The New York Circulating Material Repository is no ordinary library. It lends out objects rather than books—everything from tea sets and hockey sticks to Marie Antoinette’s everyday wig. It’s also home to the Grimm Collection, a secret room in the basement. That’s where the librarians lock away powerful items straight out of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales: seven-league boots, a table that produces a feast at the blink of an eye, Snow White’s stepmother’s sinister mirror that talks in riddles and has a will of its own. When the magical objects start to disappear, a brave Repository staffer and her new friends embark on a dangerous quest to catch the thief before they’re accused of the crime themselves—or the thief captures them.

The Grimm Legacy was named one of School Library Journal’s Best Books of the Year, and Publishers Weekly notes, “Mixing tongue-in-cheek humor with suspense, Shulman conjures an enticing slice of magic realism that fairy tale buffs should relish.”

In this event, author Polly Shulman will read from The Grimm Legacy and its companion book The Wells Bequest, discuss the books’ surprising ties to the New York Society Library, and also engage participants in a writing activity.

Polly Shulman is also the author of the young adult novel Enthusiasm and has written for the New York Times, Scientific American, and the Village Voice.

$5 per person, payable at the door.

Advance registration required. To register, contact the Children's Library at 212.288.6900 x234 or children@nysoclib.org. Please make sure children meet the proper age requirements.