.
Twins Willow and Jake Grimm are not prepared for the bizarre gadgets and scary changes in their new home of New Marburg, the location of the top-secret Think Tank where their parents now have jobs as scientists. In this town, people jetpack to work, robots direct traffic, and senior citizens duel with laser swords.
Yet nothing compares to what happens the day after lightning strikes the twins’ house. Their school building transforms around them, becoming a medieval castle—complete with moat, drawbridge, and a dangerous giant who looks strangely like the school’s overly aggressive hall monitor.
Barely managing to escape before a massive beanstalk lifts the castle above the clouds, Willow and Jake learn that their ancestors, the original Brothers Grimm, were more than storytellers. They were Grimmwalkers, able to travel from our universe to Grimmworld: the universe where all fairy tales are born.
Somehow, Willow and Jake have been transported to Grimmworld as well. But before the twins can figure out how to get back to their own universe, they discover that their best friends, Hank and Pearl, have morphed into the fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel and been captured by a candy-obsessed witch deep in the Cursed Forest.
Now, aided by a mysterious wizard with shimmering golden eyes and a befuddled, talking naked mole-rat named Chet, the twins must trust in each other, believe in themselves, and find the courage to face their darkest fears in order to save their friends, return to their family, and maybe—just maybe—save the world. —Synopsis provided by Shadow Mountain
The Witch in the Woods has so much potential — action, adventure, fairy tales — but it only halfway lives up to that potential.
The story starts out well enough, a big move to a mysterious town. Lots of cool technology. New friends and a teacher who seems out to get the twins.
And then the twins enter Grimmworld, and an explanation of other worlds and theoretical science and bubbles enters the conversation, and it’s complicated. Complicated enough that the intended might struggle. It’s supposed to be this big aha moment, but it kind of stalls things. Tighter editing here could have made a big difference.
I wish the characters were slightly older and The Witch in the Woods was billed as an older MG/ young YA. It’s a better fit for that audience. The book itself has enough to it that it would do well there. And even though Willow and Jake are fifth-graders, that’s the group I’d still recommend it to.
Beyond that, author Michaelbrent Collings’s writing is smooth and full of humor. Even though Grimmworld is, well, grim, he injects a lightness that really lifts the tone. There’s lots of action and mysteries to solve. It’s not a bad start to what could become a very entertaining series.
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