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Super Book: The Wishing Spell


The Wishing Spell
(Land of Stories #1)
by Chris Colfer
Little Brown Co, 2012. Fiction, 438 p.

Twelve year old twins, Alex and Connor, are struggling to adjust after the death of their father. One day their father's favorite book of fairy tales starts to glow and make noises. Suddenly the twins are sucked into the book and find themselves in the Land of Stories. Alex and Conner come across a journal that tells them about a wishing spell that might be able to take them back to their own world, so they go on a quest to find the ingredients they need for the spell.  As they do they meet all their favorite fairy tale heroes (and villains) and learn what has happened to them in the decade or so since their famous story adventures. This is a new fractured fairy tale story for those who like E.D. Baker's Frog Princess stories or Michael Buckley's Sister's Grimm series.  It is great for either boys or girls and has a nice mixture of thrills and fun.  If you like this book, don't miss books 2 and 3 in the series.

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