| Magic and Other Misdemeanors | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Author: | Michael Buckley | |
| Illustrator: | Peter Ferguson | |
| Publication date: | December 1, 2007 | |
| Published by: | Harry N. Abrams | |
| ISBN: | 0810993589 | |
| Publication Order | ||
| previous: Once Upon a Crime |
next: Tales from the Hood | |
Magic and Other Misdemeanors is the fifth book in the Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley. When the future and the past start mixing with the present, Sabrina and Daphne have their first case to do by there selves—with a little help from the troublemaker Puck. The girls suspect that a rash of magical thefts may be at the root of the problem, but with Mayor Heart’s outrageous taxes to pay and Mr. Canis’s continuing transformation into the Big Bad Wolf, the Grimms have a lot to worry about and not a lot of time to waste. Can Sabrina and Daphne solve the crime and change the future for the better?
Blurb
In their latest adventure, intrepid fairy-tale detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm investigate a few magical thefts that might add up to a very grim future for their family, who are not so popular in Ferryport Landing these days. With Granny Relda desperately scrambling to pay Mayor Heart's outrageous tax on humans, the Sisters Grimm tackle their first case solo - with a little help from the troublemaker Puck, of course. Meanwhile, their old friend Mr.Canis seem to be be losing his grip on his human self, becoming more like the Big Bad Wolf every day. Can Sabrina and Daphne solve the crime and change their family's future for the better.
Dedication[]
"For Alison. You put a spell on me."
Acknowledgements[]
"Many thanks to my Editor, Susan Van Metre, whose insight and hard work continues to make this a great series. Special thanks to Maggie Lehrman for her careful editing and extraordinary ideas; Jason Wells from Amulet for making me famous and keeping me on time; my wife and literary agent, Alison Fargis, who's willing to be the bad guy when I'm to much of a coward. A big thanks to Joe Deasy, who continues to read these stories over and over and gives me great advice. Thanks to my Pacific Northwest Cheerleader, Stefanie Frank, as well as Ms. Mock and her class at Hammond Hill Elementary. Big shout out to Mark Rifkin and Ellen Scordato for their many big shout-outs. And a very special thank you to Donald Schershcligt and his wonderful family. I eagerly await Donald's first novel and the day I can say, I knew him when."
Plot[]
- Under Construction*
Prologue[]
Though Puck tries all he can with his fairy wings, he cannot stop the force that's dragging him into a black gaping hole above him. Sabrina, hoping their combined weight can anchor them down, grabs onto his foot as he flies past, but is only yanked off the ground. Nearby Daphne catches onto Sabrina's leg, but is soon flying towards the hole as well. Puck is pulled into the hole until all that is seen are his sneakers. Sabrina tells him to try and fight it, but even she knows that the force is too strong. She silently prays a prayer, and the hole quadruples in size.
Chapter 1 (Four Days Ago)[]
In the morning, Granny Relda wakes up Sabrina and Daphne and tells them they must do some escape training today before their guests arrive. Escape training is part of the sisters' education to become full-fledged detectives. To pass, Sabrina and Daphne must depart a certain distance from their grandmother until she blows a whistle, which signals them to return to her. To do so, the girls have to successfully escape from their pursuer (Puck), who never makes it easy for them. Relda tells them to "dress very, very warmly."
The day's escape training is at the icy Snow Queen's Homeland (accessible through the Hall Of Wonders). A booby trap along the path tempt the sisters to hide in the woods, but Sabrina knows from past attempts that Puck expects them to go the woods. Evading chimpanzees and Puck's glop grenades, the girls make it back to Relda, finally passing their escape training. Then Sabrina talks with Mirror, saying that the only thing she wants for her birthday - four days away - was to find a way to wake up her parents.
Chapter 2[]
Soon guests arrive at the Grimm house for a party Relda arranged to try to find a cure to the sleeping spell placed upon Henry and Veronica Grimm. The people that arrived were Baba Yaga, Briar Rose with her fairy godmothers, and Snow White. Cinderella or "Cindy", as she's called in her popular radio talk show, brings along her human husband, Tom Baxter. Some suggest for Prince Charming to kiss Veronica awake but they conclude it may lead to her falling in love with him, and also Charming had disappeared once Queen of Hearts became mayor, much to Snow's distress. To Sabrina's frustration, no good solution for her parents is found, and the guests leave.
