The Land of Stories facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Land of Stories

Cover of the first book in the series
The Wishing Spell (2012) The Enchantress Returns (2013) A Grimm Warning (2014) Beyond the Kingdoms (2015) An Author's Odyssey (2016) Worlds Collide (2017)
Author	Chris Colfer
Illustrator	Brandon Dorman
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Children's fiction, adventure and fantasy
Publisher	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published	2012–2017
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
No. of books	6

The Land of Stories is a popular series of children's fiction, adventure, and fantasy books. They were written by the American author, actor, and singer Chris Colfer. The first book, The Wishing Spell, came out on July 17, 2012. The sixth and final book was published in July 2017. Chris Colfer has also mentioned he is working on a prequel series.

Colfer describes these books as "modern day fairy tales." They follow twin siblings, Alex and Conner Bailey. They accidentally fall from their real world into a magical land. This new world is filled with all the fairy tale characters they have only read about. The twins soon discover many secrets about this amazing place.

The Books in the Series

The Wishing Spell

The Wishing Spell is the first book in the series. It was released on July 17, 2012.

Alex and Conner Bailey are twins. A year and nine months ago, they sadly lost their father. Their mother works hard to take care of them. For their twelfth birthday, their grandmother gives them an old book. Alex notices the book glows and hums. Things also mysteriously disappear into it.

Alex ignores Conner's advice to get rid of the book. She eventually reaches inside it. Conner tries to stop her, but Alex loses her balance and falls in. Conner jumps in after her. They discover the book is a portal to the fairy tale world!

In this new world, they meet Froggy. He is a man who was turned into a giant frog. Froggy takes them to his home. He explains many things about this magical world. Froggy gives them a journal. It tells about the Wishing Spell. This spell can grant any wish if you find eight special items.

To get back home, Alex and Conner must find these items. But trouble quickly follows. They meet the Huntsman's daughter. She is working for the Evil Queen. The Evil Queen also wants the Wishing Spell. The spell can only be used one more time. This means it's a race between the twins and the Evil Queen.

As they search for the items, Alex and Conner learn about stories their father told them. They soon realize their father came from the Fairy Tale World.

Finally, Alex and Conner gather all the items. But the Evil Queen kidnaps them. She takes the items to her hiding place. Conner tries to stop her by smashing a container of fairy tears. This is one of the needed items.

The Evil Queen then tells her story. When she was young, she was named Evly. She was kind and caring. She fell in love with a boy named Mira. But the Enchantress captured her. She stopped Evly from seeing Mira. Evly tried to send secret messages. But the Enchantress found out. She trapped Mira in a mirror.

Evly later killed the Enchantress. But she could not bring Mira back. Then she learned about the Wishing Spell. Alex starts to cry. The Evil Queen uses Alex's tears with the other items. The Wishing Spell works! Mira is freed from the mirror. But he is almost gone.

Just then, a rescue team arrives. Froggy leads them. Mira dies in Evly's arms. Both are swallowed by the mirror as it falls. In the fight, the Huntsman and his daughter are killed. Alex and Conner are saved.

Froggy turns out to be Prince Charlie from the Charming Kingdom. Alex and Conner learn their grandmother is the Fairy Godmother. She can create portals between their world and the fairy tale world. The journal about the Wishing Spell was written by their father. This means Alex and Conner are part fairy! After a celebration, their grandmother makes a portal. Alex and Conner return to their mother in their own world.

The Enchantress Returns

The Enchantress Returns is the second book. It was published on August 6, 2013.

Alex comes home from school. She finds Conner worried because their mother is not home. He also found a romantic note from Dr. Bob, a surgeon their mom works with. Dr. Bob even brought them a puppy. When their mother, Charlotte, comes home, the twins ask if she has a boyfriend. She says yes.

Later, Bob visits the twins. He tells them he plans to propose to their mother. He shows them a ring with two diamonds, pink and blue, for the twins. Conner and Alex agree, thinking it will make their mom happy.

