Scott Reintgen does it again! He easily re-captures the magic and whimsy of the first book in this serious, Saving Fable, with this stunning sequel. I still adore Indira and loved meeting a new cast of characters and diving deeper into the multi-faceted world that Reintgen has carefully constructed. This is definitely going to be a middle grade classic!

Escaping Ordinary is a sequel to Saving Fable. The story is unique. Authors work with characters. The characters build story houses. The characters are trained in a school so that they can create stories. The main character’s name is Indira. She gets sent on training to improve her teamwork skills. The training gets hijacked by an author who wants to turn the ‘story’ world into a video game. How can Indira and her friends drive away the author?

I did not read the first book so I had questions about story houses, about the Prep, and how the characters have superpowers. Be sure to pick up the first book in this series before reading this one. The concept of editors having superpowers was funny.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Category: middle-grade fantasy
Publication year: 2021

Fun story! I hadn't realized this was a sequel until after requesting as it was suggested to my while I was looking up Blood Sworn by the same author. Still, I'm glad I found this series and really enjoyed reading this one!

Escaping Ordinary is the fast paced and exciting sequel to Saving Fable. We again follow Indira as she works to improve herself as a character. We start out just as she has finished her first novel and is hoping to be chosen for a sequel. She is sent on to the Hero's Tutorial in order to gain the skills and experience needed to star in a successful follow up novel. Of course, things go awry almost immediately and Indira has to learn to trust and empower her team to become the hero's of their own story. 

To start, I really enjoy Indira as a character. She's a great role model and a very strong female lead. We get a lot more of Phoenix also, which made me very happy. There are also a group of new characters who I really really enjoyed. The author does a great job of including diverse characters with unique abilities that may not always be overtly obvious, which is especially great for young readers to see.

I really loved this sequel. It's so creative and whimsical and it embodies everything great about the middle grade fantasy genre. This has a little bit for everyone; strong female lead, action and adventure (a dragon!!), pop culture references and humor. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys middle grade books but mostly to young readers. The concept of this series is so interesting and I think this is a series that could get non readers excited about reading. Highly recommend.

4/5 Stars 

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!** 

I am enjoying my time with these books. It's creative, Imaginative, adventurous, and perfect for book lovers. I don't want to say too much as this is a sequel. I just had the best time reading this. I read this all in one sitting, I didn't want to put it down. I highly recommend giving this series a read.

<i>"Indira stood. 'Any final words of wisdom?'
Penelope's eyes shone. 'Aim true.'
'It sounds like an awfully big adventure,' Wendy said. 'Do not forget to have some fun.'
Juliet smiled. 'Defy the stars.'"

<i>"Is anyone the same person they were at the start of the story? So much can happen! So much can change! I am the same as them, and at the same time I am who I am now."</i>

Sequels are tricky things, aren't they? 
Sometimes, they're just as good as, if not better than, the first installment. (See: <i>Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers</i> or, so I'm told, <i>Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back</i>.) 
And, sometimes, they're the least favorite of a series. (See: <i>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</i>.)  This isn't to say, of course, that the book is bad; after all, CoS is still an excellent book. It's just not *as* good as the others. 

But I have to say: <i>Escaping Ordinary</i> fell into the former category for me. 

Goodreads reminded me of what I loved so much about <i>Saving Fable</i>:
<i>To be fair, it has several elements which are automatic pluses for me:
--Meta-commentary in the form of characters who *know* they're characters in a book (I'm looking at you, Thursday Next): ✔︎
--Authors who break the Fourth Wall and directly address the reader: ✔︎
--Strong Female Character: ✔︎
--NO LOVE TRIANGLE 🎉: ✔︎</i>

All four* of those traits hold true for this second book, and yet it's not a rehash of <i>Saving Fable</i> -- thank goodness. Whereas <i>Saving Fable</i> was "<i>a love letter to books -- to characters, authors, readers, librarians</i>", <i>Escaping Ordinary</i> feels like more of a love letter to authors, to teachers -- and to young writers. 
Perhaps that's because I know that one of the courses (which I think Scott may have taught...?) at Duke Young Writer's Camp is the "Hero's Journey," and I can vividly recall the campers sharing their Fictional Quests at Reader's Forum. 
There are fewer literary character allusions -- with the notable exceptions of (1) the reference to Aragorn running the Boot Camp and (2) the council of Penelope (The Odyssey), Wendy (Peter Pan) and Juliet (Romeo & Juliet -- and much more likable than her counterpart!) advising Indira before The Ordeal (and which gave me total Avengers vibes, where all the strong female characters show up to support each other) -- which was, I think, a smart choice. While I missed them, this book went in a different direction: it was less about Book World and more about the Writing Process.

The theory of the Hero's Journey underpins the whole book -- both explicitly, in the tutorial that Indira & company set off on, and implicitly, in that even when the tutorial is derailed, the book still follows the steps of the quest. 
(I don't think it's a coincidence that while Indira & Co. don't make it to the "Approach to the Inmost Cave" step of the tutorial, they do, however, meet Cavern and also literally venture underground, all while Indira comes to terms with what she needs to do...)

I also got strong Rick Riordan vibes, in that the book subtly teaches you while entertaining you. (To use a Disney term, it's "edutainment.") In much the same way that you can't read the Percy Jackson books without retaining at least a bare minimum of information on Greek mythology, young readers will likely retain the info about the Hero's Journey in a similar manner. 

I did miss a few of my favorite characters -- Maxi, Deus -- but just when I really got to missing their role in the story, they popped up, and all was well. 
The same cannot be said for Peeve, though...and I feel like that was left open-ended, so hopefully she'll make a return in a later installment. *fingers crossed*

Random Thoughts...
--*I did say there was no love triangle -- and that's not entirely true for this book...? We're introduced to the possibility of one, although it doesn't actually manifest. I actually thought (but just for a moment!) that we wouldn't address that third character, only to circle back to it in the end. (I never doubted, truly.) I'm curious as to who this third character could be, even though I don't love triangles (pun intended!), and can't wait to see how this is handled.
--With all this talk of conflict between kingswolves and dragons, I got major Game of Thrones vibes. 
--And I know he was a lacrosse player, but.......a navy athletic shirt with the number 23? The ceiling is the roof, man. The ceiling is the roof. #tarheelborntarheelbred
--And finally, I don't know how many people read the Acknowledgements, but I loved the nods to Bland Simpson and Alan Shapiro, pillars of the UNC Writing department, and which made me recall all my time spent in Greenlaw...

I can't wait to read what's next.

Escaping Ordinary by Scott Reintgen  (Talespinner #2)  4.5 stars

A sequel to last years "Saving Fable", we find Indira Story looking forward to well earned break after being the protagonist of "Indira Story and the Thunder Brothers".  However, she is assigned to a tutorial called "The Hero's Journey" with other students from Protagonist Prep.  The tutorial is to teach her the value of teamwork and maybe see if she has some chemistry with her friend and fellow student, Phoenix.   What follows is an action packed adventure, filled with scary scenes, teachable moments and witty dialogue.  

I really enjoyed this book, it fulfilled my expectations and then some.  Not only an adventure book for middle graders, but the plot illustrates the creation of the "story".  From the need for a beginning, middle and end, to the elements of the "Hero's Journey" - Star Wars anyone...  Indira has to rein in her impulses to rush in and save the day and accept that other characters can contribute to the desirable outcome.  I can't wait for the next Talespinners book - Breaking Badlands (September 2021)

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children"s for this ARC.

Just as awesome as [book:Saving Fable|44093028] which I also loved!  This series is so fun.  While this is the second book in the series, and reading the first book would be helpful in getting to know Indira's backstory and the magic system and the workings of the world, I feel like you could probably read this as a standalone.  The storyline is not really connected to Saving Fable, and while there is some overlap of characters they are on a completely different adventure.  You should still read Saving Fable because it is excellent.

If you like middle grade, have a young reader, or are in need of a whimsical adventure story pick this up.  As a mom of a young reader I love that this has such great messages about teamwork and friendship, and encourages such a love of reading.  I love how vividly Reintgen describes the reader's connection to the story, and gives life to his characters.  As you read want all of the characters to get selected for their own story because you come to like them so much.  I recommend this series to everyone who is looking for a good fantasy story because it makes me remember why I love reading and it is so much fun.

Much like in Saving Fable, Indira and her friends are on another journey that goes haywire and they have to save the land before everything is destroyed forever.  This time they are up against a powerful foe, and Indira and her team have to learn to work together and use their strengths to complement one another or they will fail and some of our most beloved stories will be lost forever.  Again I loved that this is a nod to not only book lovers, but books in general.  It has references to other great books and some of the other heroes that Indira and her team encounter on "The Hero's Journey" tutorial are characters everyone will recognize.   I was glad to see that some of my favorite characters were back to help Indira on this quest and that they will hopefully be back in the next book.  

