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149th out of 926 books
—
5,293 voters
Into the Wild (Into the Wild #1)
by
Sarah Beth Durst (Goodreads Author)
Twelve-year-old Julie has grown up hearing about the dangerous world of fairy tales, The Wild, from which her mother, Rapunzel, escaped.
Now The Wild wants its characters back. Julie comes home from school to find her mother gone and a deep, dark forest swallowing her hometown. Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers and fairy godmothers, fly griffins, and ou...more
Now The Wild wants its characters back. Julie comes home from school to find her mother gone and a deep, dark forest swallowing her hometown. Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers and fairy godmothers, fly griffins, and ou...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
June 21st 2007
by Razorbill
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Sarah Beth Durst is a first time author. She was signing her book, 'Into the Wild', at a local Harry Potter event. Since I'd seen her at a recent sf convention, I knew she was One of Us. One underlying premise is: what would the fairy-tale girls and princesses be like if allowed to grow up into a modern woman. In the story, Julie lives with her mother Zel and her brother Boots. She knows all how the fairy tale characters broke out of their stories in the past and are now living in our society. S...more
Julie’s mom is Rapunzel, her brother is Puss n Boots, and they’re having dinner tonight with Snow’s Seven. Living with a bunch of fairy tale characters in the modern world is tough. Even harder is keeping The Wild under Julie’s bed and out of power. The Wild is a powerful, magical world that wants to keep the characters in their stories. One night, someone sets The Wild free and it begins to take over the town. All of Julie’s friends and famiy are forced back into their stories. As Julie enters...more
Julie lives a pretty normal life. She has a mother who loves her, a great best friend, and typical middle school issues. The only thing that makes her different is the fact that she is constantly surrounded by the stuff of fairy tales - literally. Her mother, Rapunzel (Zel) found a way to escape The Wild and keep it contained so the fairy tale characters can live a life outside of their “story.” The fairy tale inhabitants have enjoyed their freedom for 500 years without incident.
Zel maintains c...more
Zel maintains c...more
Fanciful take on fractured fairy tales. The characters from fairy tales have managed to escape from the monotony of reenacting endlessly their particular stories to live in the real world. Somehow (not explained) the stories themselves are intact and able to be read. This implies that the act of writing leads to the creation of real characters who inhabit the stories in some netherworld, much like in Jasper Fforde's the Eyre Affair or Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series. The characters defeated the...more
This is a young adult book, which is well written, and has an interesting premise, and a good message, and is a fractured fairy tale sort of thing (exactly the sort of thing that usually interests me - see, e.g. The Book of Lost Things and also Castle Waiting), but for some reason, I am not just that enthused about it. When I sit to write about it, I remember all the good stuff, and yet, I don’t have any enthusiasm about running out and getting the sequel. If I see it, I’ll read it, but I am not...more
I first read about Into the Wild on author Jeri Smith-Ready's web site, and immediately added it to my TBR list, as well as bookmarking Durst's own awesome website*. Now I'm sorry I took so long to read Into the Wild; it's a charming fantasy for young readers, but it should appeal to fairy tale lovers of any age. Now I'm anxious to get my hands on the sequel, Out of the Wild as well!
