The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1)

by Chris Colfer (Author)

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1)
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

The first book in Chris Colfer's #1 New York Times bestselling series The Land of Stories about two siblings who fall into a fairy-tale world!

Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales. The Land of Stories tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.

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ALA/Booklist

Dorman's evocative spot illustrations kick off each chapter.

Publishers Weekly

It's hard not to love a book dedicated to the Glee star's grandmother, who gave him this early advice: "Christopher, I think you should wait until you're done with elementary school before worrying about being a failed writer." In this entertaining if a bit overlong first novel, 12-year-old twins Alex (a girl) and Conner fall into their grandmother's cherished book of stories and arrive in fairy tale land. The only way to get home is a convoluted scavenger hunt that requires them to collect eight tokens from various fairy tales--Cinderella's glass slipper, a lock of Rapunzel's hair, etc. The ending is never in doubt, but it's a difficult journey as the twins meet the Big Bad Wolf Pack, are enslaved by trolls, and kidnapped by Snow White's evil stepmother. Colfer gets off many good lines--Conner's dialogue especially sounds like quips Kurt Hummel might make, as when the twins swim across an icy moat: "Wooo! It's so cold, I think we may be twin sisters now." The nifty ending ties the plot's multiple strands up while leaving room for further fairy tale adventures. Ages 8-up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (July)

Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6—When Alex and Conner's father unexpectedly dies, the twins lose the person who always had the perfect story to cheer them up. Then, on their 12th birthday, their grandmother gives them the book of fairy tales he used to read to them. Suddenly it seems to come to life, and the youngsters find themselves falling into the Land of Stories, seemingly with no way to get out. Desperate, they follow instructions in a mysterious journal: if they gather eight items from various residents in the kingdoms of the Land of Stories, they can complete the Wishing Spell and have one wish granted. After scaling castle walls, diving deep into the home of mermaids, and meeting characters from all of the beloved fairy tales, they are stymied by the Evil Queen, who has escaped from Snow White's dungeon. With the hope of using the spell gone, the twins appear to have no way home until they meet Fairy Godmother, their own grandmother. In a way, they find comfort from their grief over their father's death when they realize that they have been following his journal and that he grew up in this land. The writing quality in this adventure is inconsistent and detracts from the fast-paced story. The deep sadness of the twins comes through, but they are somewhat one-dimensional, since Alex is so much the nerd and Conner, the class clown. The plotline, however, pulls readers in and is entertaining, and Colfer's passion for fairy tales shines through. Turn to Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark & Grimm (Dutton, 2010) for higher-quality writing in a recent fractured fairy-tale novel.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes



This is now my favorite book!!!

I absolutely LOVE this book! It is quite long, but that only makes me like it more!!

Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Golden Globe-winning actor. He was honored as a member of the TIME 100, Time magazine's annual list of the one hundred most influential people in the world, and his books include Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal, Stranger Than Fanfiction, the books in The Land of Stories series: The Wishing Spell, The Enchantress Returns, A Grimm Warning, Beyond the Kingdoms, An Author's Odyssey, and Worlds Collide, the companion books A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales, The Mother Goose Diaries, Queen Red Riding Hood's Guide to Royalty, The Curvy Tree, Trollbella Throws a Party, and Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive, and the books in the A Tale of Magic... series: A Tale of Magic..., A Tale of Witchcraft..., and A Tale of Sorcery.... He invites you to visit him online at thelandofstories.com or on Instagram and Twitter @chriscolfer.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316201568
Lexile Measure
720
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
July 02, 2013
Series
The Land of Stories
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV012030 - Juvenile Fiction | Fairy Tales & Folklore | General
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
Library of Congress categories
Characters in literature
Characters and characteristics in literature
Brothers and sisters
Magic
Fairy tales
Twins
Youths' writings
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Siblings
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / G
Youths' writings, American
Grand Canyon Reader Award
Nominee 2016 - 2016
Massachusetts Children's Book Award
Nominee 2015 - 2016

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