This has a fun premise, and the ending brought it up to 3 stars for me. I can see why this series is popular. But the writing is not so good. There are some serious gaps in logic and a lack of explanation at times, as well as some slightly more mature humor in a few cases (which will go over most middle-graders' heads). If a reader were looking for chapter books with a fairy tale basis, I *might* still suggest this. Sorry Kurt.