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Brief synopsis: Conner returns to the Land of Stories. Alex is in Fairy Godmother training. War breaks out in the Land of Stories. Why I chose this book – It is the third in a series of fairy tale character/fairy tale world books. See other reviews from the same series.    My personal opinion (the review) – Classic story of everyone coming together (overcoming many and varied obstacles) to fight the villain. Also a coming of age story. Young love.  While I liked the characters and the set up of this story it was a bit more of a letdown than the previous two. I could tell the author had run out of his “original story” material and was kind of searching for a direction to take the story. It also left lots of loose ends (again, more than the previous two) so that it could lead into the next book, but too many loose ends frustrate me as a reader. With all of that said, the way that Colfer weaves so many characters together is ingenious. Warnings None....

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Alex and Conner Bailey have not been back to the magical Land of Stories since their adventures in The Wishing Spell ended. But one night, they learn the famed Enchantress has kidnapped their mother! Against the will of their grandmother, the twins must find their own way into the Land of Stories to rescue their mother and save the fairy tale world from the greatest threat it's ever faced. Category: Children / Early Teen  Why I chose this  book -  Fairy tales are some of my favorite stories and I enjoy modern retellings and spin-offs. My personal opinion (the review) Things I enjoyed: Now that the basic story has been set up in the first book, this second book has more ability to expand both in learning more about The Land of Stories itself, the people who live there, and about the heroine and hero, Alex and Conner, as well. Just like in the first book we are able to follow Conner and Alex on their journey to collect items...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)  When the twins’ grandmother gives them a treasured fairy tale book, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real. But as Alex and Conner soon discover, the stories they know so well haven’t ended in this magical land—Goldilocks is a wanted fugitive, Red Riding Hood has her own kingdom, and Queen Cinderella is about to become a mother! The twins want to get back home. But with the legendary Evil Queen hot on their trail, will they ever find the way? Why I chose this  book  - I'm a sucker for fairy tales and I enjoy modern retellings and spin-offs.  My personal opinion (the review) This is a typical "two kids find out they have magical blood and get sucked into the magical land" mixed with the "quest to find the magical items to complete the spell to get home" books. It's very Narnia/Harry Potter-esc. What I really like is how the auth...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Jonas is a looking forward to turning 12-years-old and getting his work assignment, but when he is singled out to be the new Receiver of Memory for the community he comes to see that that everything is not as perfect as it appears.  Why I chose this book The upcoming movie, memories of reading it in middle school, Newberry Award Winner status.  My personal opinion (the review) As most dysutopian books do, The Giver first makes you very comfortable with the way society runs in their community. Everything is in it's place and everything has it's time. For example, at 9 children can get their first bike, and at 12, after careful consideration by the Elders, each child get their work assignments in the community. But just as we are begin to get comfortable things change when Jonas becomes the new Receiver of Memory for the community. From his experiences with the Giver he comes to see that all emotion, pain, and even the ability to see col...

Brief synopsis (no spoilers) 12 Year old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello, with other 11 other students. However, when they wake up in the morning they find out they must work to solve puzzles to escape the locked library.  Why I chose this  book  I love anything to do with libraries, so the subject was of interest. Knowing that it had something to do with an escape made it seem like a good adventure/puzzle book.  My personal opinion (the review) I absolutely loved this book. It has become one of my favorite "fun" books. I appreciate that this book focuses on what resources are available in a library and how to use them, but does it in a fun, game-like manner. T he author also sneaks in a lot of references to both classic and current children's and young adult books, which I found entertaining.  The only negative I found was that I did not like how the story ended....