Name: The land of stories
ISBN: 9780316201575

Chris Colfer

"Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, twins Alex and Conner 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"--

the wishing spell

The land of stories

Emily Holt

Kyla Bourne 

Annika Arguemore

Although it took me a while to get into it, it grew on me as fast as the vines from the cursed pit could get a hold of someone's ankle. The plot was quite elaborate and engaging. It was fast-paced and adventure-packed. I absolutely loved it! Can't wait to read this to my future kids!

Cassie Casaburi

Loved the tale. 
Felt very nostalgic.
This book felt like a classic fairytale book written in a contemporary, fresh perspective.
New spins on characters we have all grown up with is something that is both refreshing yet somewhat unusual. 
Anyone with a very set idea of who these classic characters are may find it hard to adjust their perspective, but with an open mind this truly is a magical adventure you won't want to put down.
If you were a reader of the magic wishing chair, faraway tree, - anything Enid Blyton really, you may find comfort and joy in the pages of this novel.

Azalea Wolong 

jess

[review from 2012]

So, I just finished The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer. I started it with a little ray of pride that one of my favorite actors has written and published a book. I came out of it completely amazed that someone could have so much talent in them. The man can act, write scripts, write books, sing, dance… anyways. To the book. It’s about two twelve-year-old twins, Alex and Conner Bailey, who are polar opposites. It’s also about The Land of Stories itself, a sprawling land full of fairy tale characters, and it is beautiful. 

One of the things I like most about this book are the one-liners. The one-liners are amazing. I highly enjoy sarcastic, witty and funny lines (and for some reason YA fantasy writers are talented at writing sarcastic, witty and funny lines… AF, PJatO, HP, RA…) and this book had no shortage of them, mostly from Conner. I loved the character of Conner. He was hilarious and many times I found myself laughing out loud. Alex was also wonderful. She was me–not many friends, a complete bookworm. I related mostly to her. The book was obviously written for younger kids. I found many of the plot twists predictable, and ended up predicting something much more complicated than it actually was. But it was great. 

I also loved the remaking of the characters from the fairy tales. And Evly. I loved Evly’s story. Jack and Goldilocks made me cry. All the queens are so charming and likable, except for Red–and Red joins the cast of comical characters. She was hilarious as well. All in all, this is a great read, and I’m not just saying that as a fan of Chris Colfer’s. I think that it’s just as magical as the Land of Stories in the book and if you’re not reading it you’re missing out on something.

jo solimo

I really liked it. It made me feel as if I´m living with my favorite Fairy Tales.

mighty dragon 

this is just soooo beautiful, I cried a lot

Kaya

Wir haben die deutsche Übersetzung gelesen. Ich würde 5 Sterne geben, die geneigte Zuhörerin hatte jedoch sich mehrfach über die Sprache beschwert.

✧*̥˚ ema *̥˚✧

Helene Skjørvold

3.5⭐️
Throughout the entire book I could feel it was a middle grade. The writing was not really good, the characters I didn’t really care for them, until the last 60 pages. I’m intrigued to read the second book now that I know the world. It was a quick fun read, especially if you are like me and love fairytales!

Crystal A.

I knew i was going to like the book, but I never expected to fall in love with it. So much adventure! This book had a Magic Treehouse/The Chronicles of Narnia feel to it.

Vanessa Egger

Die Zwilinge Alex und Connor machen nach dem Tod ihres Vater eine schwere Zeit durch. Umso mehr freuen sich die beiden, als an ihrem Geburtstag ihre Großmutter zu Besuch kommt. Von ihr bekommen Alex und Connor ein altes Märchenbuch "Land of Stories" geschenkt. Bald schon merkt vor allem Alex, dass das Buch magische Kräfte zu haben scheint und es dauert nicht lange da landen die Zwillinge im Buch und treffen dort auf alle ihre geliebten Märchenfiguren und erleben wunderbare Abenteuer. Doch um wieder nach Hause zu kommen, müssen Alex und Connor verschiedene Dinge sammeln und das stellt sich als schwieriger heraus als zuvor angenommen.

