"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"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

Using a mysterious book to travel to a land of wonder and magic, twins Alex and Connor meet a host of classic fairy tale characters and nefarious monsters before discovering that returning back home will be more difficult than anticipated. A first novel. 200,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

Through the powers of a book of stories, twins Alex and Conner leave their world behind and find themselves in a land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. - (Baker & Taylor)

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. - (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. - (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, and An Author's Odyssey, 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. - (Hachette Book Group)

Booklist Reviews

It's been a hard year for twins Alex and Connor since their father passed. They miss his stories, especially the fairy tales he used to teach them about life, as well as soothe their fears. They know better now: life rarely has a happy ending. But then a magic book from their grandmother, a gift on their twelfth birthdays, sends the twins hurtling into the Land of Stories, where happy endings are usually expected. Their biggest concern is gathering the materials needed for the Wishing Spell, which will send them back home. So begins a scavenger hunt for some of the most recognizable symbols and characters in fantasy lore: Cinderella's glass slippers, a lock of hair from Rapunzel, tree bark from Little Red Riding Hood's basket, etc. Golden Globe–winner Colfer writes for an audience that will likely include plenty of teen readers (i.e., fans of Glee), and generally they will not be disappointed by the giddy earnestness of the writing, cut with a hint of melancholy. Dorman's evocative spot illustrations kick off each chapter. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Booklist Reviews

Twins Alex and Conner have traveled from our world into the Land of Stories before, but now other realms are available, thanks to a potion their deceased grandmother Anneliese (the Fairy Godmother) created to open portals. The potion has disastrous results when the twins' estranged uncle, Lloyd, uses it to enter fictional worlds and recruit an army of villains. With help from friends—Red, Jack, Mother Goose, and Goldilocks—Alex and Conner race against time and magic to try to stop Lloyd. This latest from Glee star Colfer takes readers beyond fairy tale kingdoms and into realms from literature: Oz, Neverland, Camelot, the Sherwood Forest, and Wonderland all appear. The pacing is fairly relentless, and readers new to the series may struggle to keep up with the large cast of characters (who are not what you might expect). Still, fans of reimagined fairy tales will be drawn to the whimsy, and Colfer's popularity ensures an audience. With a cliff-hanger ending to boot, fans may have a hard time waiting for the final installment of this series. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Twins Alex and Conner find themselves transported to an alternate world where Snow White, Red Riding Hood, and other fairy-tale favorites live. But how will smart Alex and smart-aleck Conner find their way home? There's little that's new here and the plot is very predictable, but the pace is lively and the dialogue buoyant. A sequel seems indicated.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

When witches and the villainous Literary Army attack New York City, Conner leads characters from fairy tales and his own short stories to save both the city and his cursed twin sister's life. While the twins' quest ends in this sixth entry, Colfer's epilogue hints at a possible continuation. Lengthy series recaps and conveniently solved problems diminish an otherwise satisfying finale fans should enjoy. Copyright 2018 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In the wake of the Masked Man seizing power in the fairy-tale world with his villainous "Literary Army," the fifteen-year-old Bailey twins travel to Connor's short stories to gather their army. In addition to relying on cheap humor, this fifth entry does little to advance the series' plot (it ends with the battle still looming), but the twins' nonstop adventures should appeal to fans. Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

In this sequel (The Wishing Spell), thirteen-year-old twins Alex and Connor return to the Land of Stories to save their kidnapped mother and, along with some fairy-tale stalwarts, search for the Wand of Wonderment to stop the evil Enchantress's threat. The narrative is full of exposition, but fans of the first installment will find more of the same here.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

The evil Masked Man is traveling through fantasy stories (both authored and folkloric) to gather an army of villains, while twins Alex and Connor, aided by fairy-tale friends, attempt to capture him. Slapdash character development is disappointing, but fans of the enjoyably imaginative series will be pleased with this madcap mash-up (think Lewis Carroll meets Once upon a Time).

