This novel about the power of stories, the enormity of grief, and the brilliancy of hope tells of a girl descended from the Grimm brothers who sets out to break what she thinks is a family curse.
Twelve-year-old Juni is convinced her family is cursed. Long ago, her ancestors, the Grimm Brothers, offended a witch who cursed them and their descendants to suffer through their beloved fairy tales over and over again—to be at the mercy of extreme luck, both good and bad. Juni fears any good luck allotted to her family she used up just by being born, so when she wakes up in the middle of the night with the horrible feeling like antlers are growing from her head, she knows something is wrong. The next day she learns her older brother Connor has gone missing during his tour in Afghanistan.
Her family begins grieving his loss in their own ways but Juni can’t help but believe that his disappearance means the family curse has struck again. Juni is convinced the only way to bring her brother home is to break the family curse and so she sets out on a quest to do just that.
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“This is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves.”
— Booklist
“Holczer’s use of humor, thoughtful imagery, and magical realism elements makes this a wholly unique blend of modern fairy tale, hero’s quest, and coming-of-age story.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)“Holczer’s clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story.”
— Kirkus ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Tracy Holczer is the author of the critically acclaimed novels for youth, including The Secret Hum of a Daisy, Everything Else in the Universe, and Brave in the Woods. She has a deep love for the mountains where she grew up and the lakes and rivers that crisscrossed her childhood, so she writes them into her stories.
Sandy Rustin is an actress and playwright. Her sketch comedy musical about parenthood, Rated P (For Parenthood), opened to critical acclaim off Broadway at the Westside Theatre in 2012; her one-act comedy, Fireworks, recently won the seventh annual Nor’Eastern Playwriting competition; and her newest full length play, The Cottage, was selected as part of Midtown Direct Rep’s 2013 Theatre in the Loft Reading Series. A graduate of Northwestern University, she currently lives in New York City.