Later in the night, Baba Yaga returns to the Grimm house and angrily accuses Sabrina of somehow stealing her Wand of Merlin. Relda promises the witch that they'll help her find the thief, and in the morning Relda, Sabrina, Daphne and Puck go to her hut, where Daphne finds a mouse hole but nothing exceptionally unusual. Baba Yaga vows that the next day she'll take matters into her own hands.
Chapter 3[]
Later the Grimm detectives investigate Morgan le Fay's house after she reports that she had her Wonder Clock, which also served as a time-machine, stolen the night of the party. There they meet Puss in Boots, who reports that le Fay had mice in her home. The Grimms go to the police station to discover that firstly: the new Sheriff Nottingham had freed all the criminals (including the Lilliputians, whom Relda was suspecting) and secondly, an expensive property tax had been issued to all humans living in Ferryport Landing to get rid of them. That night during a sudden storm Sabrina sees her Uncle Jake running outside and getting shot by an arrow.
Chapter 4[]
Sabrina rushes outside to Uncle Jake, who strangely seems older. He vanishes after she calls for help. The next morning Relda pays her taxes only to get an outrageous addition to the tax. Relda must focus solely on the tax, so Puck, Jacob, and the sisters investigate the case - first by visiting Briar Rose, Jake's girlfriend, at her coffee shop. They also pass by Tom Baxter and Cindy's three assistants and visit Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus (the witch from Hansel and Gretel), who reveals she had her vial from the Fountain of Youth ripped right from her metal locker. Believing that the three thefts were connected, the Grimms ask the witch what could three such magical items be used for; she replies that they could be combined to form a very powerful enchantment. They leave her dentist office and see Baba Yaga shooting fireballs all over town.
Chapter 5[]
To the Grimms' surprise, Native Americans appear out of a black storm cloud and drive Baba Yaga out. Puck and Jacob leave to keep track of the witch, while Relda makes a trip to the bank - leaving the sisters with Mr. Canis, who suggests they practice tracking him in the woods. Another strange storm appears as the girls search for him. To their terror, the Big Bad Wolf arrives to devour them when they are saved two warrior women as well as a fairy man. One of the women, a blond one, seems to recognise Sabrina, but the sisters run away to the bank to find Granny Relda and the secret weapon to stop the Wolf.
Chapter 6[]
Sabrina and Daphne discover that the bank, as well as all of the town, has been devastated and burned. Furthermore, the destruction seemed to have happened long ago. Suddenly, a fire-breathing dragon spots them and almost kills them when the mysterious adults from the woods arrive via Baba Yaga's hut and save them again. They travel to a fortress of Everafter refugees that fought against the Scarlet Hand where the girls see the long-lost Prince Charming. It is soon explained to the sisters that the storms they kept seeing were tears in time, and the tear they were sucked into sent them nearly fifteen years into the future. In this future, Daphne was cold and scarred, Sabrina was married to a grown Puck, and the Scarlet Hand was in complete control. Charming was captured in a tear too, and is determined to save Snow White (who is dead in the future) once they return to their proper time. To do that, however, Charming and future Daphne had to get through Sheriff Nottingham to retrieve a magic detector, which is how Daphne got her scar. The next day a tear in time is found over Snow White's grave and the Sabrina, Daphne, and Charming agree to take the chance to enter it, though it wouldn't necessarily get them back to their correct time.
Chapter 7[]
In Chapter 7, Sabrina and Daphne find themselves back in Ferryport Landing, trying to adjust to their new reality. They share a moment of uncertainty and fear before Prince Charming arrives with a plan. Despite the dangers, they follow him to Mayor Heart's mansion to retrieve a magic detector. Sabrina, Daphne, and Charming navigate past guards and confrontations, with the help of Charming's former assistant, Mr. Seven, to reach the mansion's interior. Using a magic mirror portal hidden in Mayor Heart's room, they escape to the luxurious Hotel of Wonders. There, they retrieve the magic detector and learn more about the origins of magic mirrors from Harry, the hotel host. Upon their return, they face a confrontation with Sheriff Nottingham, leading to a physical altercation where Charming defends the girls and defeats the villain.
