The Land of Stories Books in Order
Part ofChris Colfer Books in OrderSee all The Land of Stories novels by Chris Colfer in order, with short summaries, series background, reading order notes, and guidance on where new readers should start.
Last updated: December 23, 2025
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Publication Order
6 books
Worlds Collide
by Chris Colfer
2017
In the series finale, a portal opens at the New York Public Library and fairy tale villains spill into modern Manhattan. With Alex under a dark curse, Conner and their friends fight to protect both worlds and write a different ending for their story.
An Author's Odyssey
by Chris Colfer
2016
The Masked Man has captured the royal families and commands literature's worst villains. Desperate, Alex and Conner dive into Conner's own short stories, recruiting pirates, superheroes, mummies, and more from his imagination for one last stand to save both worlds.
Beyond the Kingdoms
by Chris Colfer
2015
The Masked Man has escaped with a potion that turns beloved books into portals. Banished from the Fairy Council, Alex teams up with Conner and their friends to chase him through Oz, Neverland, Wonderland, and other classics before he recruits an army of villains.
A Grimm Warning
by Chris Colfer
2014
As Alex trains to become Fairy Godmother, Conner travels to Germany and uncovers a lost Brothers Grimm story that warns of an invading army. Separated by worlds, the twins must reunite to protect the Land of Stories from a very real war.
The Enchantress Returns
by Chris Colfer
2013
Back in the real world, the twins think their adventures are over, until the Enchantress who cursed Sleeping Beauty kidnaps their mother. Alex and Conner defy their grandmother and journey back into the fairy tale kingdoms to build the Wand of Wonderment and save her.
The Wishing Spell
by Chris Colfer
2012
Twins Alex and Conner Bailey fall through a magical book into the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real. To get home they must race the Evil Queen to assemble the enchanted ingredients for the one-time-only Wishing Spell.
Series background & context
The Land of Stories is a middle grade fantasy series about twins Alex and Conner Bailey, who fall through a treasured book and discover that the fairy tales they grew up with are still unfolding in a connected set of kingdoms. The six main novels mix fast quests, big emotions, and tongue in cheek humor.
In The Wishing Spell the twins are grieving their father's death when a birthday gift from their grandmother pulls them into the Land of Stories. To get home they must race the Evil Queen to gather enchanted items for a legendary spell, meeting everyone from Cinderella and Snow White to Goldilocks and a very flustered Queen Red Riding Hood along the way.
The later books keep raising the stakes. The Enchantress Returns brings the twins back to rescue their kidnapped mother from the sorceress who once cursed Sleeping Beauty, and A Grimm Warning introduces a long lost warning from the Brothers Grimm and a human army that has been marching toward the fairy tale world for two hundred years.
Beyond the Kingdoms and An Author's Odyssey send Alex and Conner out of the traditional fairy tale map and into other stories. A masked villain uses a potion to step into books like The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the twins have to chase him through those classics and even through Conner's own short stories to recruit allies.
In the finale, Worlds Collide, the barrier between the Land of Stories and our world shatters at the New York Public Library. Fairy tale heroes and villains spill into Manhattan, and Alex and Conner have to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect both homes they love.
Across the series you can expect a playful mix of jokes, big set pieces, and emotional beats. Colfer lets well known characters grow older, fall in love, and make mistakes, and he often gives so called villains painful backstories that ask readers to think about compassion and second chances.
The Land of Stories works well for confident readers who enjoy long series, usually around ages 8 to 13. If you like fairy tales remixed with modern humor, found family, and quests that keep getting larger, this is the core sequence of Chris Colfer's fantasy universe.
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