The Wishing Spell

laa9876 - This book is really good. So, theres a set of twins named conner and alex who are both in seventh grade, and earlier, there dad died in a car accident a few days before their birthday, and so they're sad and their mom has to work double shifts to keep the family together. They loved their dad and they loved how he always told tales which he assumed were real, but they didn't think so. Their dad owned a bookstore, and their mom is a nurse. They didn't celebrate their birthday last year, and thought that this year everyone would forget, but then when they arrive home, they see their dad's mom, their grandmother, whom they haven't seen since their dad died. Before, their grandmother read them stories from a book called the land of stories, which they loved. And on there birthday she gives them the book, and other presents from around the world. (I forgot to say that their grandmother travels around the world with other retired friends to read the stories to children) She also makes a huge feast, which they loved (they mostly had take - out food) And then when alex (the girl) goes in her room, which looks like a library (she LOVES books) , the land of stories start to make a humming sound, and glow. The she opens the book and tries to write in it but her pencil falls. Soon, she drops more and more things in until she's out of pencils. Then the next day, when she dips her arm in to test it, her brother Connor accidently scares her, she falls in and her brother jumps in too. they find themselves in the land of stories, and meet a frogman named froggy, who is really the missing prince charlie. Then, over in snow white's kingdom, her evil step mother escapes and all this stuff happens. froggie gives them a journal that someone wrote to travel into the twins world. He wanted to because he met the love of his life there, while traveling with a fairy. he has to collect items for a wishing spell that the traveling tradesman told him about, and at the end, he succeeds. So the twins start collecting the items which they figured out because they were riddles. But, meanwhile, at the same time the evil queen (aka snow whites evil stepmother), has escaped and is trying to collect them too, goldilocks is wanted, the goblins and trolls are not following the rules/laws and prince charlie is missing (nobody knows that he is froggy). At the end, they all live happily ever after. You should really read this, because it's sooooooooooooo good. It's written by Kurt from glee (christopher colfers). enjoy it! :) !! ! ! !

April 30, 2012
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.

June 15, 2012
Celebpub collides with fairy-tale redux in this unsuccessful debut. Alex is enraptured with fairy tales and soaks up her teacher's lessons on their universal truths. Twin brother Conner, on the other hand, falls asleep in class. On their 12th birthday their grandmother gifts them her treasured Land of Stories, a book their late father often shared with them. Predictably, they fall into the book and encounter all the fairy-tale characters, albeit some years after their happily-ever-afters. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel are now queens, while Jack (of beanstalk fame), Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood are embroiled in a fierce love triangle. Alex and Conner must collect eight fairy-tale items in order to return to their world, all while being pursued by a snarling wolf pack in the employ of the Evil Queen, whose life Snow White has spared. Unfortunately, Colfer's prose, though sincere, drowns in bizarre imagery and trite phraseology. A Curvy Tree is saved from loggers because of its "uniqueness." Alex wants to be in this fairy-tale world because it is "where good things [come] to good people." Conner, upon learning that he is part fairy (grandmother = fairy godmother), "sarcastically" opines that "[t]he guys at school can never hear about this." Cardboard characters and awkwardly episodic situations result in a poorly manufactured tale. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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September 1, 2012

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.

May 15, 2012
Grades 4-6 It's been a hard year for twins Alex and Connor since their father passed. They miss his stories, especially the fairy tales he used to teach them about life, as well as soothe their fears. They know better now: life rarely has a happy ending. But then a magic book from their grandmother, a gift on their twelfth birthdays, sends the twins hurtling into the Land of Stories, where happy endings are usually expected. Their biggest concern is gathering the materials needed for the Wishing Spell, which will send them back home. So begins a scavenger hunt for some of the most recognizable symbols and characters in fantasy lore: Cinderella's glass slippers, a lock of hair from Rapunzel, tree bark from Little Red Riding Hood's basket, etc. Golden Globewinner Colfer writes for an audience that will likely include plenty of teen readers (i.e., fans of Glee), and generally they will not be disappointed by the giddy earnestness of the writing, cut with a hint of melancholy. Dorman's evocative spot illustrations kick off each chapter.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)