Story's End

Gr 5–8—In Storybound (HarperCollins, 2012), 12-year-old Una Fairchild discovers a book that serves as a portal to the land of Story, which is populated by heroes, heroines, princesses in distress, knights in shining armor, wizards, fairies, dragons, and magical spells. Characters like Una who are transported into Story from the land of Readers are called the Written Ins. A foster child, Una has always wondered what happened to her parents and sadly discovers that they were characters in Story who were far from being the good guys. In this book, Una is back in the land of Story, printing broadsides that announce the discovery of the Enemy's evil plot to overtake it. She and her friends send out a call to arms, asking all the characters to join in the resistance movement so that the king of long ago can return and "happily ever after" can once again exist. In this story within a story, Una discovers the magic that runs through her veins and plays a critical role in righting past wrongs. Fans of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2002) will undoubtedly notice the similarities, and some might even compare the series to Carla Jablonski and D. J. MacHale's "The Travelers" books (S & S). There is enough action to interest reluctant readers.—Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA