Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Alyssa Feller, POD Princess & Graphic Novel Guru

In the darkness, the heart of the fairy tale waited...

Julie is your average, normal, everyday girl. Sort of. Okay, not really. Ever since Julies mom Rapunzel (thats right, THE Rapunzel) escaped from the world of fairy tales, shes been trying to live an everyday life. Shes cut off her hair and runs a beauty salon, trying to keep Julies life as normal as possible. And shes not the only one. All of the escaped fairy tale characters are trying to lay low and keep it real.

Theres just one problem: The Wild still lives under Julies bed. The Wild is the heart of fairy tale, the place where Julies mother and the other characters escaped in order to lead normal lives. There are only remnants of their old constantly reenacted fairy story lives, but Julie has to deal with the fact that The Wild keeps eating her sneakers. And you thought the boogeyman was bad.

When a thoughtless wish helps The Wild escape, Julie is determined to save the people she loves from endlessly repeating the stories they are famous for. She ventures into The Wild itself, hoping to find the wishing well that started it all before its too late. Because if The Wild finds a story for her, she might not ever come out again&

Into the Wild is a thoroughly imaginative debut novel. Rather than simply retelling stories we all know, Durst brings the stories to life, with real people, real settings, and real problems. Julie is a great protagonist, whos greatest strength, surprisingly, is that she is a normal girl. The problems she deals with may be a little strange, but wouldnt you expect that when a forest lives under your bed? Through Julies eyes, Happily Ever After may not be quite so happy, a revelation thats both startling and in a way strangely comforting.

An excellent and absorbing read for reluctant readers, fantasy fans, or anyone really. This is sure to be a fit with most readers, and I eagerly await the next book, due out in June 2008.