Julie Marchen is an ordinary twelve-year-old girl whose mother owns a hair salon and whose grandmother runs The Wi...more
Julie Marchen is an ordinary twelve-year-old girl whose mother owns a hair salon and whose grandmother runs The Wi...more
Sarah Beth Durst attempts to capture the wild, untamed essence of the fairy tales we think we know and juxtapose this against a contemporary backdrop, and overall, she really succeeds. Julie's mom Zel is actually Rapunzel--THE Rapunzel--living in hiding along with a varied cast of fairy tale figures who were some time back released from their tales and obliged blend (as well as they ever can) with normal society. The key to maintaining their precarious existence lies in the dormancy of The Wild-...more
Fanciful take on fractured fairy tales. The characters from fairy tales have managed to escape from the monotony of reenacting endlessly their particular stories to live in the real world. Somehow (not explained) the stories themselves are intact and able to be read. This implies that the act of writing leads to the creation of real characters who inhabit the stories in some netherworld, much like in Jasper Fforde's the Eyre Affair or Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series. The characters defeated the...more
Julie Marchen, 12, is the daughter of Zel, and granddaughter of Gothel. Zel is a hairdresser, Gothel is the owner of the Wishing Well Motel. Julie's school life is normal; she has a best friend, Gillian, and a tormentor, Kristen, but there the normality ends and Julie has lots of secrets because her home life is filled with unusual characters who are over 500 years old. Her brother Boots is a talking cat. Her mother's friends are Goldie and Cindy (who drives an orange car). The seven dwarves sho...more
Into the Wild is a cute tween novel that explores the intersection of the real world and the fairytale world. Julie's mother is Zel, better known as Rapunzel, and is in charge of keeping the wild tame. Fairytale characters seem to have been normal people sometime long ago in the past that got drawn into a primal, magical wilderness that caused them to cycle through the classic fairytales repeatedly. Rapunzel and her prince were able to finally break that cycle, allowing fairytale characters to l...more
Oct 18, 2009
Kim (magicsandwiches) Lawyer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
glad-i-read-it-but-wont-reread
Not to be confused with John Krakauer's novel of the same title, this book is a fun addition to the fractured fairy tale genre and a great coming-of-age novel besides. What's under Julie's bed? The wild, or, Fairy Tale, which must be kept at bay at all costs, lest it take over and suck people into its dangerous world of quests, villains, and inescapable "happily-ever-afters". Julie's mom, Rapunzel (the real Rapunzel) was able to make her escape somehow and bring Fairy Tale to it's knees, but it...more
This would fit into a theme unit on utopian literature, but it's unlike other utopian literature I've read.
"The Wild" is literally a living thing that wants to fit everyone into a set story where everyone knows their place. At the beginning of the story, the wild is contained and living under Julie's bed. Julie's mom is Rapunzel and her grandmother is a witch who guards a real life wishing well. Cinderella often picks Julie up from school. The dwarves come over for dinner. As someone who ISN'T...more
"The Wild" is literally a living thing that wants to fit everyone into a set story where everyone knows their place. At the beginning of the story, the wild is contained and living under Julie's bed. Julie's mom is Rapunzel and her grandmother is a witch who guards a real life wishing well. Cinderella often picks Julie up from school. The dwarves come over for dinner. As someone who ISN'T...more
Fairy Tales gone amok! Imagine this: Rapunzel (Zel to her friends) found a way to defeat "The Wild" and stopped the insanity of continually playing out the story she and other fairy tale people were condemned to do. She got them out of the wild and into a modern day existence.
Zel's daughter, Julie was not born until Zel felt it was safe. The wimpering, tiny bit of the wild lives underneath Julie's bed and that is where the fairy tale characters intend to keep it...that is until someone tricked...more
Zel's daughter, Julie was not born until Zel felt it was safe. The wimpering, tiny bit of the wild lives underneath Julie's bed and that is where the fairy tale characters intend to keep it...that is until someone tricked...more
Something creepy lives under Julie's bed: the Wild, that magical realm of fairy tales and stories, where bad guys are really bad and the princesses always do the right thing. And when the Wild escapes and those that Julie loves get caught up in it, it's up to Julie to fight her way through the stories and put the Wild back in its place.
OH what a clever premise. Sometimes it took a little mind-bending for me to fully appreciate the depth of it, such an interesting alternate reality. I love readin...more
OH what a clever premise. Sometimes it took a little mind-bending for me to fully appreciate the depth of it, such an interesting alternate reality. I love readin...more
I am very lucky to have found this gem because it could have passed me by completely. Instead it fell into my lap and opened into a wondrous world of fairy tales. Julie is the daughter of Rapunzel and lives on the edge of the fairy tale world and the real one. The Wild lives under her bed and wants to be free again to revert the world back to the fairy tales it knows. When it does escape, Julie must become the heroine of the tale, find her mother, and bring everyone out of the Wild. It is filled...more
Nov 17, 2009
Patrick Burgess
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
little uns... fairytale fanatics... people learning to read
Shelves:
reviewed
Annoying Heroine, Shallow Plot
I love fairytale-inspired books, some of my absolute favorites are Deerskin and At Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. What these writers have done is taken the heart of some of the oldest tales and transplanted them into a whole 'nother body, one that moves and sounds familiar, but looks completely different (in a really crazysexycool way).
Into the Wild isn't a bad book, I just didn't find much...more
I love fairytale-inspired books, some of my absolute favorites are Deerskin and At Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. What these writers have done is taken the heart of some of the oldest tales and transplanted them into a whole 'nother body, one that moves and sounds familiar, but looks completely different (in a really crazysexycool way).
