Into the Wild

Into the Wild #1

by Sarah Beth Durst

When the magical world of the Wild takes over Julie’s town, she must venture deep into the heart of the fairy tale to outsmart wicked witches, feisty giants, and super cute princes in the ultimate quest to save her family. But can an ordinary girl defeat the happily-ever-after?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fairy Tales, Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2007

About the author

Sarah Beth Durst is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids, including cozy fantasy The Spellshop. She's been awarded an American Library Association Alex Award, as well as a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink Slay Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I GOT MY ANSWER ABOUT HOW THE 12-YEAR-OLD HAS A DAD WHO DIED 500 YEARS AGO. I'm not satisfied. What a cop-out.
Otherwise, though, a creative story with fun, imaginative use of fairy tales. I braced myself for a slow read but it kept me fairly well engaged throughout. A sweet ending with some real heartache bumped it up from 3 to 4 stars in my mind.
Not really sure how I feel about the cat. He mostly annoyed me but I could see how a middle school reader might like him.

[Weng · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5.0 stars

After reading Vessel I couldn't help but feel disappointed with this one. It reminds me of Once Upon a Time (the television series). If I'm not mistaken, this book was released prior to the show though. I guess I'm not the right target market for this book, definitely more for tweens.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been a long while since I've picked up a book that has been so dreadfully dull and unexciting that each chapter was a struggle to get through. I am a huge fan of fairy tale retellings and stories that transport the fairy tale characters to the modern world. But this book utterly failed its plot and characters.

The conflict of the story gets underway after very little introduction to the characters. When the situation started getting heated and serious, I didn't feel connected to the characters at all and I knew little about them beyond hearing their names and instantly being able to call their respective fairy tales to mind. No one is given any character development or personality. We have no idea why Puss in Boots is so focused only on finding his true love when the world is falling to pieces around him or why Goldilocks is a self-centered annoyance.

Worst of all in the main character, Julie. She is one of the most whiny, annoying, easily driven to tears narrators I've ever had the misfortune to read... and she's the one we're supposed to be cheering for and identifying with? No thanks! I feel no sympathy with her, no desire to see her overcome her obstacles, I just kept getting frustrated with how dumb she kept acting. Every time she cried, I hoped some giant animal would pop up and eat her. I'd read a book recently that featured another girl about Julie's age in a much more difficult situation who was not even half as whiny and annoying as Julie. It's not a good comparison to be making in the middle of the story.

Speaking of story, the plot has potential. I really like the idea of The Wild' being this living creature that is trying to escape and reclaim the fairy tale characters. It sounded really interesting. But the story is rushed and just feels incomplete. I can't even put my finger on why but I feel like pieces are missing from it. It could have been fleshed out to a really detailed and fascinating world and plot but was instead hurried to completion with an ending that left me unsatisfied. Even the sequel bait at the end was confusing and uninteresting.

This book was a major disappointment for me. The story sounded really promising but everything was handled so poorly. I have no desire whatsoever to pick up the sequel and see how the story continues because this was such an unsatisfying experience. It's rare a book makes me feel like I wasted my time but the few days I spent rushing through this, hoping things might turn around and make for a better book, definitely feel wasted.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice YA with fairy tale characters. Just enough horror to grab a young reader without giving them nightmares, hopefully. The characters were closer to Grimm than Disney. If the Brothers had had time to develop their characters they might have turned out like these. The twist on the Fairy Tale World was very imaginative.

[kvon · Rating 4 out of 5]

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. Someone tries to bring back the fairy tale world, and Julie needs all of her special knowledge, and her love of family, to put things aright. It's a meta-fairy tale. It's fun and well written, with a quiet sense of humor. Recommended. Find it in the YA section.

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 The Wild for the first time, she must battle witches, ogres, and her own dearest wishes. Can Julie resist getting sucked into a fairy tale of her own and save the world from a powerful magic?

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and amazing debut novel! Durst turns Grimms' fairy tales (the real and true, rather gruesome ones) on their heads when Rapunzel's daughter has to retrap the Wild- which forces everyone it absorbs to enact a fairy tale over and over- after it escapes from its prison under her bed!

[Amanda]

I love reading about fairytales. It never seems to get old. This book was actually awarded the Truman award this year. Not too bad Sarah Durst, even if everyone mixes you up with the other "Into the Wild" book.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of retold fairy tales, or fairy tales with a twist, I highly recommend Into the Wild.

