Holly Grant (1)

Lyrical text is paired with hauntingly beautiful artwork in Wee Sister Strange, an eerie bedtime tale that follows its eponymous young heroine as she searches through the woods for... something. But as she charms fierce bears, peels back the clouds and dives deep into the bog, the question remains: what is she looking for?

The picture-book debut of author Holly Grant, better known as the creator of The League of Beastly Dreadfuls novel series, this lovely volume is written in verse form, show more utilizing evocative language and an irregular rhyme scheme to create a moody, atmospheric tale of enchantment. "She drinks up the moon / Like a cat drinking cream. / She drinks up the dark / Like it's tea with the queen," the narrator informs us, painting a vivid word picture of a most unusual bedtime heroine. The gorgeous watercolor artwork by K.G. Campbell, illustrator of such titles as Kate DiCamillo's Flora and Ulysses, and author/illustrator of The Mermaid and the Shoe, matches the tone of the text perfectly, capturing the eldritch charm of the eponymous wee sister. Recommended to fans of original fairy-tale fare, or to those who like somewhat eerie, offbeat bedtime stories. show less

This was originally going to be three stars, but I upped it to four for the really great last quarter.

What a fun book. I loved the narrator's voice, I really liked the main character, and there were tons of surprises. It was dark without being gloomy or scary and just a lot of fun. There was such a risk of Miss Apple becoming Miss Honey from Matilda, and I'm so glad she didn't.

"Anastasia's day began with a funeral, and it went downhill from there." For fans of the Series of Unfortunate Events, here's a new series that starts out similarly. Like the Baudelaire children, Anastasia is suddenly left an orphan after her parents' demise. She is whisked away to live with heretofore unknown great aunts in a former asylum, scrubbing chamber pots and battling cobwebs by day and locked in her room each night. Her sleuthing uncovers a host of mysteries and the realization show more that her life is in danger and she must escape. Who exactly are these sinister aunts who wear matching pinkie rings and have a collection of missing children photos that go back 100 years? Why are there vicious poodles patrolling the ground and who's the boy with the birdcage on his head?

An omniscient narrator breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader directly, often clarifying the calamitous events that are becoming part and parcel of Anastasia's dreadful new life. While the book gets bogged down about halfway through, the action picks up substantially and becomes more fantastical by the end. Recommend to readers who enjoy grim humor and mysteries with a fantastical element. show less

This is a (kind of surprisingly) soothingly eerie picture book! It has darkish moments where Sister Strange buries old bones, swims in slimy bogs, and peers in the readers window, but all these elements that could be slightly scary for a kid are made enjoyable with the rhyme pattern, lovely art, and comfy forest ending. The only thing that actually super creepy is the illustration of the bear's face- DAMN. That bear looks soulless and I don't like it...