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Hello everyone, E here! Today I will share an amazing book series for tweens and teens called the Half Upon a Time Trilogy. The books in the series are Half Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Time, and Once Upon the End.

This book series by James Riley, whom you may know from the more popular Story Thieves books, creates an interesting and humorous world filled with characters from fairy tales. Though it seems like this gimmick has been done to death, this trilogy finds its own footing among the rest and brings some new and inventive ideas to the sub-genre.

About This Book Series for Tweens

To be honest, I only checked out Half Upon a Time because I recently remembered I really liked Shrek and was looking for something similar. Half Upon a Time came up in the library search engine’s recommended books, and I couldn’t be happier I found it. 

The first book revolves around Jack. He is the 14-year-old son of Jack from Jack in the Beanstalk and a failing hero. In the story, May, a girl from our world, hits Jack on the head. Jack is convinced May is a Princess of Punk because of a tee-shirt. Together, they must team up with a teenaged Prince Phillip to save May’s Grandmother (who may be Snow White) from the mysterious men (who may work for the Evil Queen) who kidnapped her.

Unfortunately, I don’t want to spoil the twist ending of Half Upon a Time. Therefore, I can’t tell you the plots of the next two books in the series. It would reveal too much of the surprise ending in the first book. You will just have to read them for yourself.  

Why I Like These Book

One thing I liked about the Half Upon a Time Trilogy has a very diverse cast of characters, mostly from fairy tales, but they do have others they make up for the books. Riley, the author, is very good at taking famous fictional people and giving them unique and intricate personalities. Just because someone is good in the original stories doesn’t mean they will be in this, not usually evil, but they can be nasty. The same goes for the “villain” figures. Some that come to mind are Peter Pan, Ariel, and Genie. Wait until you see what they are like in the stories. It might surprise you.

The Trilogies are light-hearted and humorous while sometimes dipping into darker territory. For instance, there is a prophecy about Jack and Phillip, one will betray May, and the other will die. Most of the humor comes from the bickering protagonists and May being misunderstood by the rest of the cast. The books have strong themes of heroism, appearances, and destiny, along with well-written character arcs. Jack, in particular, has a surprising and unusual arc in this book series for tweens.

In conclusion, I would recommend this book series, Half Upon a Time Trilogy by James Riley to kids in the middle grades. It is a fun, fast-paced read kids will love. It is full of fun characters with familiar names and an impressive amount of good twists and turns. If you want a good time with some adventure and fairy-tale flair, I would check it out!

If you enjoy diving into a good book series, you might also like the N.E.R.D.S. Book Series, The Last Kids on Earth, and 12 Book Series Recommended for Tweens by Tweens.