Fourteen-year-old Brystal Evergreen risks everything by opposing her kingdom's repression of women, but Madame Weatherberry, seeing her potential, invites her to a school where she hopes to change the world's perception of magic. - (Baker & Taylor)

A tale set in the universe of the Land of Stories finds 14-year-old Brystal pursuing creative ways of obtaining books in an oppressive Southern Kingdom where women are forbidden to read. By the award-winning author of Struck by Lightning. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

<div><div><b>This #1 <i>New York Times </i>bestseller is the first book in a new series set in Chris Colfer's Land of Stories universe, perfect for both new and longtime fans!</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><div>When Brystal Evergreen stumbles across a secret section of the library, she discovers a book that introduces her to a world beyond her imagination and learns the impossible: She is a fairy capable of magic! But in the oppressive Southern Kingdom, women are forbidden from reading and magic is outlawed, so Brystal is swiftly convicted of her crimes and sent to the miserable Bootstrap Correctional Facility.</div><div><br></div><div>But with the help of the mysterious Madame Weatherberry, Brystal is whisked away and enrolled in an academy of magic! Adventure comes with a price, however, and when Madame Weatherberry is called away to attend to an important problem she doesn't return.</div><div><br></div><div>Do Brystal and her classmates have what it takes to stop a sinister plot that risks the fate of the world, and magic, forever?</div><div><br></div><div>Fall in love with an all-new series from Chris Colfer, the #1<i> New York Times</i> bestselling author of the Land of Stories, filled with adventure, imagination, and wonderfully memorable characters both familiar and new.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div><b>A #1 <i>New York Times </i>bestseller</b></div><b>An IndieBound bestseller</b><br><b>A <i>USA Today </i>bestseller</b><br><b>A <i>Wall Street Journal</i> bestseller</b></div></div> - (HARPERCOLL)

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, 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, the companion books A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales, The Mother Goose Diaries, Queen Red Riding Hood’s Guide to Royalty, The Curvy Tree, Trollbella Throws a Party, and Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive, and the books in the A Tale of Magic… series: A Tale of Magic…, A Tale of Witchcraft…, and A Tale of Sorcery…. He invites you to visit him online at thelandofstories.com or on Instagram and Twitter @chriscolfer. - (Grand Central Pub)

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.
- (HARPERCOLL)

Booklist Reviews

This prequel to Colfer's popular Land of Stories series gives fans a glimpse into an early conflict within the magical community. Brystal Evergreen is a girl in the Southern Kingdom, where it's against the law for her to read. When Brystal discovers a secret, magical book in the library, she learns that she is actually a fairy and is whisked away to Madame Weatherberry's Academy of Magic, where she meets others like her. There she learns about the oppression faced by the magical community, the choices between good magic and bad, and her teacher's hope for the future in changing the world's mind about magic. Then, when an evil magical presence begins growing stronger, it's up to Brystal and her fellow students to save their teacher. Colfer offers a lot of discussion opportunities for readers about identity and acceptance veiled beneath the guise of magic and fairy tales. An engaging, albeit long, story that will please fans of the series while offering an entry for new readers as well. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In this entertaining fantasy series opener, billed as a prequel to Colfer's Land of Stories series, a girl pursues her destiny, defying the rigid gender roles and draconian laws of a kingdom that has outlawed magic and forbidden women from reading. Diehard bibliophile Brystal Evergreen, 14, is disowned by her family after she manifests magical talents and is sentenced to a workhouse; shortly afterward, the enigmatic Madame Weatherberry rescues her to study at her newly established Academy of Magic, in an attempt to reverse public prejudice against benevolent magic users, whom she calls fairies to differentiate them from very real, very wicked, witches. At the Academy, Brystal learns to embrace her inner self, achieve her full potential, and reconcile the disparate parts of her identity. When a deadly conflict brewing in the north forces Madame Weatherberry to leave, it's up to Brystal and her newfound school friends to harness their powers and save the day. With its focus on chosen family, accepting one's true self, and changing public perception through normalization, it's easy to spot Colfer's gentle, if unsubtle, metaphors for marginalized experiences ("Someone's existence is never a choice, or a fault, and it's certainly not a crime"). Strong characters and an engaging story line make this a thoroughly satisfying adventure that can stand alone for Colfer newcomers. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 5–7—In the oppressive Southern Kingdom, magic is outlawed and women have only one option: become wives and mothers. But 14-year-old Brystal Evergreen thinks big: she sneaks books, she listens to the men's discussions, and she dreams of escaping. When she gets caught with a magical book, Brystal fears her life is over—until a surprise visitor whisks her away to an academy of magic. While there, Brystal discovers a sinister plot brewing in the Northern Kingdom, fueled by the terrifying Snow Queen. As the situation worsens, the academy students realize that stopping the Snow Queen may be up to them. This is an exciting, seamless reintroduction to the fairy-tale world Colfer introduced in his first series, "The Land of Stories," but prior knowledge isn't a requirement. This fresh, original page-turner perfectly integrates the story of the Snow Queen. Colfer draws parallels between the narrative and the current political climate, which will feel less heavy-handed to younger readers and spark discussion about empathy and open-mindedness. The occasional scene or phrase may make this book more appropriate for slightly older readers than the audience of "The Land of Stories," but it will still fit into an elementary collection. Some stilted dialogue and one-dimensional characters detract at times, but the plot is engaging enough that most readers won't mind. VERDICT A dynamic, engrossing fantasy that will have readers staying up late and dreaming big.—Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elementary School, Arlington, VA