Chris Colfer is the Golden Globe–winning actor with a soprano's pitch on Glee, but his enchanting storytelling will earn him an audience beyond those who've enjoyed his renditions of "Defying Gravity" and other hit songs.
This story does not begin with "Once upon a time." A prologue reveals Snow White visiting her imprisoned stepmother, the Evil Queen, in a dungeon, ready to explain her cruel intentions.
The protagonists, the Bailey twins, are well versed in fairy tales, but hold different views on them. Alex (a girl) shares Hermione Granger's enthusiasm for books and learning, while Conner thinks "fairy-tale characters are missing common sense." On their 12th birthday, their grandmother passes down to the twins the family volume The Land of Stories, which (unbeknownst to them) possesses magic. The twins soon find themselves hurtling into a world full of characters introduced to them by their recently-deceased father. In order to return home, they must track down the ingredients of the legendary Wishing Spell, which include a lock of Rapunzel's hair and the spindle that cursed Sleeping Beauty. Unfortunately, the Evil Queen has escaped the dungeons and also seeks the Wishing Spell's magic, in order to exact revenge.
Colfer explores life post–Happily Ever After for fairytale favorites such as Cinderella, who's pregnant; Goldilocks, living as a fugitive for her crimes against the three bears; and Little Red Riding Hood, who's in love with Jack of Beanstalk fame. This debut from a promising new voice brims with everlasting magic, adventure and hilarity. --Adam Silvera, reviewer and former bookseller