53 pages • 1 hour read
Chris ColferThe Wishing Spell
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Rapunzel’s Tower”
The twins pass into the Corner Kingdom and find Rapunzel’s tower, which is overgrown with ivy. Wanting to see the place where Rapunzel lived, Alex climbs the tower, struggling to find handholds the entire way. When she gets to the top, Conner is waiting for her. The journal details the staircase Rapunzel had installed after she escaped, and Conner found it while Alex climbed.
The journal also contains a story written by its author. He traveled to Alex and Conner’s world, fell in love, and searched for the Wishing Spell ingredients to go back. The spell ingredients include eight items: Cinderella’s glass slipper, the Little Mermaid’s dagger, Red Riding Hood’s basket, the joint crown of the trolls and goblins, the spindle Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on, Rapunzel’s hair, jewels from Snow White’s coffin, and the tear of a fairy. The objects are listed in a riddle, and except for the dagger and crown, the twins figure out what the items are. They find a lock of Rapunzel’s hair between two floorboards, which puts them one step closer to the potion and also makes them realize how difficult the search will be. As they gaze out over the view from the tower, Conner predicts “we’re going to see more of the Land of Stories than we thought” (149).
Chapter 8 Summary: “A Hidden Place”
Chapter 8 follows the Evil Queen, who escaped from the dungeon with the magic mirror that was supposed to be destroyed. She’s taken refuge in an abandoned castle in Sleeping Beauty’s kingdom, where she meets with the huntsman she once sent to kill Snow White. The Evil Queen tasks the huntsman with retrieving the Wishing Spell ingredients. He is too old and frail to complete the task, but his daughter is willing to help. The huntsman’s daughter found the Mirror of Truth, a mirror that shows a person’s true self, to prove her abilities and loyalty.
The Evil Queen accepts the girl as her huntress and asks her magic mirror for the ingredient list. The mirror gives it and adds two pieces of information. First, the Wishing Spell may only be used twice and has already been used once, and second, that Alex and Conner have already started collecting items. The Evil Queen sends the huntress after the items. She’ll take care of Alex and Conner herself because after a lifetime of preparation, she “wasn’t about to let two children stand in her way” (159).
Chapter 9 Summary: “The Charming Kingdom”
The twins spend the night in Rapunzel’s tower and set off for the Charming Kingdom to look for Cinderella’s slipper. After a while, they come to a bridge over a stream, where a troll jumps out and demands they answer a riddle to cross. While Alex puzzles over the riddle, Conner crosses through the water and waits for her on the other side, where she joins him after answering correctly.
According to the journal, Cinderella’s slippers are kept in the royal palace. Cinderella is hosting a ball that night. Alex and Conner try to sneak in, but their sloppy appearances and lack of invitations don’t get them very far. Conner claims their parents, the people who invented wishing wells, are inside, and they are about to be kicked out when the head of the royal guard vouches for them and takes them inside. The guard knows they’re sneaking in, but he was amused enough by their attempt to take pity on them and offers them a tour, which Alex and Conner accept.
The castle and ball are magnificent, complete with guests in all manner of finery and golden archways and chandeliers. A pregnant Cinderella and King Charming enter, and Alex is swept away by how beautiful and handsome they are. Next, the guard shows the twins portraits of the Charming line, including Prince Charlie, who disappeared many years ago. Finally, the guard brings them to the display room, where the glass slippers are kept. Cinderella is there and shows the twins the many objects in the room, letting Alex hold one of the slippers. Alex asks Cinderella what it’s like to be queen, and Cinderella opens up about the challenges she’s faced adjusting to royal life—earning the respect of the people and realizing her husband and unborn child are so important. Though she knows they need the slipper, Alex puts it back on the pedestal, unable to take it after the kindness Cinderella has shown.
Soldiers from Snow White’s kingdom arrive with news that the Mirror of Truth has been stolen. Cinderella parts ways with Alex and Conner, who find an overnight delivery wagon going toward the Red Riding Hood Kingdom. Alex reaches into her bag for the journal but finds one of the glass slippers. They puzzle over how they got it, and Conner concludes “our trip to the Charming Kingdom wasn’t such a waste after all” (195).
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
The Wishing Spell ingredients in Chapter 7 foreshadow how Alex and Conner will travel across the fairy-tale world and meet the characters from the stories. They also show that, despite all the stories their dad and grandma used to read, the twins don’t have all the tales memorized, evidenced by how they puzzle over the dagger and crown. The magic mirror’s explanation of the Wishing Spell in Chapter 8 is met with no questions, showing that the queen and huntress know what all the items are. The fact the Wishing Spell can only be used once more adds a level of urgency to both the queen’s and the twins’ searches, even though Alex and Conner are unaware of the limitation.
The troll bridge in Chapter 9 is another example of Alex and Conner’s different approaches to fairy tales. While Alex puzzles out the riddle, Conner crosses through the water, showing the rules established in fairy tales can be broken. The troll only has dominion over the bridge. If someone chooses to cross the stream, either before or after engaging him, the troll has no power to stop them. Unlike in the tale of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” the riddle does not need to be answered. Alex chooses to answer it because she likes puzzles and because she wants to feel like she’s part of a fairy tale. Conner doesn’t have the same need to feel like he’s in a story and has no problem skipping the riddle, even if the alternative means he gets wet.
Chapter 9 is Alex and Conner’s first interaction with a named fairy-tale character. Cinderella’s position as queen and coming child introduce the idea that Every Story Has Multiple Perspectives, one of the book’s main themes. Cinderella’s kind nature shows that the stories known in the real world are accurate to the fairy-tale people they represent. Alex replacing the glass slipper shows she’s a true hero, and the guard who slips the slipper into Alex’s backpack foreshadows Alex and Conner learning about their dad’s past.
