The Wishing Spell: The Land of Stories, Book 1
by Chris Colfer
Fantasy, Middle-Grade, Fiction, Young-Adult, Fairy-Tales, Adventure
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.
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 8+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know that The Wishing Spell, by Glee‘s Chris Colfer (who plays Kurt Hummel), is the first book in the six-volume The Land of Stories series. It’s warm, heartfelt, and 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. There are a few a few instances of mild flirting. And in one episode, a hideous troll princess offers to let the the twins go if she can kiss Conner. There are a few instances of “damn” and some name calling (including “jerk,” “bimbo,” “crappy,” “stupid”). The audiobook is narrated by author-actor Colfer.
Educational Value: 3/5
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.
Positive Messages: 5/5
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.
Positive Role Models: 5/5
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.
Violence & Scariness: 2/5
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.
Language: 1/5
A few instances of “damn.” Some name calling, including “jerk,” “mental,” “bimbo,” “crappy,” “stupid.”
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