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Chris Colfer

The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories, 1) Paperback – Illustrated, July 2, 2013

by Chris Colfer (Author), Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

3,809 ratings

Book 1 of 6: The Land of Stories

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Land of Stories: Das magische Land 1 - Die Suche nach dem Wunschzauber
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The first book in Chris Colfer's #1 New York Times bestselling series The Land of Stories about two siblings who fall into a fairy-tale world!

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 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.

Reading age

8 - 12 years
Print length

464 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 7
Lexile measure

720L
Dimensions

5.4 x 1.4 x 7.7 inches
Publisher

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date

July 2, 2013
ISBN-10

0316201561
ISBN-13

978-0316201568
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From the Publisher


	The Enchantress Returns	A Grimm Warning	Beyond the Kingdoms	An Author's Odyssey	Worlds Collide	A Tale of Magic…
Read more from #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Colfer	The Land of Stories Book 2: The evil Enchantree is back and the twins must save the fairy tale world.	The Land of Stories Book 3: The Brothers Grimm have a warning for the Land of Stories and the twins must bring the two worlds together.	The Land of Stories Book 4: Fairy tales are just the beginning as adventure continues into other worlds.	The Land of Stories Book 5: Conner's tales come alive for the ultimate fight against the Masked Man.	The Land of Stories Book 6: The epic conclusion. Can the twins restore order between the human and fairy tale worlds?	A Tale of Magic… Book 1: The first book in a prequel series set in the Land of Stories universe, perfect for both new and longtime fans.

Editorial Reviews

Review

#1 New York Times Bestseller

"There's more in Colfer's magic kingdoms than Disney has dreamt of."―USA Today

"It will hit big with its combination of earnestness and playful poise."―The New York Times Book Review

"In The Land of Stories, Colfer showcases his talent for crafting fancifully imaginative plots and multidimensional characters."―Los Angeles Times

"Captivating."―Teen Vogue

"A magical debut."―Family Circle

"It's hard not to love a book dedicated to the Glee star's grandmother...Colfer gets off many good lines [and] the nifty ending ties the plot's multiple strands up while leaving room for further fairy tale adventures."―Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Chris Colfer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Golden Globe-winning actor. He was honored as a member of the TIME 100, Time magazine's annual list of the one hundred most influential people in the world, and his books include Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal, Stranger Than Fanfiction, and the books in The Land of Stories series: The Wishing Spell, The Enchantress Returns, A Grimm Warning, Beyond the Kingdoms, An Author's Odyssey, and Worlds Collide, and the companion books A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales, The Mother Goose Diaries, Queen Red Riding Hood's Guide to Royalty, The Curvy Tree, and Trollbella Throws a Party.

Start reading The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (July 2, 2013)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316201561

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316201568

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years

Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 720L

Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 1.4 x 7.7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

#37 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)

#129 in Children's Folk Tales & Myths (Books)

#200 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books

Customer Reviews:
3,809 ratings

Customer reviews
4.8 out of 5
3,809 global ratings

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Shannon Adams
Cool cover- book isn’t reflective of it. Life is short. Read something else.
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I felt like I had to speak up because most people comment on how their child could not put it down, but when they read the book themselves, it wasn’t great writing/ dialogue/ repetitive language, etc.
My concern as a Mom of four? The moral judgements that I just don’t want my kids absorbing. The brother and sister mostly get along, which is nice, but to have a sibling show their love for another one by helping them cheat on a test? Uh, NO. Enabling isn’t love, folks. The book is sprinkled with morally dubious examples like that one. Skip. Next.
“Fablehaven” or for older readers “The Hero and the Crown” or if you like moral twists that make you THINK- “The School for Good and Evil”. “Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow” for an amazing adaptation of a fairy tale.
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Nathan Tolbert
Fun idea, poor writing
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2019
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Our family reads a lot of children's literature aloud -- we've churned through loads of books over the last 10 years. This book came recommended to us, so we thought we'd give it a try. But after reading it, I'm reminded once again that just becomes someone is a celebrity, doesn't make them a good author.