Chapter 8 begins with the girls, Sabrina and Daphne, receiving instructions from Prince Charming to investigate the stolen magical items on their own. With the help of their friend Puck, they set out on a clandestine mission, following clues that lead them to the vicinity of the river, near Sacred Grounds and the radio station.
During their investigation, they encounter Ms. White, who is distraught over Charming's disappearance. Despite the girls' attempts to persuade Charming to reach out to Ms. White, he remains resolute in his decision not to contact her, much to their frustration.
Meanwhile, Granny Relda and the others organize a yard sale to raise funds to pay off the town's taxes, attracting a large turnout of buyers. With the success of the sale, they gather the necessary funds and prepare to visit the tax office to settle their debt.
However, their plans are interrupted by the unexpected arrival of a mysterious ship on the river, named the "Neuer Anfang" (German for "New Beginning"). This sighting triggers a flurry of excitement and speculation among the townspeople, especially when it becomes apparent that the ship's passengers include various fairy-tale characters, as well as their long-lost ancestor, Wilhelm Grimm.
As tensions rise and questions abound, the chapter concludes with the Grimms and their companions racing to the marina to confront this unexpected development, setting the stage for new revelations and challenges in the ongoing saga of Ferryport Landing.
In Chapter 9, the tension escalates as Sheriff Nottingham plans to execute Wilhelm Grimm, believing it will erase the Grimms' existence and grant the town freedom. Meanwhile, Granny Relda devises a risky plan to rescue Wilhelm, involving distracting Baba Yaga to create a diversion while Mr. Canis breaks him out of jail. The family agrees to cooperate, with each member assigned a specific role in the plan.
Despite setbacks and doubts, the family proceeds with the rescue mission. Charming sets off to find Baba Yaga, while the rest of the group races to the police station. However, they encounter unexpected obstacles, including guards stationed around the building. Sabrina devises a bold plan to enter through the front door, exploiting Nottingham's presumed lack of interior defenses.
Inside the station, chaos ensues as Mr. Canis smashes through walls to reach Wilhelm's cell. They manage to free Wilhelm, but Nottingham confronts them, injuring Mr. Canis and threatening to kill Wilhelm. With no other options, Nottingham prepares to shoot Wilhelm, posing a dire threat to the Grimms and the town's future.
Chapter 10
The chapter begins with an intense confrontation involving Baba Yaga, leading to a dramatic showdown that reveals the thief behind the magical item thefts as Cinderella, or "Cindy." She, along with her husband Tom, is caught in a dangerous experiment to reverse his aging, which inadvertently causes rifts in time and releases a dragon. Their efforts to resolve this crisis are aided by future versions of Sabrina and her family, who emerge from a time portal to assist.
The plot then shifts to a more personal tone during Sabrina's birthday, marked by the arrival of Bunny Lancaster, also known as the Wicked Queen. Her interaction with the family's magical mirror reveals a connection to Goldilocks, hinting at a broader narrative involving spells, past loves, and familial secrets. This section is rich in character development and emotional complexity, highlighting the challenges of navigating relationships within a community of Everafters.
The story takes a darker turn with the late-night visit from Nottingham and Mayor Heart, revealing a vast conspiracy involving the Scarlet Hand, a group intent on disrupting the fragile peace in Ferryport Landing. The arrest of Mr. Canis on charges related to the tale of Red Riding Hood sets the stage for a significant conflict, revealing deep divisions within the Everafter community and forcing the Grimms to confront the reality of their situation.
Throughout, themes of loyalty, love, and the consequences of our actions weave a complex tapestry that challenges the characters to reevaluate their understanding of right and wrong, friend and foe. The chapter closes on a cliffhanger that leaves the family facing an uncertain future, underscored by the betrayal of Prince William Charming, who is revealed as a new recruit of the Scarlet Hand.
Magic and Other Misdemeanors Gallery[]
Gallery[]
Book Sources[]
(Sourced from Wikia) Below is a list of links to other sites that sell new and used books, and may also have further information about books you are looking for:
| The Sisters Grimm Navigation |
|---|
| The Books |
| The Grimms/Everafters |
| The Everafters |