“Dead upon A Time,” by Elizabeth Paulson is a Mythical story about a girl named Kate who is living a normal life, but a kidnapper on the loose, stole her grandma one day and nobody trusted in what she says since she was an outcast. The only person who trusted her was also an outcast named Jack. They people in the village only realized what was happening when the princess was captured and the King started to finally take notice as well. Jack and Kate were up to the challenge to get an after ever that shouldn’t be too far from happy.
In this story, Kate was like the Little Red Riding Hood. She is brave and loyal that would do anything to help anyone. Jack was like Jack in the Bean Stalk, but he wasn’t a hero, he was an outcast like Kate. I have a hard time to connect with these characters but they're easy to get to like very quickly. Before Kate and Jack could get far in their research the king told people to take them to him since they were a prime suspect to who stole the princess and who they are.
The story isn’t as scary as the cover and title make it seem. The book is an amazing adventure that captures you into the book making it as if you're inside the story itself. Sadly the author made the story go quite fast and I believe if that she took more time the story would have been longer and much better. The story allows your head to make many questions once you put the book down. I believe there should be a second book to see more of this imagination come to life once more.
This book is great to read for those who love fantasy and adventure, with characters having someone taken away from them. This story also reminds me the three book series, “A Tale Dark and Grimm”, by Adam Gidwitz. It reminds me of it since it has characters from a different story going on an adventure to find help for something they lost and need. This isn’t as much as a gruesome book meaning that kids could read it for the adventure Jack and Kate go through. The questions pop up asking if there will ever be a second book. Maybe there is and it is just being made.