Far Far Away

Starred review from July 8, 2013
The ghost of Jacob Grimm—one of the famous fairy-tale collecting brothers—communicates with a lonely boy who is a clairaudient (someone who hears spirits) in this rich and often bone-chilling story. Trapped in "the space between" Earth and the afterlife, Jacob constantly accompanies Jeremy, offering him comfort, affection, and cerebral commentary about Jeremy's life that only the boy can hear. Jacob believes that by protecting Jeremy he can finally move on after 200 years and reunite with his deceased brother. But when Jacob fails to see the source of the danger threatening Jeremy, he must harness all of his ethereal resources to save the boy he loves and ensure a chance at a happy ending. In addition to recounting pieces from the Grimms' stories, McNeal—in his first solo novel for teens—weaves in fantastical fairy-tale details into this inventive and deeply poignant narrative, creating a world that hovers between realism and enchantment. Jacob's tale is menacing, at times terrifying, and often strange—much like the stories collected by the Brothers Grimm. Ages 12 – up. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic.

May 15, 2013
"Listen, if you will," whispers the ghost of Jacob Grimm to Jeremy Johnson Johnson and to the readers of this delightful, modern-day fairy tale. Jeremy has the rare ability to sense the spectral presence of those caught in the Zwischenraum between mortal life and the hereafter. Jacob Grimm has been a constant presence since Jeremy was 6, a stand-in for Jeremy's absent mother and his absent-minded father. Jacob takes his role as mentor and protector seriously, although his attempts to help Jeremy are not always successful. Jeremy's social standing is a little dubious--what teenager stands a chance with pretty girls when he spouts curses in German? But Ginger Boultinghouse falls for Jeremy after eating the village baker's enchanted Prince Cakes. The two get up to some pranks that lead them to one adventure after another. Things aren't what they seem in the village of Never Better, where kids have gone missing and evil is afoot. The tone of Jacob's narration captures the flavor of the Grimms' tales while blending humorously with Jeremy's ordinary, befuddled, teenage life. The boy and his spectral companion are a charming pair of storytellers with great mutual affection. Readers who love spotting allusions will appreciate this intelligent book's robust vocabulary, its inclusion of French, German and Swedish words, and the real scholarship behind it. (Fantasy. 11-15)

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Starred review from June 1, 2013

Gr 6 Up-McNeal spins a tale fluctuating from whimsy to macabre in such a beguiling voice that-like Hansel and Gretel-readers won't realize they're enmeshed in his dangerous seduction until it's too late. The book is narrated by the ghost of Jacob Grimm (yes, that one), unhappily caught in the Zwischenraum (a plane of existence between life and death). For now, he is the nearly constant companion of Jeremy Johnson Johnson, who can hear Grimm's voice when he presses a finger to his right temple. He's also heard the voices of his dying mother and grandfather. This ability has made him an object of derision for many in his little town, though-thrillingly-not to the electrifyingly vibrant Ginger Boultinghouse, who is more than happy to lure Jeremy into more trouble than he's ever encountered. Grimm tries to be the voice of reason-to keep Jeremy safe-but few things are as they initially seem in the town of Never Better and it's difficult to know the difference between hazard and opportunity. It's also hard to know the good folk from the bad and that's because so many of McNeal's characters are complex and have conflicted motivations. When is a bully not so bad? Where's the line between justifiable grief and parental neglect? Can an older man love a teenager in a way that's not creepy? How do stories nourish us? At what point do they stifle us? All these questions, and many more, are raised in this folklore-inflected, adventurous, romantic fantasy. Whether readers connect more deeply with the suspense, the magical elements, or the gloriously improbable love story, they will come away with a lingering taste of enchantment.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* So it begins: What follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost. Ghostly Jacob Grimm, of the famous Brothers, narrates this tale of Jeremy and Ginger and their near-tragic encounter with town baker Sten Blix, whose long-held grudges figure in the disappearance of several village children. Unappreciated as a youngster, Blix has elevated revenge to a sweet art, and he holds Jeremy, Ginger, and an additional victim, Frank Bailey, in a hidden dungeon under the bakery, while Jacob desperately tries to tell parents and friends of the predicament. If he fails, the three may become grist in the baker's next batch of Prince Cakes. Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel and rife with allusions to the Brothers Grimm tales, this is a masterful story of outcasts, the power of faith, and the triumph of good over evil. McNeal's deft touch extends to the characterizations, where the ritual speech of traditional tales (Listen, if you will) establishes Jacob's phantasmagoric presence amid the modernist American West. There are moments of horror (as there were in the Brothers Grimm original tales), but they are accomplished through the power of suggestion. Details aplenty about Jacob and his famous sibling make this a fiction connector to both fairy tales and Grimm biographies, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
Jeremy Johnson Johnson can hear ghosts, and that's how Jacob Grimm, the story's narrator, becomes Jeremy's mentor and guardian. Sprightly, assured, and original, this story blends a small-town, middle-American, twentieth-century setting with the Grimm brothers' realms--to compelling and sometime chilling effect. The presence of a malevolent villain gives the story a shiver of horror as dark as any of the Grimm tales.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from July 1, 2013
Sprightly, assured, and original, this story blends a small-town, middle-American, twentieth-century setting with the learned realms of the Brothers Grimm and their nineteenth-century German fairy-tale collections -- to compelling effect. Jeremy Johnson Johnson lives a woebegone life -- abandoned by his mother; the sole caretaker of his bedridden, depressed father. But Jeremy has the rare ability to hear ghosts, and that's how Jacob Grimm, the story's narrator, becomes Jeremy's mentor and guardian. With access to Jacob's erudition and experience, Jeremy becomes a whiz at school, knows fairy tales inside and out, and has an unusual advantage in capturing the interest of Ginger Boultinghouse, whose amber eyes possess "the hue, sparkle, andeffect of a strong lager." As Jacob tells us, "This might have made a tender tale" if not for "another player in the cast," the Finder of Occasions, whose "tortured and malignant" purpose gives the buoyant, intelligent story a shiver of horror as dark as any of the Grimms' tales. McNeal superbly and elegantly enfolds those stories' essence and depth into plot, setting, and characters; archetypal figures and situations glimmer through McNeal's small-town American cast like tantalizing clues in a novel that becomes ever darker even as it sparkles with the dignified, affectionate voice of its ghostly narrator. deirdre f. baker

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2013
Sprightly, assured, and original, this story blends a small-town, middle-American, twentieth-century setting with the learned realms of the Brothers Grimm and their nineteenth-century German fairy-tale collections -- to compelling effect. Jeremy Johnson Johnson lives a woebegone life -- abandoned by his mother; the sole caretaker of his bedridden, depressed father. But Jeremy has the rare ability to hear ghosts, and that's how Jacob Grimm, the story's narrator, becomes Jeremy's mentor and guardian. With access to Jacob's erudition and experience, Jeremy becomes a whiz at school, knows fairy tales inside and out, and has an unusual advantage in capturing the interest of Ginger Boultinghouse, whose amber eyes possess "the hue, sparkle, andeffect of a strong lager." As Jacob tells us, "This might have made a tender tale" if not for "another player in the cast," the Finder of Occasions, whose "tortured and malignant" purpose gives the buoyant, intelligent story a shiver of horror as dark as any of the Grimms' tales. McNeal superbly and elegantly enfolds those stories' essence and depth into plot, setting, and characters; archetypal figures and situations glimmer through McNeal's small-town American cast like tantalizing clues in a novel that becomes ever darker even as it sparkles with the dignified, affectionate voice of its ghostly narrator. deirdre f. baker

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)