I eagerly awaited the release of this book, and for once, was not disappointed once I got my hands on it! I wish I could give this book more than five stars! It was fabulous! As far as fairy tales go, I'm a purist. As much as I love Disney, I think they totally ruined Grimm's Fairy Tales when they created their adaptations. I know, I know. Four year old girls have no desire to see stepsisters get their eyes pecked out and such, but they are supposed to be dark, cautionary tales, not fluff. So many people, because of Disney, believe fairy tales should have happy endings, when in fact, they often have quite the opposite- on purpose. Adam Gidwitz does a wonderful job re-telling them the way they were meant to be told; dark, gory, but with a subtle message. He is a genius in the way he took several great, rather unknown (and untouched by Disney) stories from Grimm's Fairy Tales, weaving them together as one tale centered around the VERY well known Hansel and Gretel. Yes, it's often bloody, scary, and downright horrifying, but also quite funny because of the author's commentary (and you have to give him credit...he does warn the reader that the awful parts are coming). This is a book that I predict will not only become a classic piece of children's literature, but will also spark many a Disney-brainwashed child's interest in reading the original Grimm's Fairy Tales. I sincerely hope Gidwitz writes many more books of this sort, because he has a fabulous wit that had earned him a fan in me! A+++