Book four in the Land of Stories series, in which a twin brother and sister from our world find they have a family connection to a land of fairy tale characters. This one, as the title suggests, takes us beyond the fairy tale kingdoms we've already seen and sends the twins and their friends on an adventure through a series of other familiar stories.

The plot setup and backstory stuff we get here is pretty ridiculous and contrived, even by kids' book standards, and like the previous volumes, this one is slow to really get going. But once it does, it's a lot of fun. Watching our now-familiar characters interacting with a whole new series of fictional acquaintances is a hoot, and had me laughing out loud several times.

Unlike the earlier books in the series, this one doesn't even remotely pretend to have a self-contained plot, and instead ends on about five different cliffhangers. Guess I'll have to get to the next one soon! ( )

This is a little bit less than the previous few books, but still highly enjoyable. ( )

Asúmelo, no tienes opción -le dijo Alex al Hombre Enmascarado-. ¡Hay solo una manera de bajar, y vendrás con nosotros! El Hombre Enmascarado introdujo una mano en el bolsillo de su chaqueta y extrajo un libro pequeño de cubierta dorada y un frasco que contenía una poción azul. De inmediato, Alex notó que la ampolla de vidrio era la botella que él había robado del Palacio de las Hadas. -Estás equivocada -dijo él en voz baja-. Siempre hay una opción. El Hombre Enmascarado rodó por el techo y cayó a toda velocidad de regreso a la tierra. Los mellizos gritaron y corrieron hacia el borde para mirar hacia abajo. El Hombre Enmascarado cayó a través de las nubes y desapareció de la vista. Cuarta entrega de la exitosa serie. ( )

Fairy tales are just the beginning.
The Masked Man is on the loose in the Land of Stories, and it's up to Alex and Conner Bailey to stop him... except Alex has been thrown off the Fairy Council, and no one will believe they're in danger.
With only the help of the ragtag group of Goldilocks, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and Mother Goose and her gander, Lester, the Bailey twins discover the Masked Man's secret scheme: He possesses a powerful magic potion that turns every book it touches into a portal, and he is recruiting an army of literature's greatest villains!
So begins a race through the magical Land of Oz, the fantastical world of Neverland, the madness of Wonderland, and beyond. Can Alex and Conner catch up to the Masked Man, or will they be one step behind until it's too late?

The only vaguely likeable character is the gander, Lester, who doesn't talk...and that says it all.
Some of the ideas in the book are interesting, so it is a shame that they (along with the characters) are very badly developed and that the writing never improves in the course of all the books. ( )