The Sisters Grimm
#924.24 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 9 books Status Complete 2005–2012 Reading commitment High Michael Buckley Last reviewed 2026-10-31
Overview
The Sisters Grimm is a middle-grade fantasy mystery series by Michael Buckley, published by Amulet Books in nine novels from 2005 to 2012, with illustrations by Peter Ferguson. Orphaned sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm move in with their grandmother in Ferryport Landing, a New York town where fairy-tale characters known as Everafters are trapped. The girls learn they descend from the Brothers Grimm, whose tales are records of real events, and they join the family work of solving Everafter crimes. Across the books they search for their kidnapped parents and face the Scarlet Hand, leading to the Everafter War. The ninth novel, The Council of Mirrors, is the final battle, and the series is complete.
Fairy-tale retelling, Urban fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (9 works) counts toward ranking
The Sisters Grimm Michael Buckley
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Fairy-Tale Detectives | 2005 | 1 | core | 4.05 (57,607 ratings) |
 | The Unusual Suspects | 2005 | 2 | core | 4.24 (26,040 ratings) |
 | The Problem Child | 2006 | 3 | core | 4.29 (22,535 ratings) |
 | Once Upon a Crime | 2007 | 4 | core | 4.28 (21,735 ratings) |
 | Magic and Other Misdemeanors | 2007 | 5 | core | 4.32 (21,038 ratings) |
 | Tales from the Hood | 2008 | 6 | core | 4.31 (21,336 ratings) |
 | The Everafter War | 2009 | 7 | core | 4.35 (18,041 ratings) |
 | The Inside Story | 2010 | 8 | core | 4.30 (15,715 ratings) |
 | The Council of Mirrors | 2012 | 9 | core | 4.40 (14,095 ratings) |
Nine middle-grade novels about sisters Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, fairy-tale detectives in Ferryport Landing.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Sisters Grimm? The Sisters Grimm's Core Canon is 9 books.
- What is the reading order for The Sisters Grimm? Publication order, starting with The Fairy-Tale Detectives. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Sisters Grimm finished? Complete (2005–2012).
- How much reading does The Sisters Grimm take? High reading commitment (estimated from 9 Core Canon books).
- How is The Sisters Grimm ranked? #92 in this site's official ranking, based on 218,142 reader ratings across 9 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #92?
Ranked #92 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.24 across 9 core books.
- Backed by 218k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #91, Beyonders (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 9 books · Complete · 218k ratings · Ranks #92 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (9 Core Canon books)
- The Fairy-Tale Detectives (2005)
- The Unusual Suspects (2005)
- The Problem Child (2006)
- Magic and Other Misdemeanors (2007)
- Once Upon a Crime (2007)
- Tales from the Hood (2008)
- The Everafter War (2009)
- The Inside Story (2010)
- The Council of Mirrors (2012)
Documented internal/story order
- The Fairy-Tale Detectives (2005)
- The Unusual Suspects (2005)
- The Problem Child (2006)
- Once Upon a Crime (2007)
- Magic and Other Misdemeanors (2007)
- Tales from the Hood (2008)
- The Everafter War (2009)
- The Inside Story (2010)
- The Council of Mirrors (2012)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what The Sisters Grimm and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Skulduggery Pleasant Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.35
- Keeper of the Lost Cities Portal fantasy / Urban fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.44
- The Land of Stories Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · High commitment · 4.36
- Amari and the Night Brothers Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.32
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.24 across 218,142 ratings on 9 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: The Last Dragon Chronicles, The Wardstone Chronicles, The Sisters Grimm, Kingdom Keepers, Saga o zbóju Twardokęsku, Noční klub, El libro de los héroes, Kalfukura, Royaume de vent et de colères and The Heart of the Circle accepted 2026-10-31
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Sisters Grimm Tier 2
- Abrams author page Tier 2
- Abrams 9-book collection Tier 2
- FictionDB series page Tier 2
- Ohio Center for the Book author page Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Michael Buckley (author) Tier 2
- Wikipedia: N.E.R.D.S. Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-31
Rule: Core Canon = the nine Sisters Grimm novels by Michael Buckley, from The Fairy-Tale Detectives (2005) to The Council of Mirrors (2012); the companion guide A Very Grimm Guide (2012) is excluded.