For fans of fairy tale adventures

In this world of young adult series, it is refreshing to find a fantasy story that is complete.  The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman is just that.  It is the story of an ordinary girl who is a modern-day Cinderella.  She lives with her dad and step-mother, and, while her step-mother isn't evil, she is demanding, especially now that the step-sisters are away at college.  A well-written research paper on the Grimm brothers leads her to a job in the New York Circulating Repository, a long title for a very special lending library.  This one requires membership, and does't lend books, but, rather, items: rare items, items of historical significance such as Marie Antoinette's wig, and even magical items.  (As a librarian, this would be my dream job!). Elizabeth and other teenage employees are drawn into a mystery when it appears someone is replacing magical items from the Grimm Collection with forgeries.  There are menacing, giant birds, shrink rays, a trip to Nowhere, and even a magic carpet ride before they get to the bottom of the mystery.

I like that this book doesn't end exactly the way I guessed.  While there are a prince and princess, it wasn't quite what I thought it would be.  Having said that, the ending is, however, a bit too tidy.  It's like the author wanted to make sure all the big questions were answered, and in doing so, forced the story line.  Much is revealed through conversation, in the end, rather than through discovery.  

Finally, while this story is complete, there is a companion book called The Wells Bequest which is about another special collection at the New York Circulating Repository....items from H.G. Wells.