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Escaping Ordinary is the second story in the Talespinners series. It is a fascinating way to tell how stories come together. In this book, you go through the beginning, middle and end with the big plot. This lines up well with what I am studying in english class.

Another thing I like is it explores how no one person can be perfect or do it alone. Indira really needs to learn to work with others and not rely entirely on herself. This is something middle graders to see/read/hear. I think we can often believe we have to be perfect at everything and not ask for help. I know it is something I am working on. I can see asking for help as failure but it is not. A story like this really shows how the failure is not asking and trying to do it alone.

I really recommend this series to kids who like adventures, those stories that break the fourth wall but don’t entirely, those curious the mechanics of storytelling and well kids who just need to escape. I can’t wait for another adventure.

As a huge fan of Saving Fable, the first in the TaleSpinners series, I have been eagerly anticipating this sequel - and it did not disappoint!  I loved getting to know Indira and her friends in the first book, but I loved seeing the connections go deeper in this book.  The story opens just as Indira's first book is finished. Looking forward to a vacation, she is surprised to be given an assignment: the Brainstorms want her to lead a group of hopeful characters on a Hero's Journey tutorial, which will hopefully help her learn to work with a team. I really loved the dynamics of the team as they encountered the phases of their journey, and then faced a very unexpected threat.  Touching on first crushes, the balance between head and heart, and how to be a good leader, the story is still full of humor, adventure, and endless wordplay, as well as some amazingly cool video game tech! 
Scott Reintgen has created a fantastically creative and clever world that readers will love exploring once again.

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. Opinions are all my own.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title. 

In this sequel to Saving Fable,  Indira and her group of friends are going through the tutorial for The Hero's Journey, things begin to go wrong and they have to figure out what to do and how to fix it. In the town of Ordinary, where they are going through the tutorial, they find that there's an intruder who's taking over and trying to change the town into a giant video game. Indira and her friends have to figure out how to outplay and outsmart the intruder to protect the town of Ordinary and the land of Fable and they have to learn how to work together to do it so they don't lose any of the beloved stories or characters.

This was an exciting adventure full of great storytelling, learning experiences, and examples of how to work together as a team. It was another hit for me! I cannot wait to join Indira and her friends on their future adventures.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to review this title. 

In this sequel to Saving Fable,  Indira and her group of friends are going through the tutorial for The Hero's Journey, things begin to go wrong and they have to figure out what to do and how to fix it. In the town of Ordinary, where they are going through the tutorial, they find that there's an intruder who's taking over and trying to change the town into a giant video game. Indira and her friends have to figure out how to outplay and outsmart the intruder to protect the town of Ordinary and the land of Fable and they have to learn how to work together to do it so they don't lose any of the beloved stories or characters.

This was an exciting adventure full of great storytelling, learning experiences, and examples of how to work together as a team. It was another hit for me! I cannot wait to join Indira and her friends on their future adventures.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Sequel to Saving Fable.
After her first story wraps, Indira is back for a vacation in Fable. However, she learns it won't simply be a relaxing visit. She is being sent for training to improve her skills and work on her weakness - solving it all herself rather than working with her team. She, Phoenix, Gadget and Squalls are sent to Ordinary to begin an adventure and develop their individual skills. When an author gets in and takes over their world, they must band together to save Ordinary. Together with some new characters, they set forth on this quest. Each character grows and learns more about themselves and working together. Readers will love the new adventures and the continued revelations about the characters. Reintgen has created further lands in his story world and offers enough danger and humor to draw readers in to be part of the action.
Looking forward to the next in this series.

The characters from Saving Fable return in Escaping Ordinary. It’s not more of the same, but a creative, new problem. I think authors sometimes fall sort in sequels when they forget to allow their character to grow, but that’s the whole point of Indira’s quest. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. 5 ★

I thought this book had a fun and interesting plot to it. Indira, our hero, learns that she's a little too good at relying on herself and is sent to training to learn how to rely on the assests of her team instead of charging into battle head first. When going through the training in the land of Plot, she and her team encounter something they've never seen before and discover that an Author has somehow ended up in their world. Together, they have to figure out a way to kick him out or else he will destroy everything.