Into the Wild isn't a bad book, I just didn't find much...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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Rapunzel defeated The Wild (a sentient forest) several hundred years ago, and now keeps it trapped under her 12-year-old daughter Julie's bed, where it occasionally grabs items and creates fairy-tale worthy things. The hall closet is full of magic capes, wands, and seven-league boots. The Wild is wished free, and it escapes, expands, and takes over Julie's hometown. It also captures her mother and grandmother, as well as most of the people in town who get trapped in a variety of fairy tale situa...more
Hmm It is a wonderful twist to fairy tales and all we know about the characters and what they do and what happens - esp - the "happily ever after." To think that a naive middle shooler controls the WILD - the fairy tale world under her bed - WOW. I started reading it late in the evening and could not put in down.
A young girl finds out she is the daughter of a fairy tale person. She tries her hardest to figure out how she can be that and still be a part of that world - the Wild - and yet help tho...more
A young girl finds out she is the daughter of a fairy tale person. She tries her hardest to figure out how she can be that and still be a part of that world - the Wild - and yet help tho...more
The traditional fairytale characters have escaped from their stories and are living in Northboro Massachusetts. Their forest (aka "the wild") is being contained underneath Julie's bed.
The characters live in dread of being sucked back into their stories, of losing their free will, of living the same tale over and over. But when "the Wild" escapes and takes over the town, it's up to Julie to save the day.
INTO THE WILD has some clever plot devices. I enjoyed how the author blended fairytales with r...more
The characters live in dread of being sucked back into their stories, of losing their free will, of living the same tale over and over. But when "the Wild" escapes and takes over the town, it's up to Julie to save the day.
INTO THE WILD has some clever plot devices. I enjoyed how the author blended fairytales with r...more
This book was one of those amazon.com "People who bought x book also purchased..." (of course, I don't remember the book I was actually looking at initially). They're handy, because sometimes there are some nifty looking books I otherwise wouldn't have known about. Sure enough, this one was a winner. I really enjoyed the fast pace, the unique twist on traditional fairy tales, and the characters were both entertaining and interesting. It was just fun. My only real problem with the book was that a...more
A clever twist on the idea that fairy tale characters have escaped into the modern world. When the fairy tale world - the Wild - comes to reclaim them, it's Rapunzel's daughter Julie who must save them all. I liked a lot of the ideas that Durst used, particularly the way that the Wild adapted the available resources to fit its needs and the idea that everyone can fit into a story. It was refreshing to see that Julie, while certainly able to making some fairly serious mistakes, was also capable a...more
Julie is a girl from two worlds. She lives in the real world and goes to junior high, but her brother is a cat--Puss-in-Boots to be precise--and the Wild, the remnants of the fairy tale world, is kept under her bed. You see, Julia's mother is really Rapunzel (or Zel for short) and while she may look like a simple hairdresser, she was once a fierce warrior who defeated the Wild and freed all the fairy tale characters to live their own lives. Well, almost all of them. Her prince, Julie's father, s...more
Jul 22, 2009
Mr. Z
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Mr. Z by:
2009-2010 Sunshine State Book Grades 6-8
A 2009-2010 Sunshine State Book.
During the first couple of chapters, I thought this book was a bust. I wondered how it made the Sunshine State list at all. But then, I was reminded of why readers should not only be wary of judging books by covers but also of judging books by the how they start. There is a reason books have beginnings - middles - and ends! I'm not big on fairy tales but I enjoyed the action and adventures of this story and how it weaved in so many fairy tales from years past. I...more
During the first couple of chapters, I thought this book was a bust. I wondered how it made the Sunshine State list at all. But then, I was reminded of why readers should not only be wary of judging books by covers but also of judging books by the how they start. There is a reason books have beginnings - middles - and ends! I'm not big on fairy tales but I enjoyed the action and adventures of this story and how it weaved in so many fairy tales from years past. I...more
Shannon Miranda
Traditional Literature Genre
This is the story of Julie, whose mother is Rapunzel (Zel) from the fairy tale we all know. Zel fought and was able to release all of the characters from these fairy tale stories so that they can lead real normal lives. Julie and her brother Puss-in-Boots (the cat) now has the task of trying to save her mother and the rest of the characters from the power of the “Wild” which had been contained but was released.
