Sisters Grimm , livre ebook

Today Show Kids Book Club Pick New York Times Bestseller Book Sense Pick Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award Kirkus Reviews Best Fantasy Book A Real Simple magazine Must-Have New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
Why didn t I think of The Sisters Grimm? What a great concept! -Jane Yolen
A very fun series . . . - Chicago Parent
The twists and turns of the plot, the clever humor, and the behind-the-scenes glimpses of Everafters we think we know will appeal to many readers. - Kliatt , starred review
ALSO BY MICHAEL BUCKLEY :
In the Sisters Grimm series:
BOOK ONE: THE FAIRY-TALE DETECTIVES
BOOK TWO: THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
BOOK THREE: THE PROBLEM CHILD
BOOK FOUR: ONCE UPON A CRIME
BOOK FIVE: MAGIC AND OTHER MISDEMEANORS
BOOK SIX: TALES FROM THE HOOD
BOOK SEVEN: THE EVERAFTER WAR
BOOK EIGHT: THE INSIDE STORY
In the NERDS series:
BOOK ONE: NATIONAL ESPIONAGE, RESCUE, AND DEFENSE SOCIETY
BOOK TWO: M IS FOR MAMA S BOY

PUBLISHER S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows: Buckley, Michael. Tales from the hood / by Michael Buckley ; illustrated by Peter Ferguson. p. cm. - (Sisters Grimm ; bk. 6) Summary: When a kangaroo court of Everafters, led by Judge Mad Hatter, tries Mr. Canis for his past crimes as the Big Bad Wolf, the Grimms seek evidence to save their friend, although Sabrina questions whether he should be saved. ISBN 978-0-8109-9478-2 (Harry N. Abrams) [1. Characters in literature-Fiction. 2. Trials-Fiction. 3. Sisters-Fiction. 4. Magic- Fiction. 5. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Ferguson, Peter, 1968- ill. II. Title. PZ7.B882323Tal 2008 [Fic]-dc22 2008000962
Paperback ISBN 978-0-8109-8925-2
Originally published in hardcover by Amulet Books in 2008 Text copyright 2008 Michael Buckley Illustrations copyright 2008 Peter Ferguson Excerpt of The Everafter War copyright 2009 Michael Buckley
Published in 2009 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Amulet Books and Amulet Paperbacks are registered trademarks of Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Amulet Books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialmarkets@abramsbooks.com or the address below.
www.abramsbooks.com
For my friend Joe Deasy
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
In writing this book I have mined the work of many great writers and folklore collectors. Without their prolific imaginations, the Sisters Grimm could have never come to life.
I d also like to thank my editor, Susan Van Metre, for her patience and support; Maggie Lehrman for her careful reading and excellent ideas; my wife, Alison Fargis, for her help with brainstorming and, of course, for being the best-looking literary agent in the world; Jason Wells for making me famous and for his tireless efforts to keep me that way; Joe Deasy for his friendship and laughter; my family and friends and everyone at Abrams, whose continued support keeps these books well written and well read.

