THE WITCH IN THE WOODS

Ten-year-old twins Willow and Jake Grimm find themselves in a perilous land of tragic fairy tales after their parents move them from Los Angeles to New Marburg, Idaho.

Upon arriving, the siblings struggle to cope with their malevolent new teacher, Mrs. Houseman, but their academic torture turns to mortal danger when they enter Grimmworld, an alternate universe with elements borrowed from a hodgepodge of mostly European stories and folklore. Collings’ references range from C. Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio to the mythical Arabian anqa, a fantastical bird, but the author clearly draws the most inspiration from the bleak dangers of tales made popular by the Brothers Grimm. With only an absurd naked mole rat called Chet as their occasional guide, the siblings must work together to save two new friends from a witch and escape back to the real world. Collings brings some freshness to the worldbuilding of this well-worn material, as with the fairies who fashion lacelike wings out of the bones of their prey. In this nightmarish setting, new rules and tricks keep appearing out of nowhere, which is confusing for both the characters and readers. Willow and Jake fall into familiar types: There’s one athletic, popular twin and one who’s intellectual and awkward, though their unswerving devotion to and confidence in each other is refreshing. Most human characters read white.

A convoluted fairy-tale mash-up for diehard Grimm fans.