A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
Foreward – In life, where did one find the brightest beauty and the most luminous wisdom? The darkest
zones.
p. 5 What was the name of the kingdom where Hansel and Gretel’s grandfather ruled? Grimm
p. 6 Who was the king’s oldest and most faithful servant? Faithful Johannes
p. 6 What 2 promises did the king want from Johannes? That Johannes would be as faithful to the king’s
young son as he was to the king and that he would show the son his entire inheritance except for one
room – the one with the portrait of the golden princess. He feared the son would fall madly in love with
her and it would cost him his life.
p. 8 Why was Johannes called Faithful Johannes? He had devoted his life to the kings of Grimm, helping
them, advising them, under-standing them.
p. 8 What did Johannes mean by under-standing the kings? He stood beneath them, supporting them,
bearing their troubles and their pains on his shoulders.
p. 10 What was the young king’s reaction when he first saw the portrait of the golden princess? He
fainted.
p. 11 Why did the golden princess look sad in her portrait? She was cursed. Her soon to be husbands all
died and a fate worse than death awaited her children if she ever had any. She was terribly lonely and
sad.
p. 11 Where did the golden princess live? In a black marble palace topped with a golden roof.
p. 12 What was the only thing that gave the golden princess happiness in her loneliness? Gold
p. 13 What did Johannes and the young king disguise themselves as when they first went to meet the
golden princess? Gold merchants
p. 14 What happened when Johannes got the golden princess on a ship to show her the gold? He had
the captain sail away from her kingdom with her on board. The princess was stolen away.
p. 16 What type of birds made the prophecy to Johannes that horrible things would happen to the
princess and king when the ship got to the kingdom of Grimm? 3 ravens.
p. 17 What would happen if the king chose to ride the chestnut stallion back to the castle and how could
it be avoided? He would be thrown from the horse’s back and die but someone could kill the horse but if
he told why he killed it, his toes would turn to stone.
p. 17 What would happen and what would prevent it from happening if the princess were to wear the
beautiful bridal gown of pure gold that was found in a bed of flowers? She would be consumed by a ball
of fire and burned unless someone took the dress before she did and threw it into the fire. But if did did
then told why, his knees to his head would turn to stone.
p. 18 What would happen to the queen during the wedding dance and what could be done to prevent
it? she would swoon to the floor and die unless someone were to bite her lip and suck 3 drops of blood
from it. But if he told why, he would turn to stone from heart to head.
p. 19 What did the other servants whisper when Johannes killed the stallion and burned the bridal
gown? “Treason, treason”.
p. 20 What happened when Johannes was to be burned at the pyre for biting the queen’s lip? He told
why he killed the stallion, burned the bridal gown, and bit the queen, but after he told, he turned to
stone and died.
p. 22 Where did the king and queen place the stone Johannes? Next to their bed so they would be
reminded of his faithfulness and the debt they owed to him.
p. 24 What were the names of the king and queen’s twins? Hansel and Gretel. Hansel had dark hair like
his father, while Gretel had golden hair like her mother.
p. 25 What happened when the king’s tears fell on the statue of Johannes? The statue spoke.
p. 25 How could the king rescue Johannes from the rock? Cut off the heads of his children and smear the
blood on the throne.
p. 26 How did Johannes bring the children back to life after the king cut off their heads? Johannes put
the kids’ heads back on their bodies and they came back to life.
p. 35 What did Hansel and Gretel do because they found out that their father had cut off their heads to
save Johannes? They ran away.
p. 41 Who owned the house made out of cake that let Hansel and Gretel stay with her and eat all they
pleased? A baker woman who liked to eat children.
p. 54 Why did the father of seven sons send his sons to town to do when Hansel and Gretel came to
their house? To get water for Hansel and Gretel’s bath.
p. 55 What happened to the bathtub that the seven sons took to town to get water for a bath? The tub
fell into the well.
p. 55 Why did the seven boys turn into swallows? The father felt like they were useless when they were
coming back from getting water and he wished they could turn into birds and fly away.
p. 58 What did Hansel and Gretel leave the house of the seven sons? They wanted to find the 7 swallows
because they felt guilty that the boys were turned into birds.
p. 59 Who did Hansel and Gretel want to ask about where to look for the 7 swallows? The sun and the
moon.
p. 59 How did Hansel and Gretel feel about the moon when they went to ask it where the 7 swallows
were? They thought the moon was cold and creepy and wanted to eat children.
p. 60 Where did the stars see the 7 swallows flying? Crystal mountain
p. 60 What did the stars give to Hansel and Gretel to open the door to Crystal Mountain so they could
let the 7 swallows out? A chicken bone.
p. 62 How did Gretel lose the chicken bone? She had a hole in her pocket.