This was a fun story and a unique creative...more
Traditional Literature Genre
This is the story of Julie, whose mother is Rapunzel (Zel) from the fairy tale we all know. Zel fought and was able to release all of the characters from these fairy tale stories so that they can lead real normal lives. Julie and her brother Puss-in-Boots (the cat) now has the task of trying to save her mother and the rest of the characters from the power of the “Wild” which had been contained but was released.
This was a fun story and a unique creative...more
I really enjoyed the whirl wind of writing this author has created. When a magical force called the wild is unleashed taking captive once again all of the freed fairy tale characters and making them perform their stories against their will Julie is set as the hero to stop it! Her mother is Rapunzel who, with the help of Julie's possibly late father, freed the fairy tale creatures last time. With her mother and grandmother and friends all imprisoned by the wild it is up to Julie to rescue them wi...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Do you have a secret? Julie does. Except it isn't your typical secret: her mother is Rapunzel, her brother's a cat, and there's a green mass of vines that lives under her bed with a penchant for transforming her shoes into unwearable magical items.
As if that weren't enough, she has to deal with school, too. And just when Julie thinks things can't get any worse, the Wild (that thing under her bed) gets loose and takes over her town. It forces everbody to act out fairy tales mindlessly over and ov...more
As if that weren't enough, she has to deal with school, too. And just when Julie thinks things can't get any worse, the Wild (that thing under her bed) gets loose and takes over her town. It forces everbody to act out fairy tales mindlessly over and ov...more
Actually, I would give this 3.5 stars.
Julie is the daughter of Rapunzel, but doesn't know her father at all. (That is the opposite of all of the Disney movies; they usually have a father and no mother.) Her grandmother is the now reformed wicked witch who put Rapunzel in the tower to begin with. Julie feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. She is so different from her schoolmates, but also doesn't know how to relate to the other fairytale characters in her everyday life.
This was a fun, modern-d...more
Julie is the daughter of Rapunzel, but doesn't know her father at all. (That is the opposite of all of the Disney movies; they usually have a father and no mother.) Her grandmother is the now reformed wicked witch who put Rapunzel in the tower to begin with. Julie feels like she doesn't belong anywhere. She is so different from her schoolmates, but also doesn't know how to relate to the other fairytale characters in her everyday life.
This was a fun, modern-d...more
This was so fun. A great girl adventure that is 'safe' for preteens.
I'm a woman of few words tonight so I'll make this quick.
Julie is Rapunzel's daughter. Years ago her mother and other desperate fairy tale characters escaped 'the Wild' which is the force which makes fairy stories repeat themselves over and over again. Things go wrong and the Wild begins to take over their tiny Massachussets town. As Julie travels into the Wild to bring things back to normal she finds the Wild trying to lure her...more
I'm a woman of few words tonight so I'll make this quick.
Julie is Rapunzel's daughter. Years ago her mother and other desperate fairy tale characters escaped 'the Wild' which is the force which makes fairy stories repeat themselves over and over again. Things go wrong and the Wild begins to take over their tiny Massachussets town. As Julie travels into the Wild to bring things back to normal she finds the Wild trying to lure her...more
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Sarah Beth Durst is the author of Vessel, Drink, Slay, Love, Enchanted Ivy, and Ice from Simon & Schuster, as well as Into the Wild and its sequel Out of the Wild from Penguin Young Readers. Her next book for teens, Conjured, comes out in September 2013 from Bloomsbury/Walker. Her first book for adults, The Lost, comes out in November 2013 from Harlequin/Luna. She has been writing fantasy stor...more
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“The lamb baa-ed vigorously as Mary dragged it into the manicure room, and Zel winced. She really should insist Julie come work, She could use the help, plus it would mean extra mother-daughter time--and, Zel thought wryly, I won't have to find a spare tower in the suburbs.
Closing the appointment book, Zel went to finish trimming Linda's hair. "Did I hear a sheep out there?" Linda asked.
"Sick dog," Zel said. "Now, bend your head down." Linda obeyed and Zel ran her fingers through the back of her hair to check for evenness. All she needed to do was think of a way to make Julie come without Julie immediately assuming her mother was trying to ruin her life. Not an easy task.”
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More quotes…
Closing the appointment book, Zel went to finish trimming Linda's hair. "Did I hear a sheep out there?" Linda asked.
"Sick dog," Zel said. "Now, bend your head down." Linda obeyed and Zel ran her fingers through the back of her hair to check for evenness. All she needed to do was think of a way to make Julie come without Julie immediately assuming her mother was trying to ruin her life. Not an easy task.”
