Synopsis
Beware the Wild—it bites.
Ever since Julie Marchen helped defeat the fairytale world of the Wild, life's been pretty much back to normal. That is, as normal as life can be for a girl whose mom is Rapunzel. Yes, that Rapunzel.
Then the Wild mysteriously releases Zel's prince (Julie's dad!)—a rescue-minded hero who crashes full-speed ahead into the 21st century! (YOU try teaching a 500-year-old prince to use a seatbelt.) Julie's over the moon, but when a wicked Fairy Godmother kidnaps Sleeping Beauty and reawakens the Wild, Julie and her dad set off on an action-packed adventure to save the distressed damsel… and the world. If they can't, they'll spend eternity in a fairytale.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6
Like a television show that loses steam in its second season, Durst's sequel to Into the Wild (Penguin, 2007) seems less fresh and therefore not as much fun as the original. Once again, 12-year-old Julie struggles to control the fairy-tale world imprisoned under her bed. Most of her family has escaped the nightmarish, repetitive life of fairy tales and are happy to try to exist in the real world, but when The Wild spits her father out, his unfamiliarity with life outside jeopardizes the future of the world. He's Rapunzel's prince and only knows about rescuing princesses, so Julie must protect him as she tries to attend to her friendships and a budding romance. Even readers who relished the first book will probably find this one stale.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY