Donald Lemke

Presents graphic novel versions of the stories of "Cinderella," "Hansel and Gretel," "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Rumpelstiltskin."

Secrets, Monsters & Magic Mirrors

Jessica Nottingham

Overall, Secrets, Monsters and Magic Mirrors is a pretty nice retelling of fairy tales. What really kept me from falling for this compilation though was the choice in the tales themselves. In order to keep things simple, it was decided to pick the most watered down version of each of the fairy tales that are featured. No embellishments, no excitement, just the bare bones story.

Now I'm not saying that I wanted something overly stylized. Nothing Disney-esque. Quite the opposite actually! The original Grimm's fairy tales are fantastic all on their own. I would have liked to see some of the intrigue, and the darkness from those brought over into this compilation. After all, what is a fairy tale without a little magic thrown in now and then?

What saved this for me, and made me swoon, was the illustrations. I loved the fact that each story had it's own set of illustrators. From the highly colored, vivid and downright adorable graphics in Snow White, to the more anime flavored graphics in Princess and the Pea, each story had it's own life to it. I think for the most part they all fit perfectly! Each illustrator brought their own voice to the story that they were bringing to life.

Final verdict? I'd say this is definitely a graphic novel to borrow at the library. I also think it would be a fantastic way to share fairy tales with beginning readers. There isn't really anything overly gory, sexual or inappropriate in the illustrations. This could be a way to bring the fairy tales they already know and love to life.

Secrets, Monsters & Magic Mirrors

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