Durst's Into the Wild

This book gets five stars for the idea (fairy tale characters have escaped from their world of repetition to our world, only to be sucked back in), and fewer for execution. I loved the idea of Rapunzel's daughter trying to save her mother and all of her friends from "the Wild", but got very confused as to how this all happened.

I loved all of the allusions to the Grimm tales, and thought it was because my own ill-considered half-written novel used those tales, but apparently my opinion was shared. My students have been asking for books that includes spins on classic tales like The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde (2000) and McKinley's Spindle's End (2000) and Beauty (1978). Napoli's books, especially Zel, are popular, so it's fun to see Rapunzel appear in this one as well. There's a lot of action and adventure, and there is room for another book. 

I enjoyed this, but have to agree with this assessment: "Although the logic of the Wild doesn't bear close scrutiny, the concept behind the story is sufficiently clever that many readers will forgive its inconsistencies." (Booklist)