Worlds Collide: The Land of Stories, Book 6

Name: Worlds Collide: The Land of Stories, Book 6
Item: Worlds Collide: The Land of Stories, Book 6
Rating: 4
Author: Mary Eisenhart

Book review by

Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media

Worlds Collide: The Land of Stories, Book 6 Book Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

(i)

Wacky humor, tugged heartstrings in fast-paced finale.

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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 2 reviews

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

Educational Value

Lots of sights, sounds, and history of New York City, with a helpful map included. Characters from literature include King Arthur, Merlin, Robin Hood, Peter Pan, and more. In one scene, authors Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, and James M. Barrie are conjured up with a potion.

Positive Messages

All the messages we've come to expect from the series return: friendship and family bonds are important, put your (however unlikely) talents to use at just the right moment, work with a team, don't let self-doubt keep you from accomplishing your goals. Inner qualities matter, appearances don't. We also get lots of reminders that storytellers are a lifeline to kids and sometimes actually save the world.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Once again, our heroes do some questionable things, from fare-jumping the subway turnstiles to hornswoggling the TSA, that probably wouldn't work so well in real life, but they're saving the world, after all.

Violence

Will New York be nuked? Maybe. Meanwhile, one character begs another to kill her before she does more harm. A villainous character kidnaps the baby of one of the heroes and threatens to make him into a potion. Witches enslave Boy and Girl Scouts. Lots of mostly cartoonish hacking, slashing, zapping, dismemberment, and death in battle.

Sex

Several references to the excruciating pain of childbirth. Two teens "haven't defined their relationship," which leads to one brief but intense kiss. In a flash-forward, we learn that another future couple married and had children and grandchildren.

Language

Occasional "crap," "butt," "bastards." A double entendre quip about "old queens."

Consumerism

Plenty of references to earlier books in the series, equal parts plot summary and product placement. One hysterical interlude finds a character mistaking Febreze for perfume.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Normally hard-drinking Mother Goose and several pirates are mostly too busy to party this time around, but the empty bottles come in handy as weapons.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while this is the conclusion of the Land of Stories series, author Chris Colfer drops some pretty broad hints that we haven't seen the last of these worlds. Along the way, he delivers plenty of what his fans have come to love: wacky situations, heartfelt life lessons, and cosmic conflict, this time involving good and evil characters from many different worlds battling through half of New York City's landmarks. There's not much to worry about here; the violence and shenanigans are cartoonish, and the language mild (occasional "crap," "butt," "bastards"). With all the characters and plot lines from the series converging, there's a lot of ground to cover; Colfer wraps it up nicely. And seems to leave a door or two open for more.

Parent of a 9, 11, and 12 year old Written byL L. November 8, 2017

age 18+

Dumbed Down/Not For Brighter Children/Sexuality

1. The story, was a complete let down. Cliches. Continued reliance of common adult phrases or profanity/slang reworded (example "Witch, please"). Dum... Continue reading

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Parent of a 6, 9, and 11 year old Written byMr E. February 14, 2018

age 10+

Good Finale

I think the story wrapped up the series pretty well. For the more conservative it should be noted that there are two very subtle references to sets of parents b... Continue reading

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Teen, 14 years old Written bysmoses16yay August 21, 2017

age 10+

Amazing

Its very good!!! I love it so much!!!! There are a few words like crap, bastard, damn and such but nothing too bad. The plot is great and i finished it in 4 day... Continue reading

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Kid, 11 years old July 2, 2018

age 10+

Epic conclusion!

I think that this was an amazing conclusion to the series! All the loose ends came together! It has an open ending, leaving us to ponder on what might happen ne... Continue reading

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What's the story?

When WORLDS COLLIDE this time, it's not just our world and the fairy tale world. Oh no, also clashing in the streets of New York in this interdimensional epic are heroes and villains from assorted literary works, plus the half-baked fictional creations of protagonist Conner Bailey's younger days -- in short, pretty much the entire cast of the previous Land of Stories series. Will Conner be able to rally his forces, free twin Alex (currently under a curse and laying waste to the city), and save the world, or will the villains have their way? Or, will the U.S. Marines nuke New York and Alex before Conner can break the curse?

Is it any good?

Heroes and villains from fairy tales, literature, and a middle schooler's fevered imagination duke it out in the Big Apple as Chris Colfer brings his fairy-tale-world series to a satisfying close. With all the plot lines from previous installments all converging in the epic finale, he's got a lot of ground to cover, and many returning characters are reduced to cameo appearances, but they're often pretty memorable. Fans of the unfortunate Froggy (trapped inside a magic mirror) will be in heaven as the amphibious prince battles curses, foils villains, and shines as a quiet hero. Protagonist and Colfer alter ego Conner Bailey harnesses the power of storytelling to battle dark forces -- and, maybe, passes the torch.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about whether Worlds Collide does a good job of wrapping up the Land of Stories series. Have you read the other books in the series? Which volume do you like best?
Which characters would you like to read more about if there happen to be more stories?
One of the big themes in Worlds Collide is the way writing can change the world. Do you agree? Have you ever read something that completely changed the way you felt about some idea or issue?

Book details

Author: Chris Colfer
Illustrator: Brandon Dorman
Genre: Fantasy
Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Book Characters, Brothers and Sisters, Fairy Tales, Friendship
Book type: Fiction
Publisher: Litt
Publication date: July 11, 2017
Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
Number of pages: 448
Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle