Review

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell

Common Sense Media says

Captivating, imaginative story of kids in fairy-tale world.
Age
8
Quality
 

  • Readers will learn the roots of some classic fairy tales. One of Alex's pet peeves is the modern tendency to sugar-coat the fairy-tale stories and radically change them, adding cuteness, sunshine, and butterflies and losing whatever lesson the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen were trying to teach. The twins here learn and apply the fairy tales' lessons in their quest.
  • The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell offers strong messages about how family members love and support one another, despite their differences, and how those differences and special qualities help the kids confront new situations. Different characters come to the rescue in unexpected and ingenious ways.
  • Conner and Alex are believable kids with their own strengths and weaknesses and positive role models in their support of each other, as well as in the bravery and creativity with which they solve problems. Their mother's and grandmother's strong, loving support and their late father's bond with his children are solid and sustaining. Characters they meet along the way, notably Froggy (the giant spellbound amphibian who comes to their rescue), also show courage and helpfulness.
  • The kids are sometimes in peril, comic and otherwise, in encounters with assorted monsters and villains, including wolves, trolls, and the Evil Queen and her henchmen. While the kids don't suffer any real harm, many of their enemies come to a violent end in mishaps or combat.
  • Not applicable.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Glee's Chris Colfer (who plays Kurt Hummel), is warm and heartfelt, as well as imaginative. Twins Alex and Conner are transported to the world of fairy tales, in which they meet such characters as Goldilocks, Cinderella, and Snow White, all living new lives and playing a role in helping the kids get home. There's some fleeting danger to the kids at the hands of assorted villains, from wolves to the Evil Queen, and a number of wicked characters come to a violent but not graphically described end. This book is the first in a planned series.


This review of The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell was written by

Most useful reviews by all members

Parent
November 27, 2012
 
Skip it.
It is true that books that take a new look at characters are popular these days. But this is not a well written one.

Teen, 16 years old
April 3, 2013
 
Finally, a good fairy tale book.
This is like the best fairy tale book since The Sisters Grimm. It's a little violent though. One character falls off a building to her death. There is a described blood scene, the children are in near constant peril, and another character dies with an arrow in his back. Not for little kids who might get upset with the peril. In it Jack falls in love with Goldilocks but she has been on the run ever since the 3 bears came. Goldilocks learns in the book that Red Riding Hood(who wanted to steal Jack from her) sent her a fake letter that said to go to a address which was the 3 bears house. When Goldilocks learns that, she sets out to KILL Red Riding Hood. There is the "Big bad wolf pack(the decendents of the Big Bad Wolf. Children might be afraid of them because they have no mercy on any living thing. The Prince Charmings are shown sad because there other brother was thought to be dead. But he turns out to be an enchanted "Frog Man." There is some cursing but only once, and sort of another time(Da@n, Son of a Witch). That's it. If you think your child can handle this book, let them read it, it's really good. But don't judge this book, and say it's probably bad for children just because the auther is Chris Colfer who is Kurt Hummel from Glee. Just let your kid read it if you think they can handle it. If they can they'll love it. If they can't well, no they might even hate it.

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