S ABRINA HAD NEVER FELT AS CONFIDENT as she did at that moment. For the first time in a long time she wasn t worried about monsters, villains, or lunatics. She didn t fear surprise attacks or betrayal by people she trusted. In fact, she was eager for a confrontation. Let one of the Scarlet Hand s thugs try something and she would crush them into dust! Her body was strong. Her blood was hungry. She was a wrecking machine .
She wanted to tell her sister how she felt. If only she could make Daphne understand that what was happening was a good thing, but the words were hard to find. Her thoughts were cloudy and complicated. It didn t help that everyone was shouting, and the room was filled with strong winds .
Sabrina turned to Daphne. The little girl was undergoing her own transformation. A swirling black fog circled her body, blocking out most of her face. All Sabrina could see were her eyes, like two brilliant suns illuminating dark corners and obliterating shadows .
Sabrina, you have to stop this! Granny Relda cried .
Sabrina was confused. What did her grandmother mean? She wasn t doing anything wrong .
You have to fight this! Daphne said from behind the black fog. I know you are still in there. Don t let him control you!
Why are you talking to me like this? Sabrina asked. When no one replied, she realized her words were only in her head .
Fight him, child, a voice said from below. Sabrina glanced down. Mr. Canis lay at her feet-old and withered, his body trapped in the clutches of a huge, fur-covered paw. It was squeezing the life from the old man s chest. She cried out, hoping someone would help her pull her friend from the monster s terrible grip, but her pleas ceased when she realized the claws that were killing Mr. Canis were her own .
abrina Grimm awoke with a crazy dream fresh in her mind. In it, she was walking along a stone path when she realized she was naked. She screamed and rushed to some bushes to hide herself, wondering how she could have left the house without remembering to get dressed. A moment later the worst possible person came along-Puck. Since she had little alternative, she begged him to bring her clothes. He flew off and quickly returned with a pair of jeans, a shirt, and sneakers, which he left by the bushes so she could dress in private. Then, surprisingly, he walked away without a single smart-aleck comment. Relieved, she put the clothing on and continued on her way, only to find people pointing at her and staring. She looked down and found she was naked, again. Puck appeared once more. He told her that clothes couldn t hide who she really was. That s when she woke up, angry and embarrassed. Even in her dreams, Puck was a pain.
She lay in bed, enjoying the cool breeze drifting through her bedroom window. The model airplanes hanging from the ceiling swayed back and forth. She watched them for a while, imagining her father building them when he was her age. He had put a lot of effort into the models. They were painted, glued, and assembled perfectly. Her father was meticulous.
Her little sister, Daphne, lay asleep beside her, breathing softly into her pillow. Sabrina glanced over at the alarm clock that sat on a night table next to her bed: 3:00 a.m. It was a good time, she thought. There were no emergencies to deal with, no impending chaos, no responsibilities, and, best of all, no prying eyes. She climbed out of bed, rushed to the desk sitting in the corner of the room, and opened the drawer. Tucked in the back was a little black bag. She snatched it up and tiptoed into the hallway.
Once she was in the bathroom, she flipped on the light and closed the door. It was nice for once to have the bathroom to herself. There were a lot of people living in the big old house in addition to Sabrina and Daphne: Uncle Jake, Granny Relda, Puck, and of course Elvis, the family dog, who often used the toilet as a drinking fountain. And they all shared one tiny bathroom. The line was long and privacy was in short supply.
Sabrina unzipped the little black bag, revealing a personal treasure trove of makeup: tubes of lipstick and lip gloss, eye shadow, mascara, blush, and foundation, as well as a variety of barrettes she had purchased with her allowance at a local drugstore. She dug her hands into the bag and went to work.
First she tried to apply the foundation, but it made her look like a ghost. Then, she accidentally put on too much blush, giving her a look of perpetual embarrassment. The mascara was thick and gloppy, and combined with the eyeliner, it made her look like an angry raccoon. The lipstick was fire-engine red.
When she was finished, she studied herself in the mirror and nearly cried. She looked like the joker from a stack of playing cards. She was hideous and worse, hopeless. She would never learn to use this stuff. Frustrated, she washed it all off. It was times like this when Sabrina especially missed her mother.
Lately, Sabrina s appearance had become more and more important to her. Though she didn t fully understand the changes she was going through, she knew they had something to do with growing up. It seemed like yesterday when she couldn t have cared less about what she looked like, but now she spent hours contemplating hairstyles. She gave serious consideration to whether her shoes matched her tops. It seemed as if all she could think about was how others might see her, and she hated herself for it. She had always detested girlie-girls, with their little dresses and hair in ribbons. They were so stupid and superficial. Unfortunately, she could feel herself becoming one of those girls. Each time she applied her lip gloss, she imagined another fleet of brain cells dying a horrible death.
Luckily, no one in her family had noticed her preoccupation with vanity-most importantly Puck. If he discovered she was visiting the bathroom in the middle of the night to primp and study her flaws, he would make fun of her until she was old and gray.
Abandoning her beauty regimen for the night, she washed her face and was about to shut off the light and go back to bed when she heard something bubbling in the toilet. The lid was down and she couldn t see what was causing the noise, but she had her suspicions. Before Puck moved in with the family, he had lived in the woods for a decade. So modern conveniences mesmerized him-none more so t