Twelve-year-old Julie has grown up hearing about the dangerous world of fairy tales, The Wild, from which her mother, Rapunzel, escaped. Now The Wild wants its characters back. Julie comes home from school to find her mother gone and a deep, dark forest swallowing her hometown. Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass slippers and fairy godmothers, fly griffins, and outwit ogres in order to rescue her mom and save her Massachusetts town from becoming a fairy-tale kingdom. Sarah Beth Durst weaves a postmodern fairy tale that's fresh, funny, and sweetly poignant.

Ever since twelve-year-old Julie Marchen helped defeat the fairy-tale world of the Wild, life's been about as normal as can be—for a girl whose brother is Puss-in-Boots and whose mom is Rapunzel. After nearly taking over her hometown, the Wild is safely back where it belongs: right under Julie's bed. Then it suddenly spits out Julie's dad—Rapunzel's prince—and things take a seriously enchanted turn. He's gallant, he's handsome, and he's totally clueless about life in the 20th century! (You try teaching a five hundred year old prince how to text message.) When Julie's daring dad dashes off to save a kidnapped Sleeping Beauty, she must embark on a magical cross-country adventure to bring him home, protect the family secret, and while she's at it, save the world! Because if she fails, everyone will spend eternity in a fairy tale.