They plan a surprise dinner for Charlotte. Alex rushes home from college. Bob keeps Charlotte busy at the hospital. But Charlotte doesn't show up. Another nurse says she left hours ago. Then, fairy tale soldiers from the Charming Kingdom burst into their house. Bob is doubtful at first. But he soon believes in the Fairy Tale world.

Their grandmother, the Fairy Godmother, arrives. She explains their mother was kidnapped. While their grandmother is busy, Xanthous and Sir Lampton watch the twins. Then Mother Goose takes over. Alex tricks Mother Goose into revealing information through a rhyme.

Alex learns Ezmia, "the Enchantress," captured her mother. Ezmia cursed Sleeping Beauty as a baby. Now, the Sleeping Kingdom is in ruins. Alex cannot use the book to get to the Land of Stories. So, she sneaks out to her grandmother's house. She hopes to find another way.

The next day, Alex almost falls off a bridge. Conner saves her with Mother Goose's giant gander. He admits he followed her. They go to their grandmother's house. A glowing painting there is a portal. Alex and Conner find themselves back in The Land of Stories.

They find Froggy, who is a frog again to hide his identity. The three travel to the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. The Enchantress is destroying important historical places there. Alex and Conner hide under Red's dress to attend a meeting for kings and queens. At the meeting, the Enchantress captures their grandmother. She reveals she actually captured Charlotte, their mother, who pretended to be Alex to protect her.

At Red's castle, Conner learns about the Wand of Wonderment. This wand makes its holder invincible. To create it, one needs six valuable items from the six most hated people. Red asks villagers to build a flying ship from her baskets to help find the items.

Alex, Conner, Red, Froggy, Goldilocks, and Jack fly the ship. They get the Snow Queen's ice scepter, Cinderella's stepmother's wedding ring, the giant's harp, glass from the Evil Queen's mirror, and the Sea Witch's jewels. They don't know what the Enchantress's most prized possession is.

They land in Troll and Goblin territory. They find Trollbella is now queen. Bob also traveled to the Land of Stories. They meet the Evil Queen's reflection. It says the Enchantress's most prized possession is herself.

The Enchantress drags Conner, Red, Froggy, Goldilocks, and Jack to the coliseum. Alex tries to defeat the Enchantress by secretly taking her pride. But Alex is blasted off the coliseum. She holds the Wand of Wonderment, which saves her. But she faints when she lands.

Alex dreams she talks to Alice, Lucy, Dorothy, and Wendy. They give her advice. Alex wakes up. She returns to the coliseum on a flying horse, which is actually Bob. She drops the Wand in front of the Enchantress. The Enchantress tries to kill Alex. But Rumpelstiltskin jumps in front of the blast. He saves Alex out of guilt. He says he wanted his brothers to be proud of him. Conner destroys the Wand. All magic leaves Ezmia's body, and she dies.

After this, Bob proposes to Charlotte. They marry in Queen Cinderella's castle. Alex decides to stay in the Land of Stories. Conner should share their stories in the real world. The twins think they will be separated forever. The fairies decide to seal all portals. Later, Conner brings Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters to his world. Conner also shares their stories on Earth.

A Grimm Warning

A Grimm Warning is the third book. It was published on July 8, 2014.

At the start of the book, Alex is being crowned as the new Fairy Godmother. Meanwhile, Conner is at school in the real world. He is asked about his sister. Conner goes on a school trip to Germany. They will hear newly found stories by the Brothers Grimm. Conner is happy because his crush, Bree Campbell, is also going. But four girls called the Book Huggers are also on the trip.

Alex struggles with her spells. She meets a farm boy named Rook Robins. She starts to like him. Alex feels torn because her grandmother is dying. She feels like she is causing it. The Fairy Godmother is dying because she found a replacement. She can now rest, knowing the fairy tale world is safe.

Conner discovers one of the Grimm stories is a secret message. It is a warning for the Land of Stories. He travels across Germany to crack a 200-year-old code. With help from Bree and Mother Goose, Conner meets Emmerich Himmelsbach. Emmerich is a small boy from a village.

Alex and Conner realize an army from their world is coming to the Fairy Tale world. General Marquis leads this army. He is helped by the Masked Man. The Masked Man was freed from Pinocchio Prison. When villagers are attacked, Rook tells the army where Alex and the kings and queens are. He does this to free his father.