p. 63 How did Gretel manage to open the door of Crystal Mountain even though she lost the chicken
bone key? She cut off her middle finger and used it as a key.
p. 65 How was Hansel able to turn the swallows back into boys? He told them their father missed them.
p. 67 Why did Hansel and Gretel decide not to look for a family to live with any more? They were much
stronger and thought they could take care of themselves and they had kept running into terrible
parents.
p. 72 What was the name of the place where the children talked to a magnificent tree that had what
appeared to be a woman’s face? Lebenwald – Wood of Life (in German)
p. 73 What was the one thing the tree in Lebanwald asked of Hansel and Gretel? Take no more than you
need. Life there existed in a delicate balance. Don’t upset it.
p. 74-78 What three animals did Hansel first kill in the Lebenwald for food? Rabbit, a fawn, a dove.
p. 79 What happened to all the animals in Lebanwald? Hansel killed them all or chased them away.
p. 79 What happened to Hansel’s body because he was hunting and killing animals? He had hair all over
his body. He became a hairy, hunched creature.
p. 80 How was Hansel killed in the Lebanwald? The duke in a hunting party shot him with an arrow
because they thought Hansel was an animal.
p. 85 What was the name of the dark wood near where the village that Gretel went to after Hansel
died? Schwarzwald – wood of Darkness.
p. 87 Who did Gretel live with in the village near Schwarzwald? A silver haired widow.
p. 88 How did the handsome young man with green eyes at the village near Schwarzwald fix the
children’s broken toys? Tie a piece of twine around the broken place and when he unwound the toy, it
was good as new.
p. 90 What did the villagers near Schwarzwald harvest? Apples in the orchard.
p. 92 How did Gretel get the cut on her head at the orchards and how was her wound healed? The
handsome young man threw her in the air for fun but too high and she cut her head on a tree branch.
He healed her cut with a piece of twine.
p. 93 Where did the handsome young man in the village that Gretel was in love with live? A little ways
into the forest.
p. 93 How was Gretel able to find the way to the handsome young man’s house in the forest? He left her
a trail of ashes to follow.
p. 95 What did the widow give to Gretel to take with her to the forest even though the widow didn’t
want Gretel to go, but Gretel was adamant about going? A bag of lentils to scatter in the ashes in case it
rained.
p. 96 What did the rain seem to be telling Gretel in the Schwarzwald? Go home, little girl, go home. To a
murderer’s house you’ve come.
p. 98 What were hanging in the cages on the house in Schwarzwald? Dirty white birds like doves but
dirty.
p. 101 What did the old woman in the kitchen of the house in Schwarzwald tell Gretel that the
handsome man she had befriended was? He son but also an evil magician or warlock who killed young
girls. He would rip out their souls and put them in the doves. Then cut their bodies up to eat.
p. 104 How was Gretel able to find her way through Schwarzwald even though the lentils that marked
her path home were covered in mud? They had sprouted green shoots that led the way out of the
woods.
p. 112 What did Gretel show to the villagers to prove that the handsome young man was a warlock that
killed girls? A finger with a golden ring and rubies that had landed in her lap when she was at the
warlock’s home.
p. 112 What did Gretel take from the handsome young man’s before he died? The piece of twine from
his pocket.
p. 112 How did the villagers kill the warlock? Cooked him with poisonous snakes in a cauldron of burning
oil.
p. 113 What happened to the doves at the warlock’s house when he died? The doves changed back into
girls.
p. 120 What happened when the duke’s huntsman cut open the wild beast that the duke had killed in
the woods? They discovered Hansel still alive.
p. 120 Who took Hansel in after he was discovered after the beast he was in was opened? A lord and
lady who were at the duke’s house.
p. 123 What was the secret weakness of the lord that took Hansel in? He loved to gamble.
p. 124 What did the Devil bet the lord after the lord lost all his money? Whatever stood before the fire
in his library that night. The lord thought he was betting a stool but it turned out to be Hansel.
p. 125 What happened to you if you were gambled away to the Devil? You had to live in pain for all
eternity no matter how good you are or how many times you begged pretty, pretty pleased with a
cherry on top.
p. 126 Why wouldn’t the devil touch Hansel? Hansel was so good and pure it made the Devil sick.
p. 127 If Hansel didn’t’ report to Hell in 3 days, what would happen? The Devil would flood the whole
valley with fire and everyone would die.
p. 131 How did Hansel get the ferryman to take him across the river when at first the ferry man refused?
He told the ferryman that he was going to see the Devil and he would ask the Devil why the ferryman
couldn’t get out of the ferry.
p. 131 What did Johannes tell Hansel that he had to get so the Devil would have no power over him?
