Alex and Conner Bailey are typical modern-day sixth graders. They are twins, but while Alex is a bookworm, Conner is more the type to daydream in class. They have grown up listening to their world-traveler grandmother tell them amazing stories full of adventure in far-off places, and they relish the times when she would read fairy tales to them from her treasured Land of Stories book.
The first book in The Land of Stories series, The Wishing Spell, sets the stage when the twins’ grandmother gives them her Land of Stories book for their 12thbirthday. They are in for the adventure of their lives – they just don’t know it yet.
Author Chris Colfer, of “Glee” fame, takes the reader on a fascinating journey behind the scenes with a wide variety of fairy tale characters. He cleverly intertwines the lives of the Bailey twins with famed personalities like Goldilocks, Jack and the Beanstalk and Snow White – to name a few. As we travel with the twins we discover what happened in “happily ever after,” look inside magic mirrors, and get the backstory on why Snow White’s stepmother was so evil.
Whether your kids are very familiar – or vaguely familiar – with fairy tales, this series is a great one to read together. We have now read the entire collection, and the books consistently held our interest and left us eager to read the next. I can genuinely say I found the premise so intriguing that I would have loved reading this series independently as an adult.
Mom, which book is next? 