A Tale Dark and Grimm

A Tale Dark and Grim by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2010) is a middle-grade dark fantasy/horror novel. It follows Hansel and Gretel across several Grimm Brothers fairy tales as they learn the importance of family and forgiveness.

In 2010, A Tale Dark and Grimm was a New York Times Editors’ Choice pick, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Children’s Book of the Year, and an American Library Association’s (ALA) Notable Book. It won the Charlotte Award for grades sixth-eighth (2012) and the Kentucky Bluegrass Award for grades sixth-eighth (2012), and was nominated for several other awards. A Netflix series of the same name ran for one season in 2021.

Gidwitz is the bestselling author of dark fiction for young readers and received a Newbery Honor for his 2016 novel, The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog. Gidwitz grew up in Baltimore, MD, and studied English literature at Columbia University. After graduating, he became a teacher at Saint Ann’s School, where serving as a substitute librarian inspired him to write the Grimm series. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, and writes full-time.