[Brenna]

OMG GUYS IVE LITERALLY BEEN THINKING ABOJT THIS BOOK FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REMEMBER THE TITLE/FIND ANYTHING ABOUT IT OK THE INTERNET. READ IT IN ELEMENTARY OR MIDDLE SCHOOL? AND WAS OBSESSED/STILL REMEMBER ONLY THE FEELING OF IT THIS IS SO BIG FOR ME

[☺Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first few chapters I realized that I have read this before.
I skimmed/read the rest of the book to refresh my memory of how it all ends.
Good book, especially for those readers who enjoy fairy tales.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 connections with many of the other fairy tale characters. Julie has to deal with the frustration of eating with the obnoxiousness of Snow’s Seven, the embarrassment of Cindy’s flamboyant fashion style and driving abilities, and her talking cat, Boots. The most challenging part of being Zel’s daughter though, is the fact that Julie keeps what is left of The Wild under her bed. There, it doesn’t do much harm except for losing the occasional shoe or other item. Whatever is lost under her bed is transformed into a magical item that Zel and Julie keep locked in a hallway closet. They must be sure to never use one of these items. It would mean participating in a fairy tale which would give strength to The Wild.

One night, Zel talks Julie’s grandmother into leaving the motel she owns and operates and come over for dinner. Her grandmother, the witch that put Rapunzel in the tower in the fairy tale, but has since realized the evil of her ways, left the motel and the guarding of The Wishing Well in the hands of The Three Bears. If anyone makes a wish in The Wishing Well, it could mean disaster.

During dinner the unthinkable happens. Someone makes a wish to release The Wild. Zel and Julie’s grandmother rush to the scene and get pulled into The Wild and placed back in their “story.” It’s up to Julie, with the help of her best friend Gillian, to save her fairy tale family and get The Wild under control again.

INTO THE WILD is a creative story that weaves many fairy tales together. It is fun catching all the references to even some of the lesser known tales. One great thing about the fairy tales highlighted in this book is the fact that they aren’t necessarily the Disneyfied version where everything ends happily-ever-after. These are more like the Grimm’s Fairy Tales where some have gruesome endings. INTO THE WILD is a great choice for anyone that enjoys a good fairy tale. It would be a great starting point for a creative writing assignment. Students could write their own version of a fractured fairy tale.

[PeeEyeBee · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 to enjoy. First of all, I found Julie, the protagonist, daughter of the famous Rapunzel (or Zel, as she is known now in the "real" world) to be a clueless prat. She's a realistic character (we all know kids like her) but she's not the kind of kid I want to read about. She's not very bright, she's a bit of a whiner, and she doesn't really have any endearing qualities about her except... well, there are no exceptions, she really is a boring speck of a person.

Second, I did think the idea of "The Wild," the world of fairytales, having been defeated and resigned to the dust-bunnied dark under Julie's bed a bit interesting. But then mixing all of the different characters together, "freed" as they are from the Wild and living the lives they chose, didn't strike a realistic chord with me. They still, for the most part, remained the one-dimensional characters they are in their original stories (albeit with a few potentially interesting quirks and bits of backstory that could've made characters like Goldilocks, or the seven dwarves, really breathe, but ultimately didn't because that's all they are, quirks and bits and pieces). Not much is ever fully explained, and when things are, it's done so with all the excitement of a growing squash (unless you find squash amazingly interesting).

So definitely one that the kiddies might like, but not for me *shrugs*. Luckily it only took me about an hour and a half to read, so no big.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 retelling of all the different fairy tales. Some of which I was not aware of, or that the stories were different from what I have known them to be. It piqued my interest in further researching the stories.
I really liked this story and look forward to reading the sequel “Out of the Wild”. The underlying message is not about fairytales but the understanding that a mother is so much more than what a teenage daughter’s view can be.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clever!! Sarah Beth Durst has created an original setting, where the world of fairy tales is shrunk to fit, trapped, underneath the bed of Julie, Rapunzel's daughter. Fairy tale characters have escaped and are trying to live in the twentieth century, free as long as "the Wild" stays captive under Julie's bed. But when someone deliberately releases the Wild, and Rapunzel and everyone else Julie loves is taken back into their fairy tales, she must venture into the Wild herself to try to put things right. Durst demonstrates a vivid imagination and deep understanding of many fairy tales here. The surprise ending--who let the Wild out in the first place?--was outstanding! I can't wait to read the sequel. Highly recommended!