Alex's grandmother, the Fairy Godmother, defeats the Masked Man’s dragon with her magic. She then dies. Alex figures out Rook leaked the information. She is very hurt and breaks up with him. Rook tries to earn her trust back by helping her. Alex feels sad but knows she did the right thing. At the end, Alex sees the Masked Man without his mask. She believes he is her deceased father, John Bailey.

Beyond the Kingdoms

Beyond the Kingdoms is the fourth book. It was published on July 7, 2015.

The book starts with the Bailey twins chasing the Masked Man. Alex believes he is their father. Conner is not convinced. Alex has mood swings. Her hair floats, and her eyes glow. She struggles to control her emotions. This causes her to attack people with magic.

Alex tells the fairy council that the Masked Man is a top priority. As a result, she is removed from the fairy council. Alex loses her temper. She shoots lightning at the council and vanishes. She arrives at the Giant's castle, where Mother Goose is staying.

Later, at Red and Froggy's wedding, Morina the beauty witch arrives. She claims to be Froggy's first love. She says she cursed him into a frog. She threatens Red if Froggy doesn't leave with her. Froggy chooses to leave with Morina to protect Red.

Meanwhile, Conner is beaten by the Masked Man in the library. The Masked Man tries to steal books. Conner rips off his mask. Conner also starts to believe the Masked Man is their father. That night, Alex wishes to speak with her grandmother. Her grandmother sends an "angel moth" of memories. It tells Alex the truth: the Masked Man is their uncle, Lloyd.

Conner's friend, Trix the fairy, stole a book from his grandmother. From the book, they learn Lloyd tried to steal a Portal Potion. This potion can transport anyone into any story. The ingredients are a branch from the oldest tree, a feather from the finest pheasant, a liquefied lock and key of true love, two weeks of moonlight, and a spark of magic.

Alex explains to the others that the Masked Man is their uncle. Conner thinks she is crazy. But Mother Goose confirms it. She says it was their grandmother's last wish not to tell. The group travels into different stories to stop their uncle. He wants to gather an army of villains.

Lloyd traps Alex and Conner in separate worlds. Alex is in King Arthur's world. Conner is in Robin Hood's land. After escaping, they meet in the land of Oz. They realize Lloyd sent armies to destroy the kingdoms. They need to return home for supplies. They leave for their world. They decide to go into Conner's own short stories. They will recruit their own literary army.

An Author's Odyssey

An Author's Odyssey is the fifth book. It was published on July 12, 2016.

The twins and their friends enter worlds from Conner's imagination. They find allies no one else could imagine. They also recover memories from the fairy tale world. The race begins to end the Masked Man's terror.

Conner and Alex have adventures in Conner's short stories. They battle pirates and race through a pyramid with zombie mummies. Conner even goes on an adventure with his mother, Charlotte Bailey.

Meanwhile, the Sea Witch and the Snow Queen, with other witches, have other plans. They plan to give Alex dust from a magic mirror made by demons. Only one piece of this dust turned the Enchantress evil. This curse was believed to be unbreakable.

Worlds Collide

Worlds Collide is the sixth and final book. It was released on July 11, 2017.

Conner and Alex face a huge challenge. All the fairy tale characters, heroes and villains, are no longer stuck in their world. Chaos is happening in New York City. Conner and Alex must win their biggest battle yet.

The book starts with an older Conner, at 80 years old. He is celebrating his birthday at a bookstore. He realizes he doesn't know what happened to Alex. He begins reading his last book.

The story begins with Alex, still controlled by the witches. She is causing trouble at the New York Public Library. Conner realizes this. He sets out for New York City with Red, Jack, Goldilocks, and Bree. They have some small problems at the airport. But they get on the plane safely.

In New York, the Book Huggers see Conner at a restaurant. They tell their parents. But Conner ducks, and the parents don't see him. Conner's group tries to get into the library. A homeless man helps them. He leads them to an abandoned subway tunnel. It goes right under the library. There, they hear from other homeless people. They learn a portal between the worlds will open in the library.

