The Land of Stories #1: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

This book was written by the actor on Glee, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Alex and Connor, twin sister and brother, are transported into a world of fairy tales and stories after a book from their grandmother turns magical. The kids meet a talking frog, and he gives them the journal of a man who used the Wishing Spell to travel to an unknown world. The kids assume it's their only way home. The children need to collect eight items before they can use the spell, so they head off on a scavenger hunt throughout the kingdoms. They need to collect things like one of Cinderella's slippers, a piece from Red Riding Hood's basket, and the crown off a troll king's head. Meanwhile, a pack of wolves is hunting down the kids, the guards in the kingdoms are searching for them too, and a powerful, evil character is searching for the same items to activate the Wishing Spell first. The kids may be stuck in this world forever if they lose this race.

The author was creative in adding twists to the characters and plots found in fairy tales. Goldilocks was a fugitive from the law, and she was very skilled with a sword. Red Riding Hood was a queen with a very self-centered personality. Even Snow White's evil stepmother had a new story that may surprise readers. The quests to collect the eight items almost broke the book up into eight short stories. However, the surprises in the second half of the book made the plot very adventurous and exciting.