[Miss Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a lot of fun, filled with laughs and fresh twists on the fairytales that we all know and love. I really liked that Rapunzel was a main character - she was always a favorite and I have yet to find many retellings of her story. Actually, apart from Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale, which I am eagerly awaiting, I don't know of any. So, anyone who knows of one, please let me know!

Anyway, Julie's character was a bit difficult to connect with initially, but she grows as the story progresses and by the end I liked her much better. It definitely deserved a sequel and I am very glad that there is one : Out of the Wild. I now need to go get a copy quite desperately....

Sarah Beth Durst is an author to keep track of as she continues to publish!

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me of the Sister's Grim books, same genre so if you are a fan of those you may like this one too.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faireytales are real! All wrapped in 1 story! Pretty neat.

[Rose Q. Addams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Into the Wild was a fun book, as many of Sarah Beth Durst's are. This YA volume explores a world very like our own, one in which the fairy tales we know are true (or were true) and the eternal woods in which they take place was a malevolent and sentient magical bramble that kept the characters trapped in an eternal cycle of story... and the world itself in the Dark Ages. Until the characters escaped, living undercover in what we know as reality ever since.
The heroine of this mashup retelling/continuation is Julie, the daughter of one of the most famous characters— Rapunzel. In a breath of fresh air for story lovers, this book references the original tales, where things were often darker, but not for darkness' sake. After an argument with her mother, Julie finds that her family (including her adopted brother, Boots) have been reclaimed by the escaped forest once more, and that the world is at stake as the woods spread once more.
She has to make choices, and prove to herself that she is not only a member of both worlds... but the only one who can save them.
It's certainly a coming-of-age story; Julie reacts like I would at her age. Not perfectly, and rather emotionally at points, but that's part of the beauty and realism of the tale. It's pretty family-friendly, though some scenes, such as when the Wood speaks through various characters, are chilling enough to avoid reading directly before bed. Looking for hidden references and Easter eggs in the narrative was a blast!
The best part of the book, in my opinion, was seeing how each character chose to live their lives outside of the woods. Cinderella, for instance, made me think of Cyndi Lauper; she's breezy, a little obnoxious, and has a devil-may-care attitude, complete with 80's fashion sense and all.
I quite liked it, and plan to share it with my little siblings. :)

[Lenni Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 2.5

Would you like to know what took me so long to read this book? The fact that it was boring. I LITERALLY fell asleep while reading it. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. Granted, I didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before, but that isn’t the point. Let’s go over some of the things I didn’t like:

•The whole book was in a third person POV. Lately, I can’t stand third person and I only want to read it from first. In first person POV you get to know everything that goes through the characters head and I feel like you are able to build a better understanding of them then. So, in summary of this bullet, the book would’ve been better in a first person POV.

•Although this was tagged as a young adult book, I was not impressed. This book was way too childish for an 8th grader like me to enjoy. The whole baby noises thing between Zel and Julie at the beginning was the first thing that proved it to me.

•Boot(Puss-in-Boots) was literally THE WORST brother I’ve ever heard of. He’d seriously rather have a girlfriend than help his sister!!!!!!! What. The. HECK.

•I found some errors like this one part where Julie gets a flashlight out of nowhere!!!! The Wild was changing everything to fit the stories, but when Julie needs one, she can just find a flashlight? Yeah right.

There you have it, four paragraphs of why you shouldn’t read this book. Yes, there were some characters who I would consider entertaining, such as Cindy. And I made some connections to other books like Ever After High. Everybody wants to escape their stories and their fates here, just like the EAH Rebels.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A darling, creative YA book that takes the old chestnut of "what if fairy tales were real" and sinks it into something nicely woven between worlds. The heroine was quite a real-feeling 12 year old and her supporting cast were equally charming, cast in such lights that their quirks came off as part of it all and not window dressing. The author also clearly knows her stuff when it comes to fairy tales, delving into lesser known tales with just as much ease and the same casual touch that she uses for the standards like Snow White and Cinderella and Rapunzel. To be honest, I was unfairly won over with the almost-throw-away mention of a glass mountain, too; so few know that story! I also like the serious treatment of deeper concepts of belonging and who we really are - just tough enough but written with a straight-forward feel.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Durst, Sarah Beth Into the Wild, 261 p. Razorbill ( Penguin), 2007.

Julie has always known that her mother and her mother's friends fought a great battle and escaped from The Wild, a relentless force which forced them to replay their roles in fairytales, not matter how disastrous, day after continual day. Now someone has made a wish in the Wishing Well and the Wild not only is trying to reclaim all of the escapees, but also Julie's hometown and the surrounding countryside. Julie may be the only one capable of defeating the Wild, but even that is no sure thing.