The overarching plot and world of this book are fine and creative. The book has a lot of potential. My kids (from age 5 to 11) all enjoyed it. But the writing quality is, frankly, terrible. A talented author could take this exact same plot, and make it suspenseful, make the character relatable, and add emotional depth. Instead, Colfer just sends the main characters through one adventure after another, without ever making you believe that anything in the story really has any depth. The dialog is painful and the characters are stiff. You never once believe that anyone is in danger, or that anyone has any real feelings, or any real choices to make. Things just happen.

To put it succinctly: I really don't think this book would have ever been noticed if the author wasn't a celebrity.
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52 people found this helpful

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Julie
Great story! Questionable language...
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015
Verified Purchase
I am a 4th grade teacher and I read this book to my class. Most of my students LOVED it and always begged me to read more. The story line is very engaging and quick-moving. It was a great way to review fairy tales. Even as an adult I was very entertained by the adventures of these two kids as they journey through the Land of Stories and meet all of the fairy-tale characters we grew up reading about.

The reason I gave it 4 stars is because of the language. There is an occasional swear word which is just unnecessary. Obviously I didn't read those words aloud, but a few kids following along know that they were there. I have a hard time recommending a book to kids that has language that I wouldn't want them using.
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Allison Clark
... I know this is a children's book but I love a variety of books for all ages
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
I'll start by saying I'm 31 and I know this is a children's book but I love a variety of books for all ages. I enjoyed this book and the fast pace that it moved. I was surprised that for a book aimed at children there was some questionable language. Harlot and floozy for one shouldn't be in a children's book. Also, I'm not sure if it was intended to be so but, when the twins are in water and it's cold Conner says to his sister that he thinks she got a sister, which I know a child most likely wouldn't understand but as an adult I got the suggestion of what happens to males in cold water. Overall cute story and it did have a cute ending.
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If you are looking for an excellent and edge of your seat book from the series ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
Exciting and magical!
If you are looking for an excellent and edge of your seat book from the series of The Land of Stories then The Land of Stories the Wishing Spell is for you! This book will transport you right away into the world of magic, fairies, and goblins. Chris Colfer does an extraordinarily good job at making the characters extremely realistic and leaving you on the edge of her seat. From the two main characters Alex and Conner Bailey we learn that perseverance is key to success and not trying is not an option. In this book Alex and Conner Bailey are normally 6th grade twins. They only live with their mom because their dad died in a car crash. One day they find out that their grandmother is actually the fairy godmother of the fairy tale world.They find this out because for their birthday their grandmother gives them an old fairy tale treasury and the twins fell into the book landing in the fairytale world. The twins are trying to find a way out of the book but a dark force is trying to stop them. Will they make it home or will they be stuck in the fairy tale world forever?
In The Land of Stories the Wishing Spell the book has great description that clearly paints a picture in you mind at all times. At this part in the book they are describing a jail cell, “The dungeon was a miserable place. Light was scarce and flickered from the torched bolted to the stone walls. Foul-smelling water dripped inside from the moat circling the palace above. Large rats chased each other across the floor searching for food. This was no place for a queen,”(pg.1). During this part you can clearly picture this dungeon that a queen is locked up in, with water dripping from the walls and very little light. And off the bat it already gets you wondering about why a queen would be locked up in a dungeon. Another piece of evidence that shows description is “Mrs.Peters was a tall, thin woman who always wore a dress that resembled old, patterned sofas. Her hair was dark and curly and sat perfectly on top of her head like a hat (and her students often though it was). Through a pair of thick glasses hee eyes were permanently squinted from all the judgmental looks she has given her classes over the years,”(pg. 12). This can clearly show you what Alex and Connor's teacher Mrs.Peters looks like with her squinted eyes and perfect hair. It gives you an image so vivid it could be in a movie. And that is why in The Land of Stories the Wishing Spell the book has great description that clearly paints a picture in you mind at all times.
The book also has characters that have real emotions and that are easy to relate to. One piece from the book is when Alex and Conner are in class and its relatable, “Alex Bailey eagerly sat straight up in her seat.She really enjoyed her teachers lessons.(...) Connor Bailey jumped back to life, almost knocking his desk over. He had dozed off again,” (pg 16). This is relatable on both sides of the bialy twins school day. Some people may be into school and love learning about new and interesting things, and others may be into school but maybe it's boring to them sometimes so they doze off. In that specific part of the story it's when the kids just went to class and their teacher was giving them a lesson about fairy tales . Another piece of evidence that shows that the characters are relatable is,”Look,’ Alex said, and pointed to a for sale sign next to the oak tree. A bright red stripe with the word sold had been recently added to it, Alex's eyes welled up with tears,” (pg 30). This shows very human like emotions because in this part in the book Alex and Connor's childhood house just sold and now they can't live there anymore. And all of this evidence clearly shows the characters in the book have very human like emotions which makes them easy to relate to.
And in the book it has cliffhangers at every moment. One piece of evidence that supports this is, “Alex leaned further forward the book and fell in. ‘Alex NO’ Conner yelled as he saw he fall into the book,” (pg 78). This is a huge cliffhanger because Alex found out that a fairy tale book was a porthole to the fairytale world and she fell into it, and connor was watching her fall in and there is almost no way out. Another Piece of evidence is,”It was impossible for the kids to stop staring. They both stood in front of her as if she was a rabid t rex. The witch was skinny with lots of burn marks, they started to step away then the witch lunged at Connor and grabbed his arm,” (pg 112). This part is a cliffhanger because they just found the witch in the gingerbread house from the book Hansel and Gretel and the witch was trying to invite them into her house then she grabbed Connor and you get concerned about what might happen to them.This shows the book it has cliffhangers at every moment.
All in all the book The Land of Stories the Wishing Spell By Chris Colfer is an exciting, fun book about kids in a fairy tale world.Its is a total cliffhanger and there are goblins and trolls at every corner.It shows you that perseverance is key to success and not trying is not an option. But also we learn from the Connor and Alex Bailey is,whenever they have a task to complete they are normally uncomfortable in that situation,but they always complete the task. So we learn from them that stepping outside your comfort zone can make you stronger.
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Amazon Customer
Great read but a few language surprises
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great book. My 8 year old loves it. But it has some surprise curse words and phrases that have shocked me a bit. Even some insinuations that I could have lived without.
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63 people found this helpful

