Nutcracking good time

Can anyone tell me the first names of the Brothers Grimm?

You over there: what’s your guess? No, it wasn’t Big Kurt and Doogie. How about you, ma’am? Nope, it wasn’t Asher and Topher.

For the record, the siblings behind so many immortal fairy tales were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm — and, yes, it took two of them to pull it all off.

Here in the modern world, we only need one dude for such things, and his name is Gregory Maguire. The perpetual bestselling author behind such titles as “After Alice,” “The Next Queen of Heaven,” “Lost,” Mirror, Mirror” and “Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister” — and of course the entire “Wicked Years” books centered around the mythology of Oz,” Maguire has an incredibly charming and fertile mind.

What happens, though, when Maguire takes on the legacy of Jacob and Wilhelm? Consider “Hiddensee,” the latest book by Maguire. Subtitled “A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker,” “Hiddensee” is an enchanting and dazzling story that intertwines the origins of the Nutcracker with the life of mysterious toymaker Drosselmeier, who actually carved him.

Maguire appears Sunday in North Stonington’s Wheeler Library to discuss and sign copies of “Hiddensee,” and it’s a perfect way to usher in the holidays. The event is sponsored by Bank Square Books and the Savoy Bookshop and Café. Seating is limited and requires a book purchase to attend. A portion of the proceeds benefit Wheeler Library. Gregory Maguire, 2 p.m. Sunday, Wheeler Library, 101 Main St., North Stonington; free, books available for purchase, seating is limited; (860) 536-3795.