Three strands of the Devil’s golden hair.
p. 132 Who had led Hansel to the doors of Hell? Faithful Johannes.
p. 134 What person did Hansel see in Hell that he recognized? The baker woman with the candy house.
p. 137 Why did the demons take Hansel out of the fire pit and take him to see the devil? They thought
he was defective because he wouldn’t scream.
p. 140 Who cooked dinner for the Devil at his house? His grandmother.
p. 146 What was the reason why the fountain in the city didn’t flow wine any longer? The Devil had put
a frog under the fountain that was what was stopping the wine.
p. 147 Why was the tree in the city no longer growing any more golden apples? The Devil put a mouse
under the ground at the root of the tree. It was nibbling at the roots and killing the tree.
p. 148 How would the ferryman be able to leave his boat? He had to hand over the paddle to someone
else and then he would be free while that other person would be stuck on the ferry then.
p. 148 How was Hansel able to get the 3 hairs from the Devil’s head? He pretended to be the Devil’s
grandmother. He dressed up like her after stealing the Devil’s spectacles so the Devil couldn’t see very
well. The Devil would fall asleep with his head on his grandmother’s lap so that Hansel was able to pull
the 3 hairs off the Devil’s head.
p. 150 Who did the ferryman hand his paddle over to? The Devil who was in a hurry to get across the
river so now the Devil was stuck and the ferryman was free to go.
p. 154 What was the ancient meaning of under-stand? To stand beneath someone and take their
burden.
p. 155 What evil had come to the Kingdom of Grimm because the King and Queen’s weakness and
sadness? A dragon and the dragon had taken possession of one of the people in the kingdom. It lived
inside the person like a disease. Hansel and Gretel must kill it.
p. 162 What happened to Johannes after he and Hansel escaped from the Devil? Johannes died.
p. 162 How did the people in the tavern that Gretel visited describe the dragon? Half human, half
dragon. A person possessed by a dragon spirit, a sad, desperate soul.
p. 165 What name did Hansel name the oxen that the two villages gave him? Ivy and Betty
p. 165 What were in the wagons that Hansel’s oxen were pulling? One had 1000 gold apples and the
other was stacked high with barrels of wine. These were given to him in appreciation by the villagers
because he told them how to get their fountain to flow with wine and the tree to produce golden apples
again.
p. 167 Where were Hansel and Gretel reunited? In front of a tavern in the kingdom of Grimm.
p. 169 What was the hardest part for Hansel and Gretel? Coming home.
p. 178 What plan did Hansel and Gretel come up with to attract the dragon so they could sneak up on it
and attack it? Dragons love treasure so they were going to bring the cart with the golden apples to a
clearing in the forest to attract the dragon then ambush it.
p. 191 How many people were in the army that Hansel and Gretel raised to fight the dragon? 500
p. 192 Why did the children bring the cart of wine along with the apples to the clearing? Maybe the
dragon would drink the wine and get drunk.
p. 193 How was Hansel and Gretel able to lead the army in the dark to the clearing? They had scattered
white pebbles on the forest floor along the path and the pebbles glowed in the dark.
p. 196 What did the dragon look like? Snakelike head, no pupils in golden eyes, translucent wings.
p. 202 What did Gretel do to wound the dragon? She took an axe and cut off 2 of its toes.
p. 203 What did Gretel climb to get away from the dragon? A tree.
p. 205 What did Gretel run into as she was climbing the tree to get away from the dragon? The three
ravens.
p. 209 Why did the ravens begin attacking the dragon? The dragon had destroyed their nest.
p. 209 What did Gretel grab when she ran out of tree to climb and she was in danger of falling to the
ground? The dragon’s neck.
p. 211 What did the moon do when the dragon flew close to it with Gretel on its back? It snapped at
them trying to eat Gretel.
p. 211 How did Gretel escape the moon and the dragon? She pierced the dragon’s neck with her dagger.
The dragon turned towards her just as the moon snapped and took a bite of the dragon when the moon
meant to snap up Gretel. Gretel then fell off the dragon.
p. 212 How did the ravens save Gretel when she fell off the dragon? She hit the ravens on the way
down and that slowed her descent as she hit leafy branches as she fell.
p. 224 Why did Gretel think that the dragon knew about their plan to attract it and attack it? The dragon
came at them from behind.
p. 226 How did Gretel know that the king was the dragon? He bandaged his head and was limping – just
like the wounds the dragon suffered.
p. 229 How did Hansel kill the king? With a sword he cut the king’s head off. He killed the king because
the king was the dragon.
p. 229 What came out of the king’s neck after his head was cut off? A miniature dragon.
p. 233 How did Gretel bring her father back to life? With the warlock’s twine.
p. 238 What caused the golden smoke that came out of the chimney of the castle? The dead dragon.
p. 244 Why did the king relinquish his throne? He had ben the dragon and almost destroyed the
kingdom. He and the queen would step down and hand over the throne to Hansel and Gretel.