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T. Stancil
Lovely
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017
Verified Purchase
I bought this to read with my son but ended up reading it myself. It was simple and beautiful and oh so much fun to read. A quote from the book keeps coming back to me as I read the sometimes awful news feeds. "Does such a place exist where someone can't be unexpectedly helped or hurt?" I may not have the quote exactly as written but the thought comes every time I read an upsetting bit of what passes for news these days. The bloggers, the entertainment "news" make it seem this place is relentlessly cruel. It can be but it can also be suprisingly beautiful and kind.
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22 people found this helpful

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Matt
Awesome piece of writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Read Septimus Heap and Magic Thief Series, so if you liked them, then these are probably for you too. For younger readers? Of course. But I'm into my 40's and is still a cracking read. Thank you Mr Colfer - don't be put off by the glee connection if it wasn't your cup of tea - the guy is an epic author!
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Jasmin
Really liked this.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2017
Verified Purchase
At first, when I started reading this book, I didn't like this book that much. I thought it was boring, poorly written and way too many unnecessary metaphors. It got better after page 80, where they are dumped into this new world. But I still didn't like it that much, I thought that Alex was annoying, too reckless and couldn't listen to reason.
But then the story really began and it got better and better. I liked the characters, the plot and all the different trials they had to go through. It even made me cry near the end.
Plus I loved the art at the start of every chapter. An amazing idea.