Once a student has had their fill of Disney movies and classic fairytales, point them straight at this fine story.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/...

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tend to like the traditional story mashup genre, and I enjoyed this one. The premise is that the fairy tale/nursery rhyme characters escaped from the impersonal force known as "The Wild" that embodies and is the world where all fairy tales are set. Kind of like the "Once Upon a Time" TV show, but the fairy tale world itself is the bad guy. They zealously guard the Wishing Well that could reempower The Wild, which of course ends up happening. Their only hope is Julie, the "normal" daughter of Repunzel born here on regular Earth.

It was fun, though the last third felt a little rushed after the set-up. My 11-yr-old is also currently enjoying it.

[Connie53 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Op zich wel een goed bedacht verhaal, maar ik had er niet zo veel mee.
Julie is de dochter van Rapunzel, Zel voor vrienden en ze heeft geen idee wie haar vader is. Jaren voor haar geboorte zijn al Zel's vrienden ontsnapt aan The Wild. Een betoverd bos waar alle sprookjesfiguren tot in het oneindige hun verhalen herbeleven. Zel heeft echter een manier gevonden om The Wild in te tomen, en nu is het een plantje onder Julie's bed die probeert om te groeien en de omgeving van het dorp waar ze wonen weer over te nemen.
Op een dag gebeurt dat ook en Julie's moeder en oma verdwijnen in The Wild en Julie gaat ze daar zoeken. Ze moet een manier vinden om de verhalen zo om te buigen dat het allemaal anders afloopt. Daarbij krijgt ze hulp van Boots, de gelaarsde kat en van Cindy, voorheen Cinderella.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an original fairytale adaptation set in modern day. Julie's mother Zel is actually Rapunzel. Her grandmother is Rapunzel's witch. The wild, a mass of living vines, is contained under her bed threatening to grow, and re-establish the fairytale land. Julie wakes up one morning to find the wild has escaped. When her grandmother, owner of the Wishing Spell Motel, leaves the wishing well unattended, someone makes a wish that sets the wild free. Her mother and grandmother vanish into the jungle-like mass that is engulfing the town, and Julie rushes in to find them.

The story is entertaining and a quick read. The author does not spend a lot of time developing the characters. It's not the kind of book that intends for the reader to become intimately acquainted with the characters. If that's what you want then you should read The School for Good and Evil. This book is more about plot. It aims to convince people that there actually exists a magical realm within our world that can be accessed in an unconventional way. In this case, all the fairytale characters are out in the real world and the realm itself is contained in those vines under Julie's bed until they are freed, thus freeing the realm.

While Julie is in the wild, she runs into the classic characters that always end up in these re-imagined tales, Cinderella, Goldilocks, Jack. Her sidekick is Puss-in-Boots. Her goal is to find the wishing well and make the correct wish to free the characters again. She can not allow her ending to happen, such as kissing a prince, or she will forget everything about her previous life and remain in fairytale land.

My biggest criticism is the ending. It didn't feel right. Julie makes the wish at the wishing well, and voila, it's over. I thought the wish was kind of lame and didn't justify an end to such a bizarre occurrence. I liked the quick epilogue that reveals who made the wish that freed the wild. All in all a decent book to add to the growing list of re-imagined fairytales.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 1 out of 5]

One star may be a little harsh but the book is boring. None of the characters come to life (well, maybe Gillian - the trumpet playing friend and the witch, possibly). The storyline is feeble and that is shining a positive light on it.
I don't know where all the good reviews came from. If the target audience was middle schoolers it missed the target, my daughter would reject it after 10%
Definitely not recommended - there are many better Fairy Tale books out there,

[Jaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, enjoyable middle-grade read - it lacks the kind of nailbiting, page-turning ferocious whimsy of, say, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, and is a bit twee with its "modern" renditions of well-known fairy tale characters, but read as a story of one girl learning how to see her mother as a real person instead of just a role, it's satisfactory.

[Lisa Oehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let us just begin to believe that Rapunzel found her happy ever after. Had a baby and was living in the real world with a job! What could go wrong?

Her daughter is put to the test, save mom, grandma, and her whole town!!

[rixx · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice enough as a children's book. A tad too predictable for me, but very colorful and full of fairytales.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5? This one was definitely aimed at a very young audience.