Story's End

June 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-In Storybound (HarperCollins, 2012), 12-year-old Una Fairchild discovers a book that serves as a portal to the land of Story, which is populated by heroes, heroines, princesses in distress, knights in shining armor, wizards, fairies, dragons, and magical spells. Characters like Una who are transported into Story from the land of Readers are called the Written Ins. A foster child, Una has always wondered what happened to her parents and sadly discovers that they were characters in Story who were far from being the good guys. In this book, Una is back in the land of Story, printing broadsides that announce the discovery of the Enemy's evil plot to overtake it. She and her friends send out a call to arms, asking all the characters to join in the resistance movement so that the king of long ago can return and "happily ever after" can once again exist. In this story within a story, Una discovers the magic that runs through her veins and plays a critical role in righting past wrongs. Fans of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2002) will undoubtedly notice the similarities, and some might even compare the series to Carla Jablonski and D. J. MacHale's "The Travelers" books (S & S). There is enough action to interest reluctant readers.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
There's no question that "[m]essing around in the Villainous parts of Story is risky stuff," in this sequel to Burt's debut novel, Storybound (2012). Young Una Fairchild is back, desperately trying to unravel the vast entangled problems in the land of Story. The Tale of Beginnings reveals the three legendary Elements of Story's origins: the Silver Quill dipped in Dragon's Ink applied to a Scroll of Fire. When these three elements are brought together again, the End will be written, and the old Story will be complete, making way for a new Story to begin. Along with friends Peter, Indy and Snow, Una races to make sure that the Elements do not fall into the wrong hands--in her case, hands that are more related to her than she ever dreamed possible. While Burt has strong concepts and a penchant for plot, the events of the story fail to reveal much about the one-dimensional characters. As in Storybound, without the grounding of and association with clear character development, the plot sometimes devolves into a long sequence of breathless and cluttered details. Despite its flaws, this book has a magical and endearing quality that may be particularly helpful for readers who need to leave an old story behind and begin to write a new one. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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May 15, 2013
Grades 4-7 This sequel to Storybound (2012) hits the ground running, as the EnemyFidelus, an evil Muse, and Duessa, the Red Enchantressplots The End of Story. If Fidelus and Duessa find the three Elements, they can use them to obliterate the old Tale and write it anew. Meanwhile, Peter, Indy, and the rest of the Resistance, including the Enemy's daughter, Una, are gathering forces to fight for Story, while the true king is rumored to have returned. Yes, there are a lot of compelling plotlines, and the book ends with an all-out bang. Readers will do best to start with Storybound; otherwise, Burt's complex world may be too fuzzy to grasp.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)