Wherever After: Sugar and Spice, written by Sarah Mlynowski, reviewed by Terry Wahrman

Summary: Twisted fairytale Hansel and Gretel leads us to a healthy eating witch whose only meat is children. Her house is built from candy to attract children. In this tale, Jonah and Abby run into a brother and sister who look exactly like them. Hansel & Gretel have heard a lot about Abby & Jonah’s land from them and decide to take the portal to their home unbeknownst to Abby & Jonah. In Abby & Jonah’s world they have food to eat, nice parents, and friends at school. Abby & Jonah have to fend off a witch, who is trying to eat them, and find a way to get back to their time. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Younger students, who are into fairytales, will love this fractured tale. In this story, Abby and Jonah pull together more so and set aside their sibling rivalry perhaps due to the fact that they have to survive and return home. Working together to achieve their goals and learning to give to others are the predominant messages in the story. They live in Hansel and Gretel’s world where there is little to no food and people do whatever it takes to survive. Gretel points out that she does not own a pillow or a blanket and sleeps on a haystack covered with an old dress. Abby and Jonah come to realize that they are spoiled brats and send Hansel and Gretel off with a basket of items for their home.