Miniviews #9: Dream Factory & The Storybook of Legends

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler
Publication Date: May 17th, 2007
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 256
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3/5

When I heard about Dream Factory a few months ago I knew I had to pick it up right away. The story is about a bunch of kids that get hired because the character actors at Disney World go on strike. As someone who is Disney obsessed as well as having worked there this just sounded like a Brittany book. You've got the backdrop of the Magic Kingdom, the Disney references and college age kids doing what I was doing when I lived there(having a good time). I did find Dream Factory cute, enjoyed the setting and some of the secondary characters. I just couldn't love it. We've got two POV's, Ella and Luke. They're both there for different reasons but really they both needed to get away from their families and really figure out what they want to do with their lives. Luke and Ella are also tip toeing around their feelings for each other. Which was kind of annoying and not really cute. But they get each other when no one else does. They're both kind of weird and say weird things that only the other person gets and has an answer to.
 I found myself bored with the story quite a bit. So I had to take breaks and pick up something else. And I also found myself nit picking over the details of their work environment. Which is fully me, and will have nothing to do with a lot of other readers. Where it's obvious that Barkley and Hepler did some research on the systematic's of the Magic Kingdom and the living conditions for the Disney College Program I just couldn't stop myself from finding all the faults and impossibilities. Unfortunately that was just me being way to overly critical  in a book that there was need to be.
Anyhow, Dream Factory is a cute story about Ella and Luke trying to find themselves well finding each other with the backdrop of the Magic Kingdom.

The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale
Publication Date: October 8th, 2013
Publisher: Little Brown
Pages: 305
Series: Ever After High
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5

So this was a total cover buy for me. It's gorgeous. And luckily the inside is just as adorable. The story takes place at a boarding school for the children of fairy tale characters. These kids are studying and taking classes so they can prepare themselves to become the storybook characters their parents are. And than on Legacy Day the students sign the Storybook of  Legends to seal their fate. But not everyone wants whats supposedly  in store for them. Like Raven Queen who is the daughter of the Evil Queen. Raven is the total opposite of her mother; polite, nice and loving. Although everyone expects her to be evil and mean. And for the most part a lot of the students stay away from her. But she does have her close friends that understand her and don't necessarily want what's in store for themselves either. Raven's roommate is Apple White, the daughter of Snow White. Apple is the epitome of a good princess. She wants to her fate and she's scared that Raven is going to ruin it for her.
I really like Raven. She's strong and isn't afraid to be herself. She's on a mission to figure out a different future for herself if she doesn't sign her fate away. Raven and Apple do strike up an unlikely friendship and understanding. Apple wants to help Raven see that signing the book is the only option and as good as her intentions are, we know what good intentions usually lead to.
Storybook of Legends has pretty much everything I like in my middle grade reads. Fast paced, cute, fantastic character development with an enjoyable story. I can't wait to continue on with the series and see just how much Raven can change the storybook world.

Happy reading!

Brittany