It's definitely a book you should read if you like middle-grade adventure/fantasy books and if you can read through the start without a problem.
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8 people found this helpful
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Paper Doll
A predictable but enchanting tale of fairy-tales come to life
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
As a child, I often dreamed up amazing adventures that I would have. I imagined the worlds I might travel to and the characters I might meet. I think most children who love reading as much as I did (mostly thanks to a certain Potter series...) imagined what would happen if the characters they loved so much were actually real.

That is the magic of The Wishing Spell. For adults, there is a certain excitement reading about characters you loved so dearly as a child, while for the children it is the thrill of imagining being able to visit characters that have probably become their best friends. As an adult reading it, I found myself with butterflies as Alex and Conner met some of my childhood heroes, wishing I could be there with a camera in hand. The experience is something like a child visiting Disneyland and meeting all those treasured friends in the flesh. That is the beauty of this story.

The plot itself was very basic. Alex and Conner find themselves being sucked into the not-so-imaginably titled Land of Stories - their favourite fairy-tale book as young children, full of stories about Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, and Goldilocks, among others. They then encounter a problem: how do they get home? What ensues is a quest for items that will take them throughout all the many kingdoms of the Land of Stories - as detailed on the handy map at the beginning of the book - before they can get home. But the further Alex and Conner go on their journey, the more secrets they uncover both about themselves and the characters they know and love.

As a young adult, I picked up The Land of Stories because I enjoy fantasy and fairy-tales - this is a story for the Disney fanatics. It took a while to get going but once it did, I found myself warming to the story and to the characters. Admittedly, while I was gripped by the idea of meeting fairy-tale characters, Colfer has a lot of work to do on his storytelling: it was very basic, predictable and the characters were shallow cliches. Secrets uncovered at the end I had guessed in the first few chapters, and Alex and Conner didn't really come alive for me. Generally, though, our beloved fairy-tale friends were safe in Colfer's hands as they wouldn't have been in the hands of so many: the worst you'll find is Red Riding Hood's tendency to throw tantrums, and some cringe-worthy names of unnamed characters (The Princesses are all married to Charming brothers, two of whom are called Chase and Chandler, and their father is called Chester - I have to say I groaned a bit at the American names!).

But all that said, I DID enjoy the book. I had to knock off two stars for the way the story was told, but I don't think this is a bad first attempt from Colfer at all. Whether you're an adult purchasing this for yourself, or it's being purchased for a child, I think there's something in it for all fairy-tale lovers to enjoy. Give it a chance and you'll wish you were there with Alex and Conner, sneaking in to Cinderella's Ball, climbing Rapunzel's tower, or fleeing the Evil Queen!
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Emily Robinson
A good story with well-driven plot but does commit creative writing faux-pas
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2020
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First off, I enjoyed this book. I was skeptical when I started it and throughout the first half, there were minor missteps that Chris partakes that would be considered a faux-pas in the way of writing. He repeats words when others would fit better, often uses rather large and obscure words that don't exactly fit into a piece of children's literature, and often swaps narrative viewpoints in the middle of a scene.

After doing some research, it's become clear that Chris has a natural talent for storytelling but not exactly for tightening his writing style. I do think this is his first book so I will give him the benefit of the doubt, especially knowing he's contracted to write it rather than actually write the book and approach the publisher afterwards. That being said, his writing style improves dramatically through the book and the ending is tied up nicely for a standalone AND a sequel bait.

I will be reading the other books in this series to see how his writing style improves. Definitely worth checking out, regardless of age.
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Keval
'Best book I've ever read'
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2019
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That was the statement by my 10 year old Harry Potter fanatic. So it must have been good. Haven't read it myself (yet), but is highly recommended by my daughter, who is a quite particular about her reads :)
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