They break into the library. They see Alex, controlled by Morina. The witch keeps them quiet. While sleeping, Conner gets a message from Alex. She wants him to kill her. She says she can "return to magic" and break free from the curse.

The Book Huggers rescue Conner and his friends. Meanwhile, Alex causes more chaos against her will. After the Literary Army is destroyed, Conner writes a new story. In this story, he and Alex never explored the Land of Stories. In this story, Alex is not affected by the curse. They see their father. Alex becomes so emotional that the curse breaks. They leave just before the story ends.

They then help repair New York. A week later, they meet the president. They explain that the Land of Stories book must be protected. This will prevent another disaster like the Literary Army.

The series ends 65 years later. Conner, now 80, is moving to a retirement home. His children think he is crazy. His granddaughter, Charlotte “Charlie” Black, visits him. He is about to visit his sister, Alex. He then enters the Fairy Tale world. The series ends with Charlie hearing a sound. She goes to the attic and sees the Land of Stories book shine. Alex and Conner are finally together again, safe and sound.

Companion Books

Five companion books have been published. The Land of Stories: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales is shown as the book Alex and Conner enter in the series. The Curvy Tree and Trollbella Throws a Party are picture books by Colfer. The Adventures from the Land of Stories series includes The Mother Goose Diaries and Queen Red Riding Hood's Guide to Royalty. Brandon Dorman illustrated all of them, except The Mother Goose Diaries, which has illustrations by Olga and Aleksey Ivanov.

On October 16, 2018, Colfer released The Ultimate Book Hugger's Guide.

On October 1, 2019, Colfer released "A Tale Of Magic," a prequel to The Land of Stories series.

On October 6, 2020, Colfer released "A Tale Of Witchcraft," the second prequel.

Development

Chris Colfer recorded his own audiobooks. The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell has been translated into many languages. These include Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Italian, French, Hebrew, Greek, Portuguese (Brazil), and Dutch.