I thought this plot of learning how to work with a team was interesting, but I don't really think it came through for me. I thought Indira was basically relying on her instincts the whole time until she has a conversation with someone that caused her to do a 180 and rely on her team for their last plan. It didn't feel gradual or natural to me, but rather sudden.

Other than that, this was a quick and fun read. I love the characters and how they grew throughout the story. I really liked the dynamic between Phoenix and Allen Squalls because while Allen was incredibly anxious and nervous about everything that was around him, Phoenix did his best to lift his friend up. And then, when it really came to the time when Phoenix needed him, while he was still scared, he went against that instinct and decided to stay for him. I liked his character development a lot.

Indira and three companions go on an adventure to learn about the Hero's Journey (a popular plot structure in creative writing) but become caught up in another adventure when a mysterious and powerful new antagonist appears.  This would be a fun read for young writers, though for those writers interested in the Hero's Journey plot structure, I do wish there had been more discussion of the later steps.

Escaping Ordinary is the sequel to Saving Fable, and I would definitely recommend reading Saving Fable first.

This book was amazing. Very well written and grabbed my attention. I loved book one and fell in love all over again with book two. Wonderful job!

I was blown away by this book! I loved every minute that I purposely made it last longer and put off finishing it because I didn’t want it to end.  It was an explanation of the Heroes Journey explaining Joseph Campbells idea in a way that is approachable for a fourth grader and wrapping it within a story that brought in the idea of video games and how they have a story too.  Wow just wow! I loved this book! 6 stars even though this app will only let me give it 5 this book gets 6!

this really was an enjoyable young adult novel, I loved the characters and the whole world that was built. I'm glad that I had read the other books in the series.

Thanks so much to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for letting me have the chance to read, review and bask in the delightfulness of this story. Scott Reintgen has fast become one of my favorite authors with all his amazing books and I love this story!
I enjoyed and loved the previous book about Indira and her friends in Saving Fable so I was SO excited when I saw this sequel show up. This didn't disappoint, it was another great story in the land of Fable with Indira and her friends on another new adventure where we meet and get to know new characters as well as becoming more acquainted with some of the previous characters.
I love that Phoenix was back with Indira along with her brother, Dave, and others. It was a great transition, next chapter, next story in the adventures of Indira and friends in Fable. It talked about the plot method of The Hero's Journey in this one, which this is another thing I adore about these books is that Scott is using this method of storytelling to help teach about writing, characters, plots, backstories and different plot methods like The Hero's Journey so this book is great for everyone, children and adults alike. I love that this helps kids learn these things about writing and it can also be helpful to others who are learning about writing too. 
Also while it's helping educate about writing and these things, it's wildly entertaining. The land of Fable, the story, and the characters are so easy to fall in love with and to become invested in these characters and stories with all that goes on too. I want to go meet Indira and visit the land of Fable myself because it sounds so amazing.
So, in this sequel to Saving Fable, it's the next year after Indira had to save Fable and was the lead character in a story of her own so now she's hoping and thinking that she'll get to have a break and go on a vacation. Of course, as one can guess, she doesn't get that break she was hoping for and is instead assigned to go through the tutorial for The Hero's Journey to prepare her for her story's sequel. One of the main things she's meant to focus on and learn during this tutorial is how to be a team player and she is joined by some previously known characters and also new ones as mentioned above.
This time around as she and her group of friends are going through the tutorial for The Hero's Journey, things begin to go wrong and they have to figure out what to do and how to fix it. In the town of Ordinary, where they are going through the tutorial, they find that there's an intruder who's taking over and trying to change the town into a giant video game. Indira and her friends have to figure out how to outplay and outsmart the intruder to protect the town of Ordinary and the land of Fable and they have to learn how to work together to do it so they don't lose any of the beloved stories or characters.
It's an exciting adventure full of great storytelling, learning experiences, and examples of how to work together as a team, learn about writing, stories, and everything else. It was another hit for me and I can't wait and hope to read more of Indira and her friends. 
If you haven't read these, I would recommend starting with Saving Fable then reading this one, but it is possible to read this without having read the other. I just think it's that much better if you read Saving Fable first because why would you want to miss out on Indira, her friends, and the beginning. I hope you make sure to keep track of this, preorder it and get ready to read and enjoy one of the best books!