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natalieneighbor's review against another edition
iMMMM SCREAMING THIS WAS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS AS A KID AND I TOTALLY FORGOT THE TITLE AND I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR IT FOR A YEAR BY GOOGLING THE PLOT POINTS I REMEMBERED I CAN'T BELIEVE I FOUND IT
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable story with a fun premise - Rapunzel has helped the fairy tale characters escape from the Wild and stop the endless and terrible cycle of reliving the same stories over and over. The Wild is now a small, contained patch living under her daughter Julie's bed - although it still does things like steal Julie's sneakers and turn them into seven league boots. But someone makes a wish, the Wild comes back, and now Julie has to try and rescue her mother and all the others.
Lots of clever inclusions of fairy tales, popular and obscure, and a fun adventure story. I was never emotionally hooked, but I enjoyed the whole thing. I would recommend it particularly to upper elementary/middle school fans of fairy tale retellings and girl-goes-on-an-adventure stories. There's a sequel - Out of the Wild - which I might have to pick up.
Lots of clever inclusions of fairy tales, popular and obscure, and a fun adventure story. I was never emotionally hooked, but I enjoyed the whole thing. I would recommend it particularly to upper elementary/middle school fans of fairy tale retellings and girl-goes-on-an-adventure stories. There's a sequel - Out of the Wild - which I might have to pick up.
mindsplinters's review against another edition
3.0
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.
whitneyborup's review against another edition
3.0
This is another one I would have loved as a kid. A brave, clever girl hero who has to save the world from the fairytale world that is slowly taking over. A plethora of beloved characters being reformatted in interesting ways. It loses some of its charm to an older reader like myself when it kind of dates itself by name dropping current popular culture, and keeps everything fairly simple. I wish there were fairy tale books like this that trusted its readership a little bit more. Kids are smart. They figured out the Hobbit, they should be able to figure out some more complicated writing.
rixx's review against another edition
2.0
Nice enough as a children's book. A tad too predictable for me, but very colorful and full of fairytales.
jennybeastie's review
3.0
Original and interesting fairy tale adventure. The Wild lives under Julie's bed, lurking with intent to take over the world and force us all to act out traditional tales. Very much set in the Grimm universe -- I wonder what chaos would ensue haad other cultures gotten in the mix.
karenrenka's review
5.0
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 with dangerous tasks, sly dealings with magicians, ogres, and true hearts desires.
I loved this book and will be finding the sequel as fast as I can. The book is everything I could ask for in a fractured fairy tale retelling, with most of the famous fairy tales showing up and ultimately combining into a glorious mishmash of excitement. Julie is a great heroine, who does what she has to although she is young. Her mother is Rapunzel so she knows how side step a fairy tale and keep out of the "fairy tale ending" to keep herself from loosing her memories to the Wild. Her brother Boots, from Puss 'n Boots, is her brother and he has his own slight agenda but their familial bond is strong. Gothel is Julie's grandmother and is cast as the evil witch expertly. She tried so hard not to revert back to that role but the pull is strong. Rapunzel is the hero from the last war against the wild but Julie must find her own path to free her family, her friends and the world.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fairy tale. Many times I stopped reading long enough to look up and say to DJL, "This is an amazing book" or "You have to keep this." I even convinced her not to sell it! Love! Love! Love this book and I will be reading it again soon. That is saying a lot because my TBR pile is growing everyday but this book is to good not tho read again!
I loved this book and will be finding the sequel as fast as I can. The book is everything I could ask for in a fractured fairy tale retelling, with most of the famous fairy tales showing up and ultimately combining into a glorious mishmash of excitement. Julie is a great heroine, who does what she has to although she is young. Her mother is Rapunzel so she knows how side step a fairy tale and keep out of the "fairy tale ending" to keep herself from loosing her memories to the Wild. Her brother Boots, from Puss 'n Boots, is her brother and he has his own slight agenda but their familial bond is strong. Gothel is Julie's grandmother and is cast as the evil witch expertly. She tried so hard not to revert back to that role but the pull is strong. Rapunzel is the hero from the last war against the wild but Julie must find her own path to free her family, her friends and the world.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fairy tale. Many times I stopped reading long enough to look up and say to DJL, "This is an amazing book" or "You have to keep this." I even convinced her not to sell it! Love! Love! Love this book and I will be reading it again soon. That is saying a lot because my TBR pile is growing everyday but this book is to good not tho read again!
chwaters's review
4.0
a heck of a lot of fun. what happens when the stuff of fairy tales takes on a life of its own? all sorts of craziness. i can't wait for the discussion i'm going to have with my middle school kids, if for no other reason than to identify the original stories and their variations. there's a certain feminist spin on these stories, but it doesn't come off as polemic, which is refreshing. Durst has a great sense of humor and truly has a knack for great storytelling.
carlylu's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
juvation's review
5.0
I'm a sucker for genres which combine the normal with the supernatural - Rowling, Pullman, Gaiman, all that - which means I read a fair amount of YA stuff. And so this is right up my alley. The Wild is a refreshing and original take on the fairy tale universe, but it's not all happy endings...