Title: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
Author: Chris Colfer
Series: N/A
Publisher: Little, Brown
Publish Date: 07/17/12
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Pages: 440
Source: Shaunta: bought, Brian: bought
Buy the Book: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell
Grade: Shaunta: B, Brian: B+
Description: 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 the 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. (Via Amazon)
Our Review: And now… our review of The Land of Stories!
Brian: We here at Story Carnivores review YA fiction more than anything else. Why? Because that’s what Shaunta and I write. And we like to think the more great YA fiction we read, the better our writing will become. So why in the world are we featuring a Middle Grade book as our book club book of the month?? Alas, I am a little bit in love with Chris Colfer. Ever since I laid eyes on his Single Ladies dance in the third episode of Glee, I was hooked on the show, and this uber talented young man. In less than three years he has won a Golden Globe for his performance as Kurt Hummel on the show, been twice Emmy nominated, and even featured as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in TIME Magazine. But he’s a whole lot more than just a cute face on TV: in the last year he not only wrote and starred in his first feature film Struck by Lightning (opening later this year), he penned his first novel The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. And I’m so happy to report this book is not some awful ghostwritten piece of literary dreck meant to cleanse the wallets of Gleeks everywhere. Chris Colfer’s The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell is a delightful, whimsical romp into the world of all our favorite fairy tales, and all the revealing truths behind those memorable, magical characters. It’s not a perfect book — it could have been trimmed a little, and occasionally the plot turns too episodic — but I had a lot of fun with this book and am excited for the tremendous literary career Mr. Colfer has ahead of him.
Shaunta: I’m a huge Glee fan, too. And, as evidenced by my ever-growing Read Out Loud library, I really enjoy Middle Grade fiction. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Chris Colfer’s book. It’s long at almost over 400 pages, for Middle Grade or even YA. (Although, to be fair, the book pages are small, and the font is slightly large.) I was afraid it might be ghost written. But reading the book is exactly like Chris Colfer sitting you down and telling you a fairy tale. I could hear his voice so clearly as I read. I’m not quite as blinded by love as Brian, so I was able to see the obvious rookie things going on in this book. It’s too long by at least 100 pages. Maybe 150. The meat of the story doesn’t start until about page 80. Every single line of dialogue has an attribution (some of them, she said, have two attributions, she said.) But over all, this book was sweet. It had an interesting plot, even if the beginning was a little slow, and well-formed characters. I’m looking forward to reading it again with Ruby.
Brian: As Roger Ebert once said, no good movie is too long and no bad movie is too short. I feel the same way about books. I don’t really care about a book’s length as long as it keeps hold of my interest. Some of my favorite books are super long–my favorite Boy’s Life is over 600 pages, and The Stand is the size of an unabridged dictionary. The Land of Stories may have been a little long, but it never dragged for me, and while Shaunta was upset that it took 80 pages for Alex and Connor to actually fall into The Land of Stories, that didn’t bother me at all. I liked the chilling prologue with the Evil Queen (who is a marvelous tragic character in the book), and then the set-up to the two protagonists, which needed a good fifty pages or so because we needed to get affiliated with them in the real world, before they descended into the magical land. The twins are a fun mismatched duo, Alex the smart bookworm, Connor the sarcastic troublemaker. The book is very fast-paced, with one unexpected adventure after another, and the ending was not what I predicted. But the most fun I had in this book was the time spent with so many of our favorite fairy tale characters, only now adult and given plenty of Chris Colfer twists, everyone from Snow White to Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella, and even the Little Mermaid.
Shaunta: The prologue was amazing. And short. And followed by 70-plus pages of slow back story. This was a good Middle Grade book, but comparing it to The Stand? My favorite book of all time? The Stand, which by the way drops the reader right in to the action on page one? I don’t think so. That being said, The Land of Stories is a solid Middle Grade fairy tale. Colfer has a fantastic imagination, and his reimagining of classic fairy tales, and even non-fairy-tale stories like The Chronicles of Narnia, is fun and complex enough to be compelling all the way through. I grew up being read fairy tales and fables from a set of old books by my grandfather. Stories are incredibly important to me on so many levels, and I loved how their importance to Colfer shines from the page. I related to Alex on a deep level, and that’s a sign of a talented writer. The author is a really good story teller. I truly believe that with every book he writes, and I’ve heard there’s a YA coming later in 2012, things like too many attributions and not starting in the right place will take care of themselves.
Brian: I didn’t compare The Land of Stories to The Stand! You didn’t read me correctly. All I was saying was that I don’t mind a long read if it’s a good read. I was never bored in The Land of Stories, and for me it brought forth the spirit of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, with unsuspecting kids in the normal world falling into a world of magic and enchantment. While it’s not as rich and complex as J.K. Rowling’s world, there were obvious parallels, like the marvelous chapter illustrations by Brandon Dorman (who also, may I add, created one of the most jaw droppingly beautiful book covers I’ve ever seen). If I had any specific complain about The Land of Stories, it’s that some of it feels too plotted out, like each chapter is meant to represent a run-in with a different fairy tale character, like some kind of ongoing serial. But thankfully Alex and Connor are such engaging characters, as are most of the fairy tale characters (most especially the delightful Froggie!), that this flaw didn’t bring the book down that much for me. The Land of Stories is fantastic entertainment, and a perfect summer read for all ages. Chris Colfer never ceases to amaze me! What can this beautiful man not do?!?
Shaunta: The book itself is beautiful. The cover is amazing, the illustrations. I especially loved the map inside the front cover. With it’s omniscient point of view, The Land of Stories is reminiscent of the first Harry Potter book. And I really think that with a little more tension in the first quarter and a more aggressive editing, it could have been a lot closer to reaching that level. Chris Colfer has a built in fan base. It’s not every author that has a physical voice that translates so well to a written voice. This book is sweet. For me, it doesn’t quite reach the cross-over to older readers that Middle Grade books like The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter did. That doesn’t stop it from being just what it sets out to be though: a solid book for young readers.
WHAT WE LOVED:
Brian: I loved the magical premise and plethora of fairy tale characters. Alex and Connor were terrific protagonists, and their journey was filled with humor, sadness, and action. At a whopping 440 pages (certainly long for a middle grade book), the book never got boring, and always remained a fast-paced, entertaining read. I can’t wait to see what Colfer comes up with next.
Shaunta: I loved revisiting some of my favorite stories, and Colfer’s take on them. I enjoyed Alex and Conner and their mom and grandma. Once the story (finally) got started, it was well paced and the story was complex enough to keep me compelled.
WHAT WE DIDN’T LOVE:
Brian: At times the book felt a bit too episodic, and it could have been edited down 50-100 pages. I, like Shaunta, didn’t care for the constant dialogue attributions, but they didn’t bother me too much.
Shaunta: This book was just too long. I don’t mind a long book, when it doesn’t feel padded. This book could have lost 100 or 150 pages without losing anything. And it would have been better for it. The Land of Stories needed another round or two of editing.
GRADES:
Brian: I would give The Land of Stories a solid B+. I had a blast, and I know you will, too!
Shaunta: As a cross-over book, this one gets a B from me. I think a fourth or fifth grader would probably give it a higher grade. I’m a little sad, because I think the story itself was good enough to have been an A, with big cross-over potential that had nothing to do with the fame of it’s author, but it wasn’t quite there.
