Buckley finishes off his popular Sisters Grimm series with a leisurely but rousingly destructive battle between the small band of folktale characters still loyal to the Grimm descendants and the much larger metafictional army led by Mirror, who is bent on escaping the magical confines of Ferryport Landing to conquer the world with magic. Things don't look good. While Sabrina and Daphne have on their side an encouraging prophecy from a collection of freshly rebooted magic mirrors, Mirror is endowed with awesome magical powers, not to mention an ally in Prince Charming's despicable and seemingly invulnerable older brother, Atticus. Yet, after much bloodletting (the casualty list includes the likes of Tik-Tok, Gepetto, Friar Tuck, and the seventh dwarf, among many others), the Grimms prevail. Ferguson's occasional illustrations add notes of murky menace and violence, but the tone at the end is lightened by a buoyant pair of Harry Potter style tail pieces that carry the adult Sabrina through her wedding (series fans will guess to whom) to a years-later chat with her adolescent daughters on their fairy heritage.

The final installment in the Grimm sisters' adventures finds Daphne forming a coven of witches and Sabrina marshaling a ragtag band of Everafters to defeat Mirror and his Scarlet Hand gang. Though the plot is unwieldy, this book (like the others) shines when it's manipulating familiar fairy tales, with Snow White and her mother getting the treatment here.

Anderson, M.T. The Chamber in the Sky . Vol. 4. 282p. (The Norumbegan Quartet). Scholastic . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-33493-8 . Gr 6-9 BARNETT, Mac . Danger Goes Berserk . Bk. 4. illus. by Matthew Myers. 240p. (Brixton Brothers Series). S &; S. Oct. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3977-1 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3979-5 . LC 2011048401. Gr 46 BENZ, Derek &; John S. Lewis . The Paragon Prison . Bk. 3. 368p. (Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-04525-4 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20238-1 . LC 2011035295. Gr 47 Birney, Betty G. Mysteries According to Humphrey . Bk. 8. 144p. (Humphrey Adventures Series). Putnam . July 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25414-7 . LC 2011020075. Gr 24 BUCKLEY, Michael . The Council of Mirrors . illus. by Peter Ferguson. Bk. 9. 334p. (The Sisters Grimm Series). Abrams / Amulet . 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0186-3 . Gr 47 D'LACEY, Chris . The Fire Ascending . Bk. 7. 560p. (Last Dragon Chronicles). Scholastic / Orchard . 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-545-40216-3 . LC 2012003120. Gr 58 FRIEDMAN, Laurie . Mallory McDonald, Super Snoop . Bk. 18. illus. by Jennifer Kalis. 152p. (Mallory Series). Darby Creek, dist. by Lerner. Sept. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6073-5 . LC 2011044332. Gr 3-5 GUTMAN, Dan . Ted &; Me . 208p. (A Baseball Card Adventure Series). HarperCollins / Harper . 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-123487-3 ; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210210-2 . LC 2011019359. Gr 47 HADDIX, Margaret Peterson . Caught . Bk. 5. 344p. (The Missing Series). S &; S . Aug. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8982-0 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2288-9 . LC 2011018654. Gr 58 HARRISON, Michelle . 13 Secrets . Bk. 3. 422p. (13 Treasures Series). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-18563-9 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20205-3 . Gr. 58 LASKY, Kathryn . Spirit Wolf . Bk. 5. 228p. (Wolves of the Beyond Series). Scholastic . 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27961-1 . LC 2012001594. Gr 47 McElligott, Matthew &; Larry Tuxbury . Benjamin Franklinstein Meets Thomas Deadison . illus by Matthew McElligott. 144p. Putnam . Aug. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25481-9 . LC 2012001615. Gr 4–6 Moss, Marissa . Daphne's Diary of Daily Disasters: The Fake Friend! illus. by author. 96p. S &; S . July 2012. Tr $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4014-2 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4015-9 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4016-6 . Gr 4–6 Myers, Walter Dean . A Star Is Born . Bk. 3. 160p. (The Cruisers Series). Scholastic . Aug. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-439-91628-8 . Gr. 5–8 NEFF, Henry H. The Maelstrom . illus. by author. Bk. 4. 468p. (The Tapestry Series). Random . Oct. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85707-2 ; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95707-9 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89329-2 . Gr 5–8 PEIRCE, Lincoln . Big Nate Fun Blaster: Cheezy Doodles, Crazy Comix, and Loads of Laughs! illus. by author. 224p. (Big Nate Series). HarperCollins / Harper . July 2012. Tr $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209045-4 ; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219962-1 . Gr 3–6 RUSSELL, Rachel Ren&3;e . Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess . Bk. 4. illus. by author. 348p. (Dork Diaries Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1192-0 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1193-7 . Gr 5–8 SCOTT, Michael . The Enchantress . Bk. 5. 528p. (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series). Delacorte . 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73535-3 ; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90518-3 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98590-4 . Gr 6–9 Shan, Darren . Brothers to the Death . 260p. (Cirque du Freak Series: The Saga of Larten Crepsley). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-07873-3 . Gr 5–9 VERNON, Ursula . When Fairies Go Bad . Bk. 7. 202p. (Dragonbreath Series). Dial . Sept. 2012. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3678-8 . LC 2011048053. Gr 2–4 High School CAINE, Rachel . Black Dawn . Bk. 12. 370p. (The Morganville Vampires Series). NAL . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-451-23671-5 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-101-58534-4 . LC 2011052660. Gr 9 Up CLARE, Cassandra . City of Lost Souls . Bk. 5. 534p. (The Mortal Instruments Series). S &; S / Margaret K. McElderry Bks. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1686-4 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1688-8 . LC 2011042547. Gr 9 Up HOUCK, Colleen . Tiger's Destiny . Bk. 4. 406p. (Tiger's Curse Series). Sterling / Splinter . Sept. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-9843-6 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4027-9844-3 . Gr 7 Up KADE, Stacey . Body &; Soul . Bk. 3. 320p. (A Ghost and the Goth Novel). Hyperion / Disney . 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-142313466-4 . LC 2011030592. Gr 8 Up KATE, Lauren . Rapture . Bk. 4. 448p. (A Fallen Novel). Delacorte . 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73918-4 ; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90775-0 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89719-1 . Gr 8 Up KIZER, Amber . Speed of Light . Bk. 3. 528p. (A Meridian Novel). Delacorte . Nov. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74114-9 ; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98987-2 ; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98428-0 . Gr 9 Up LAKE, Nick .