Kirkus Reviews

Celebpub collides with fairy-tale redux in this unsuccessful debut. Alex is enraptured with fairy tales and soaks up her teacher's lessons on their universal truths. Twin brother Conner, on the other hand, falls asleep in class. On their 12th birthday their grandmother gifts them her treasured Land of Stories, a book their late father often shared with them. Predictably, they fall into the book and encounter all the fairy-tale characters, albeit some years after their happily-ever-afters. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Rapunzel are now queens, while Jack (of beanstalk fame), Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood are embroiled in a fierce love triangle. Alex and Conner must collect eight fairy-tale items in order to return to their world, all while being pursued by a snarling wolf pack in the employ of the Evil Queen, whose life Snow White has spared. Unfortunately, Colfer's prose, though sincere, drowns in bizarre imagery and trite phraseology. A Curvy Tree is saved from loggers because of its "uniqueness." Alex wants to be in this fairy-tale world because it is "where good things [come] to good people." Conner, upon learning that he is part fairy (grandmother = fairy godmother), "sarcastically" opines that "[t]he guys at school can never hear about this." Cardboard characters and awkwardly episodic situations result in a poorly manufactured tale. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2012 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

Kirkus Reviews

Witches and other fictional baddies move to conquer this world when a portal opens between the Land of Stories and a branch of the New York Public Library.For the finale to his popular series, Colfer recaps the first five episodes, then brings together most of the teeming cast to wage, as the narrator admits, "an overdue battle of good versus evil." Flanked by a wish-fulfilling frame story in which Conner, one of the white twin protagonists, has grown up to become a revered writer of middle-grade fantasies, the climactic struggle begins with the portal's opening in the sumptuous Rose Reading Room. It spreads to Central Park and other locales as the then-teenager and allies fictional or otherwise (including a lot of ineffectual Marines) square off against his powerfully gifted sister, Alex, the dastardly witches who have ensorcelled her, and a Literary Army led by (among others) the head-chopping Queen of Hearts. Many set pieces ensue, from a pitched battle with gingerbread so ldiers to no fewer than six individual witch-fairy duels in a row—not to mention gags and one-liners aplenty, topical references, and adolescent posturing ("Knock it off, boys," Merlin snaps at one point, "there are much bigger issues in this story"). With one exception, characters who die bleed words instead of blood, and all of the destruction in both worlds is neatly fixed at the end by an albino dragon ( see Book 3: A Grimm Warning). Dorman's vignettes at the chapter heads offer glimpses of settings and characters.A busy if ultimately tidy wrap-up for fans. (foldout map of lower Manhattan) (Fantasy. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

It's hard not to love a book dedicated to the Glee star's grandmother, who gave him this early advice: "Christopher, I think you should wait until you're done with elementary school before worrying about being a failed writer." In this entertaining if a bit overlong first novel, 12-year-old twins Alex (a girl) and Conner fall into their grandmother's cherished book of stories and arrive in fairy tale land. The only way to get home is a convoluted scavenger hunt that requires them to collect eight tokens from various fairy tales—Cinderella's glass slipper, a lock of Rapunzel's hair, etc. The ending is never in doubt, but it's a difficult journey as the twins meet the Big Bad Wolf Pack, are enslaved by trolls, and kidnapped by Snow White's evil stepmother. Colfer gets off many good lines—Conner's dialogue especially sounds like quips Kurt Hummel might make, as when the twins swim across an icy moat: "Wooo! It's so cold, I think we may be twin sisters now." The nifty ending ties the plot's multiple strands up while leaving room for further fairy tale adventures. Ages 8–up. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (July)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 4–6—When Alex and Conner's father unexpectedly dies, the twins lose the person who always had the perfect story to cheer them up. Then, on their 12th birthday, their grandmother gives them the book of fairy tales he used to read to them. Suddenly it seems to come to life, and the youngsters find themselves falling into the Land of Stories, seemingly with no way to get out. Desperate, they follow instructions in a mysterious journal: if they gather eight items from various residents in the kingdoms of the Land of Stories, they can complete the Wishing Spell and have one wish granted. After scaling castle walls, diving deep into the home of mermaids, and meeting characters from all of the beloved fairy tales, they are stymied by the Evil Queen, who has escaped from Snow White's dungeon. With the hope of using the spell gone, the twins appear to have no way home until they meet Fairy Godmother, their own grandmother. In a way, they find comfort from their grief over their father's death when they realize that they have been following his journal and that he grew up in this land. The writing quality in this adventure is inconsistent and detracts from the fast-paced story. The deep sadness of the twins comes through, but they are somewhat one-dimensional, since Alex is so much the nerd and Conner, the class clown. The plotline, however, pulls readers in and is entertaining, and Colfer's passion for fairy tales shines through. Turn to Adam Gidwitz's A Tale Dark & Grimm (Dutton, 2010) for higher-quality writing in a recent fractured fairy-tale novel.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA