Once Upon a Crime (Sisters Grimm #4) , 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. The sisters Grimm, book four : once upon a crime / Michael Buckley ; pictures by Peter Ferguson. p. cm. Summary: When the fairy-tale detectives rush to New York City hoping to find an Everafter who can cure Puck, they trigger a chain of events that includes a murder mystery, and learn many new things about their mother who, along with their father, is still in an enchanted sleep. ISBN 978-0-8109-1610-4 [1. Characters in literature-Fiction. 2. Sisters-Fiction. 3. Grandmothers-Fiction. 4. New York (N.Y.)-Fiction. 5. Mystery and detective stories.] I. Ferguson, Peter, 1968-ill. II. Title. III. Title: Once upon a crime. PZ7.B882323Siw 2007 [Fic]-dc22 2006033516 Paperback ISBN 978-0-8109-9549-9
Originally published in hardcover by Amulet Books in 2007 Text copyright 2007 Michael Buckley Illustrations copyright 2007 Peter Ferguson
Published in 2008 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 mother, Wilma Cuvelier
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
It seems as though the more of these books I write the more people I have to thank. I hope you all know how invaluable you have been.
First and foremost, thanks to my editor, Susan Van Metre, for her inexhaustible patience and insight. I also want to thank everyone at Abrams Books, most notably Jason Wells, for their support, hard work, and cheerleading. My wife, Alison, deserves special praise, not only for her efforts as my literary agent, but also for being the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. As always, a special thanks to Joe Deasy for his praise, criticism, and hilariously inappropriate humor. I also send out special thanks to Molly Choi, Maureen Falvey, David Snidero, and Susan Holtz-Minihane for friendship that goes above and beyond the call of duty. And to the members of Team Buckley at Wall Intermediate: Lauren, Jillian, Amanda, Meghan, Tim, Dana, Kim, Katherine, Jack, and Veronica.
Lastly, thanks to Daisy, who passed away during the writing of this book. Daisy was a West Highland White Terrier my wife found in the Czech Republic eleven years ago. Daisy was probably my single biggest inspiration. I ll miss her playfulness and sweet nature. I hope the squirrels are fast in heaven because here she comes.

G ET OFF THE STREETS ! S ABRINA CRIED . There s a monster coming! .
Do you people want to get squashed? Daphne shouted, but the pedestrians were used to ignoring screaming lunatics. Daphne turned to Granny Relda with a panicked face. They wont listen!
Granny Relda took the girls by the hand. They will. Run, children .
The girls shared a nervous glance as they raced down the sidewalk, pushing through the crowd and calling out warnings to anyone who would listen. As far as Sabrina knew, her grandmother had never run from anything. She was the bravest woman Sabrina and her sister had ever met. Soon, the family came to an intersection and stopped in their tracks. They weren t on the quiet streets of Ferryport Landing anymore; this was the big city. If they tried to cross against the light, a truck or a speeding taxi would flatten them. While they waited anxiously, Sabrina took a quick look back, in time to see the entire front of the building they had just been standing in collapse. A huge leg stepped through the rubble. The people around them paused, then let out a collective scream .
They re paying attention now, Sabrina muttered .
With a dreadful pounding, the gigantic creature freed itself of the store. Its lantern eye scanned the streets far below and fixed on Sabrina .
I ll get you, my pretty, the monster cried, then lifted one of its enormous, pointed shoes and kicked a taxicab out of the way, sending it slamming into a light pole and then skidding into the intersection, where it crashed into a newspaper delivery truck .
A wave of terror rolled through the crowded street; pedestrians turned as one mass and rushed toward Sabrina and her family. Many people were looking back as they ran; a young woman knocked Daphne to the ground in her panic. If the monster didn t kill the Grimms, Sabrina realized, they would be trampled to death by the mob .
he explosion shook Sabrina Grimm so hard she swore she felt her brain do a somersault inside her skull. As she struggled to get her bearings, a noxious, black smoke choked her, burning her eyes. Could she escape? No, she was at the mercy of the cold, soulless machine otherwise known as the family car.
Isn t anyone worried that this hunk of junk might kill us? she cried, but no one heard her over the chaos.
As usual, Sabrina was the only person in her family who noticed anything was wrong. Murder plots, horrifying monsters, the shaking, jostling, rattling death trap the Grimms called transportation: Sabrina had her eyes wide open to trouble.
She was sure if she didn t stay on her toes her entire family would be dead by nightfall. They were lucky to have her.
Her grandmother, a kind, sweet old lady, was in the front seat, buried in the book she had been reading for the last two hours. Next to her was the old woman s constant companion, a skinny, grouchy old man named Mr. Canis, who drove the family everywhere. Sharing the backseat with Sabrina was a portly, pink-skinned fellow named Mr. Hamstead, and nestled between them was Daphne, Sabrina s seven-year-old sister, who had been slumbering peacefully the entire ride, drooling like a faucet onto Sabrina s coat sleeve. Sabrina gently nudged her sister toward Mr. Hamstead. He grimaced when he noticed the drool and shot Sabrina a look that said, Thanks for nothing .
Sabrina pretended not to notice and leaned forward to get her grandmother s attention. Granny Relda set her book down in her lap and turned to Sabrina with smiling eyes. The old woman s face was etched in wrinkles, but her pink cheeks and button nose gave her a youthful appearance. She always wore colorful dresses and matching hats with a sunflower appliqu in the center. Today she was in purple.
Where are we? Sabrina shouted.
Her grandmother cupped a hand to her ear to let Sabrina know she hadn t heard the question over the car s terrific racket.
Are we getting close to Faerie yet?
Oh, I love chili, but I m afraid it doesn t love me, Granny shouted back.
No, not chili! Faerie! Sabrina cried. Are we getting close?
Why no, I ve never kissed a monkey. What a weird question.
Sabrina was about to throw up her hands in defeat when Mr. Canis turned to her. We are not far, he barked and turned his gaze back to the road. The old man had better hearing than anyone.
Sabrina sighed with relief. All of the rumbling and sputtering would soon be over, and it would all have been worth it to help Puck. She looked at the shivering boy huddled next to her grandmother. His blond hair was matted to his head and his face was drenched in sweat. Sabrina felt a pang of guilt in her belly. If it weren t for her they wouldn t be on this trip at all.
She sat back in her seat as the car came to a stop at a crossroads. She looked out the window. To the left was farmland as far as she could see. To the right a dusty country road leading to a tiny, distant house. Behind her was Ferryport Landing, her new hometown, and ahead . . . she wasn t sure. A place called Faerie, her grandmother had said. They were taking Puck home.
As the car rolled forward, Sabrina lost herself in memories. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she had had a home. Once she d been a normal kid living on the Upper East Side of New York City, with a mom and a dad, a baby sister, and an apartment near the park. Life had been simple and easy and ordinary. Then one day her parents, Henry and Veronica, disappeared. The police looked for them but all they found was their abandoned car and a single clue-a red handprint left on the dashboard.
With no one to take care of the girls, Sabrina and Daphne were dumped into an orphanage and assigned to Minerva Smirt, an ill-tempered caseworker who hated children. She d taken a special dislike to the Grimm sisters and for almost a year and a half had s