Storybound by Marissa Burt was a childhood favorite of mine, and I still enjoy coming back to it and reminiscing. It’s simple and fun, and a creative twist on the fairytales every child grew up with. Like the rest of Marissa Burt’s work, it is unconsciously Christian and features some touching allegories that I still discover anew even today.
In the land of Story, kids go to school to learn to be the perfect character: a brave Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They dream of the day when they will live out Tales written just for them.
But when an ordinary girl named Una Fairchild finds herself Written In to Story, she discovers that the magical land is threatened by a dark secret. As she digs deep into Story’s shadowy past, Una realizes that she is tied to the world in ways she never could have imagined—and it may be up to her to save it.
Amazon Blurb
I greatly enjoyed the enchanting world of Story, with its various districts and subtle references. I liked Indy and Kai and Sam and was so glad that the various characters were never forgotten or left out — all had a part to play and were never just filler. Storybound and its sequel Story’s End are both perfectly clean. There is some minor violence, but no gore, no language whatsoever, and only a little grossness with the zombies… spoiler alert! It also revealed itself as Christian in surprising and unexpected ways that weren’t preachy or blatant.
These middle-grade fantasy books would be perfect for any fan of The Land of Stories, Archives of Anthropos, or The Hero’s Guide series, and any lover of fairytales. For lovers of nursery rhymes and myth, check out Burt’s A Sliver of Stardust and A Legend of Starfire.
You can connect with Marissa Burt and stay up-to-date on her latest projects here.
Also, just for fun, since this post was a little short, I thought I’d include this lovely quote I came across that I absolutely want to share with you, but can’t really find a suitable place for. I’ve lent many of my books, including some of Marissa Burt’s, and I felt that I could particularly resonate with this.
“I give hearty and humble thanks for the safe return of this book, which having endured the perils of my friend’s bookcase and the bookcases of my friend’s friends, now returns to me in reasonably good condition. I give hearty and humble thanks that my friend did not see fit to give this book to his infant for a plaything… When I loaned this book, I deemed it as lost; I was resigned to the business of the long parting; I never thought to look upon its pages again. But now that my book has come back to me, I rejoice and am exceedingly glad! Bring hither the fatted morocco and let us rebind the volume and set it on the shelf of honor, for this my book was lent and is returned again. Presently, therefore, I may return some of the books I myself have borrowed.”
Christopher Morley, “On the Return of a Book Lent to a Friend”
This made me laugh out loud and think rather guiltily of the large pile of books on my dresser that do not belong to me.
Anyway, have a lovely week. Arrivederci!
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