Twelve-year-old Julie Marchen isn’t a normal girl. She knew that from the beginning, when she found out her brother was a five hundred-year-old cat called Puss ‘n Boots. Her mother is called Zel, which is short for Rapunzel, and her grandmother is a wicked witch named Gothel. Not only that, but her weird family has been placed in charge of the last remnant of the Wild Woods (where all the fairy tales once lived).
Into the Wild is Sarah Beth Durst’s first novel, but she writes this one like a pro. The sequel Out of the Wild just arrived on book shelves. From the subject matter and the writing, it’s easy to see that Durst loves fairy tales, as do many kids.
Julie resents her life because she can’t be normal. Imagine going to school and telling people your brother is a five-hundred-year old cat. Then imagine going to school and trying not to tell your friends that. Or any of the other weird things about her family. Imagine growing up without your father and never knowing exactly what happened to him.
Zel operates a hair style shop (after all, learning to take care of all that hair had to have taught her something) and Gothel runs the local Wishing Well Motel. Julie’s mother tries to explain to her how important it is that they keep the Wild from growing. While the Wild Woods was on the loose, all the fairy tale people and creatures were held captive, doomed to live the same stories over and over again. Only Rapunzel found a way to escape the enchanted forest and managed to lead the others to freedom.
I was immediately intrigued by the premise, as was my ten year old when I read it to him. This book is a great read-aloud for summer evenings with the kids. I really liked the zany way the characters were presented, and how Durst played fairly with what those characters might be in the real world.
Julie doesn’t get her mom’s friends. Cindy (Cinderella) is now a speed demon – probably from living by that midnight curfew for so long. And the worst of the lot is the seven dwarves because they’re always grumpy and fussing, and Zel’s door is always open to them.
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