Main Characters

Heroes

• Alexandra Marie Bailey is a smart and curious girl. She has bright blue eyes and short, strawberry-blond hair. She always wears a headband. Alex is very studious and gets perfect grades. She is sometimes seen as the teacher's pet and doesn't have many friends. She is Conner Bailey's twin sister. Alex is one of the most powerful fairies. She is also the reason the twins first went into the Land of Stories.
• Conner Jonathan Bailey looks a lot like his twin sister, Alex. He often falls asleep in class and is a bit lazy. He is very social. But he feels overshadowed by his smart sister. He dislikes his teacher, Mrs. Peters. However, she inspires Conner to become a writer. In Book 5, Conner travels into his own short stories. In the last book, Conner and Bree marry and have children. Conner becomes a very famous and successful author.
• Charles ‘Froggy’ Charming is a large, frog-like man. He was once Prince Charlie Charming. A curse turned him into a frog because he was too vain. He is very wise and helps the twins. At first, he is embarrassed to be a frog. He lives in a house-hole in the dwarf forests. Later, he becomes king of the Center Kingdom. In Beyond the Kingdoms, he is trapped in a magic mirror to protect Red. In the final book, he is freed after doing a good deed. He then marries Red.
• Red Riding Hood is the queen of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. She can be a bit selfish and loves fancy outfits. But she is also smart and good to her people. She used to like Jack, but he always chose Goldilocks. Red initially dislikes Froggy because he is a frog. But she falls in love with him after learning he was a prince. Red doesn't like gross things. During A Grimm Warning, Little Bo Peep briefly took her throne. But Red got it back. In Book 4, Morina crashes Red and Froggy’s wedding. Morina threatens Red to kidnap Froggy. Froggy leaves with Morina to protect Red. In Book 6, Froggy and Red adopt the Lost Boys from Neverland. In the 6th book, Worlds Collide, she marries Froggy.
• Jack is now a grown man. He grew a famous beanstalk when he was younger. He rejects Red and falls in love with Goldilocks. Because he loves her, he joins Goldilocks on the run. He marries Goldilocks in the third book. In the fifth book, they have a child named Hero.
• Goldilocks is a criminal who raids kingdoms. Hagetta, a kind witch, gave her her first sword. She married Jack in the third book. In the fourth book, she became pregnant. In the fifth book, she gave birth to a baby boy named Hero.
• Fairy Godmother (Brystal Lynn Evergreen) is Alex and Conner's grandmother. She leads the Fairy Council. She is the only one who can create portals between the fairy tale world and the Otherworld. She dies in A Grimm Warning after fighting a dragon.
• Mother Goose (Lucy Goose) can travel between worlds with the Fairy Godmother. She reads nursery rhymes to children worldwide. She is part of the Fairy Council. She is first mentioned in The Wishing Spell. She appears in The Enchantress Returns, A Grimm Warning, and Beyond the Kingdoms. She "retires" and joins Merlin in his story in Beyond the Kingdoms. She enjoys gambling and traveling with her pet gander, Lester.
• Breanne ’Bree’ Campbell is a smart and determined girl. She first appears in A Grimm Warning as Conner Bailey's classmate. She is a horror writer. She has blonde hair with pink and blue streaks. She always wears a purple beanie and an earbud. Conner has a big crush on Bree. At the end of A Grimm Warning, Bree reveals she likes him too. She becomes close friends with Emmerich. In the last book, Conner and Bree marry and have children. After they marry, she changes her name to Breanne Campbell-Bailey.
• Emmerich Himmelsbach is a boy from Hohenschwangau, Germany. He is about ten years old. He first appears in A Grimm Warning. He helps Conner and Bree get into Neuschwanstein castle. He joins Conner on his adventure. In Beyond the Kingdoms, he is revealed to be the son of Bo Peep and Lloyd Bailey, the Masked Man. This makes Emmerich the twins' cousin.
• The Book Huggers are a group of smart girls. Their names are Mindy McClowsky, Cindy Strutherbergers, Lindy Lenkins, and Wendy Takahashi. They used to run their school's book club. After Alex and Conner disappeared, they started a conspiracy club. Everyone thinks they are strange, but they know what they saw. Wendy is selectively mute and sometimes ignored. In the last book, they follow Conner and his friends. They find them trapped in the library. They question Conner until he admits what happened. Then they free Conner and his friends. In one of the last chapters, it is mentioned they are the Sister Grimm’s new recruits.
• Auburn Sally is a character from “Starboardia,” one of Conner’s short stories. She is based on Goldilocks. She is a pirate who sails with her crew on the Dolly Llama. Conner barely convinces her to join his army. They fight Smoky Sails Sam when he attacks them. Auburn Sally appears in An Author's Odyssey.
• King Arthur is the King of England from Camelot. He meets Alex in Beyond the Kingdoms and becomes her boyfriend.
• Charlotte and John Bailey are Alex and Conner's parents. John died before the first book. Charlotte was on her own until the second book when she married Bob. Charlotte and Bob are active in the Land of Stories in the second book.
• The Ziblings, Galaxy Queen Characters, Blimp Boy Characters, and the sailors from the Dolly Llama are heroes from Conner's imagination. They are from his four short stories. He recruits them for his literary army. They help Alex and Conner fight in the sixth book, Worlds Collide.

Royals

• Queen Cinderella: Queen of the Charming Kingdom.
• Queen Sleeping Beauty: Queen of the Eastern Kingdom.
• Princess Hope: Daughter of Queen Cinderella and King Chance Charming. Princess of the Charming Kingdom.
• Princess Ash: Adopted daughter of Queen Sleeping Beauty and King Chase Charming. Princess of the Eastern Kingdom. Sleeping Beauty saves her life and adopts her because the sleeping curse made her unable to have children. Ash is found in a box in a burned town.
• Queen Rapunzel: Queen of the Corner Kingdom.
• Queen Little Red Riding Hood: Queen of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. Also known as the Youngest Queen. Later, Froggy becomes King. Red marries him, becoming Queen again.
• Queen Bo Peep : Queen of the Bo Peep Republic. She became Queen after challenging Queen Red Riding Hood.
• Queen Snow White: Queen of the Northern Kingdom.
• Sir William: Queen Rapunzel's husband and King of the Corner Kingdom.
• King Chance Charming: King of the Charming Kingdom and Queen Cinderella's Husband.
• King Chandler Charming: King of the Northern Kingdom and Husband of Snow White.
• King Charlie ‘Froggy’ Charming: The Frog Prince. Prince of the Charming Kingdom (Books 1-5). King of the Red Riding Hood Kingdom (Book 6).
• King Chase Charming: King of the Eastern Kingdom and Queen Sleeping Beauty's husband.
• King Chester Charming: Father of the 4 Charming Kings. Deceased.
• Ghost of Queen Beauty: A ghost in the Eastern/Sleeping Kingdom from Beauty and the Beast. Grandmother of Queen Sleeping Beauty. Known as the Lady of the East.

Villains

• Evly, The Evil Queen is Snow White's stepmother. Everyone thought she was vain. But she only wanted to free her love, Mira, from her magic mirror. Ezmia, The Enchantress, had put Mira in the mirror. After a battle in The Wishing Spell, she is trapped by the mirror. She wanders the mirror realm, hoping to find Mira. In Worlds Collide, the mirror makes her forget herself. She becomes a young girl again. Froggy, also trapped in a mirror by Morina, finds her. Together, they warn their friends about the fairy tale villains' plan. She is freed from the mirror by helping a woman with low self-esteem. After being freed, she returns to her true, middle-aged self. Evly’s final fate is unknown, but it seems she has a better future.
• Ezmia, The Enchantress was cursed by witches to hate everyone. She tried to destroy the world. This same curse was placed on Alex Bailey in the 5th book. Ezmia was once a small girl. She lived in misery after her parents died and her village was destroyed. Soldiers tried to kill her. But she killed them in self-defense. The Fairy Godmother secretly watched. She took Ezmia as her apprentice. Ezmia became very powerful. The Fairy Godmother chose her as the next Fairy Godmother. But bitterness and jealousy made her give up her title. She turned to Dark Magic. Alex Bailey defeats her. Later, it is revealed that witches cast a spell on her to make her angry.
• The Snow Queen (Mme. Weatherberry) is a blind weather witch. Long ago, she secretly plotted against the king of the Northern Kingdom. She had befriended him by granting wishes. She overthrew the king and covered the kingdom in endless winter. Wise Prince White (Snow White's grandfather) eventually overthrew her. She was banished to the Northern Mountains. She lives in an icy lair with her polar bears. She was also the one who found evil mirror dust. This dust turned Ezmia into the evil enchantress.
• Morina is an evil witch. She cursed Froggy to look like a frog and trapped him in a magic mirror. She did this because he ended their relationship. Her grandfather was a troll, so she was ugly when young. She spent years making potions to improve her looks. Morina now looks beautiful, but she has ram's horns. She sells potions that drain children's youth to make people look better.
• The Masked Man is the main villain in books 3, 4, and 5. In book 4, he is revealed to be Alex and Conner's uncle, Lloyd. In book 5, Emmerich is revealed to be his son, and Little Bo Peep his wife. His plan is to overthrow the Kingdoms and take over the world. He dies at the end of book 5. He enters Bree's story "Cemetery of the Undead" and is killed by Bo Peep in the story.
• Smoky Sails Sam is a character in Conner’s short story “Starboardia.” He was a slave. He became a pirate after a mutiny on the ship that captured him. He wants to kill Auburn Sally because she stole a necklace called the Heart of the Caribbean from him.
• General Marquis is a general of the Grande Armée. He wants to take over the fairy tale world. He appeared in The Grimm Warning but died because of the Masked Man.
• Captain Hook is a pirate in the fourth, fifth, and sixth books. He wants to kill Peter. The Masked Man recruits him for an army of literary villains.
• The Sea Witch is a witch who tricked the Little Mermaid into giving up her voice. She is one of the witches who plans to steal the Otherworld in the last few books.

Film Adaptation

On June 13, 2017, it was announced that Twentieth Century Fox is making a movie based on the first book, The Wishing Spell. Chris Colfer will direct and write the movie script. He will also be one of the executive producers. The film will be produced by 21 Laps Entertainment.

See also

In Spanish: La Tierra de las Historias para niños