Far Far Away

by Tom McNeal

A National Book Award Finalist
An Edgar Award Finalist
A California Book Award Gold Medal Winner

A dark, contemporary fairy tale in the tradition of Neil Gaiman.
Jeremy Johnson Johnson hears voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of The Brothers Grimm. Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next.
            But Jacob can't protect Jeremy from everything. When coltish, copper-haired Ginger Boultinghouse takes a bite of a cake so delicious it’s rumored to be bewitched, she falls in love with the first person she sees: Jeremy. In any other place, this would be a turn for the better for Jeremy, but not in Never Better, where the Finder of Occasions—whose identity and evil intentions nobody knows—is watching and waiting, waiting and watching. . . And as anyone familiar with the Brothers Grimm know, not all fairy tales have happy endings.
            Veteran writer Tom McNeal has crafted a young adult novel at once grim(m) and hopeful, full of twists, and perfect for fans of contemporary fairy tales like Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Holly Black's Doll Bones. The recipient of five starred reviews, Publishers Weekly called Far Far Away "inventive and deeply poignant."

• ISBN10: 0375849726
• ISBN13: 9780375849725
• Publish Date: 11 June 2013 (first published 1 January 1999)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780375849725

Reviews

[A Darker Shade of Rosie]

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→ LIKED: I thought it was pretty cool how the story was narrated by a ghost. (And not just any ghost, but the ghost of Jacob Grimm.) • There was an air of mystery to the story. Children were disappearing, and a heavy sense of foreboding crept in the book until a good dose of action happened around 60%.

→ DISLIKED: The pacing was slow. A lot of things had to be planted for the action to take place around 60%, but there were many times when I wished something would just HAPPEN. • The main character seemed a bit dull, and I found myself liking the supporting character, Ginger, much more.