Chris Colfer, bekannt aus der Serie "Glee", hat hier eine magische und zauberhafte Welt geschaffen, die mich stark an meine Kindheit erinnert hat. Meine Familie hat mir als Kind immer Märchen vorgelesen.

Absolut zu empfehlen ist hier das englische Hörbuch, das von Chris Colfer selbst vorgelesen wird.

Robin M Cabana

There are many takes on fairy tale characters in pop culture lately and I really wanted to like this book more, mostly because I like Chris Colfer so much! And while I enjoyed the adventure of Alex and Connor in the Land of Stories and some of the characters, the writing was just not good. I listened to the audiobook version and just kept rewriting sentences in my head. (This is second book I've read recently by a celebrity based on twins in fantastical situations in which the writing was just not that strong. Are editors overlooking writing because of the names?) 

I did really like Connor and his snarky take on fairy tales. Some of his lines really made me laugh. And I also liked the Goldilocks vs Red Riding Hood plot. The story was a bit predictable, but still had some charms, because like Alex, I have a soft spot for classic fairy tales.

Nadine 

#fantasy 
Great storytelling weaving traditional fairytale with a tale of two young adventurers. Very popular with my upper primary students

Shannon Leigh Williams

This was such a fun, tumultous adventure!

Caroline Lewicki

The Wishing Spell is a really fun, seriously well fleshed out book. Colfer is great at character and setting development. I enjoyed getting to know Alex and Connor and the fairytales they encounter throughout the story. The fairytales get an interesting make over that I liked a lot! I’ll definitely be recommending this book to young readers who enjoy fantasy!

Georgia Carr

Pela Kolsto

Sophie Collins

The land of stories is a cute and fun book following twins Alex and Conner and their adventure into their grandmother's fairytale book. 
This usually isn't the type of book I like to read, but I really enjoyed how light-hearted and quirky the book was. Surprisingly enough, this book's action-type scenes were well written and everything you would expect from an adventure book of this age level. 
I would recommend this book for anyone stuck in a reading slump or looking for a light and easy, yet still very much entertaining, read.

Katie Holem

Jordan Heustis

laura

so good! i listen to and chris colder was so amazing. The end was a tad predictable but some surprises were still had! i can't wait to read the sequel :)

Lulu Bonning

I realized I hadn't read a middle grade since I was the target age group and I was curious what the hype was about from an adult point of view. Would it whisk me back to the whimsical fantasy of the child-like mind? Or would the experience shed light on the fact that I had become old and cynical and no longer appreciated the youthful lens of middle-grade literature?

As it turns out, this book gave me a bit of both. The world was so, so happy. And I was happy being there. Despite the many mishaps and misadventures that Alex and Conner experienced along the way, it was easy going. As you would expect for an adult reading a middle-grade novel.

A lot of the things I didn't love about this book I'm sure would have gone over my head had I been younger. But as an adult, there were a few things that bothered me.

First, the typos. I noticed them. And they irked me enough to comment on them.

Then, there was the way that whenever Alex and Conner were in trouble, there was an adult - a random stranger - who was willing to give up everything to help these two children on their very mysterious quest. I know we're in a world of fairytales, so talking about what's realistic becomes a kind of moot point - but it was highly unrealistic.

Third, I wanted more descriptions! I loved this world, but I still feel like I barely know it. I wanted more description words, I wanted things dragged out, I wanted a longer book!

Which leads me to conclude that this is a middle-grade book, and perhaps my biggest gripe is that I am not a middle-grade reader. 10-year-olds don't want a book longer than this one. They don't need extra descriptive words because their super young and supercharged imaginations fill in the blanks.

For the intended audience, this book is brilliant.

Tianna Davis

When I first saw this book I picked it up as it reminded me of Disney! I didn’t expect it to be that good!

The land of stories the wishing spell

Reviews

Highlights