The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Pages: 438
Intended Audience: Tweens
Genre: Fantasy / Fairy Tales
Notes for Parents: There is nothing for parents to be concerned about.

The Back Cover

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change.
When the twins’ grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Alex and her brother Conner “fall” into a book and have to figure out the wishing spell to get back home. The author is Chris Colfer, better known as Kurt Hummel on Glee. This is his first novel.

What’s good?

Simple and quaint, this story is a modern fairy tale guest starring many characters from the classics. It’s interesting to see what fairy tale character the two main characters will meet with next. The plot is straight-forward and the language is easy. The story is imaginative and entertaining.
Best Part: Froggy.

What isn’t good?

Every problem the main characters encounter comes with a quick and easy solution that doesn’t require very much bravery or intellect. There’s no real sense of danger or difficulty. The action is slow and the story is predictable. The characters are mostly superficial and the story depends too much on dialogue and not enough on description, action, or setting.
Worst part: The sarcasm became grating after a while.

Recommendation þþooo

The concept was a good one, creative and fun, and the story had some good elements. Unfortunately, the overall result was bland. What should have been a magical and wondrous journey lacked physical and emotional description and failed to draw me in. Sadly, I don’t recommend this story.

Colfer, Chris. The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. New York: Hatchett Book Group, 2012.