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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Secret of the Realms
This dazzling novel will not only retell the moving story from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, but half of the book will expand and explore the world of the Walt Disney Studios film with brand-new, exclusive content. Complete with beautiful full-page chapter opener illustrations and never-before-seen details that add new depth to the story, this novel will have readers eager to step into the resplendent world of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms for generations to come.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2018
41 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Walt Disney Company
36.7k books2,829 followersNote: The decision was made to consolidate all Disney publications under the name Walt Disney Company. This profile is for Walt Disney, the characters he created, and the company he founded. Any questions, please ask in the Librarian's Group.
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. As the co-founder (with his brother Roy O. Disney) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The corporation he co-founded, now known as The Walt Disney Company, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion.
Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in animation and theme park design. He and his staff created some of the world's most famous fictional characters including Mickey Mouse, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has been awarded four honorary Academy Awards and has won twenty-two competitive Academy Awards out of fifty-nine nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven Emmy Awards. He is the namesake for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in the United States, as well as the international resorts Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and Disneyland Hong Kong.
Disney died of lung cancer in Burbank, California, on December 15, 1966. The following year, construction began on Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. His brother Roy Disney inaugurated the Magic Kingdom on October 1, 1971.
The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) (commonly referred to as Disney) is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into live-action film production, television, and travel. Taking on its current name in 1986, The Walt Disney Company expanded its existing operations and also started divisions focused upon theatre, radio, publishing, and online media. In addition, it has created new divisions of the company in order to market more mature content than it typically associates with its flagship family-oriented brands.
The company is best known for the products of its film studio, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, today one of the largest and best-known studios in Hollywood. Disney also owns and operates the ABC broadcast television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, and ABC Family; publishing, merchandising, and theatre divisions; and owns and licenses 11 theme parks around the world. On January 23, 2006, it was announced that Disney would purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. The deal was finalized on May 5. On December 31, 2009, Disney Company acquired the Marvel Entertainment, Inc. for $4.24 billion. The company has been a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average since May 6, 1991. An early and well-known cartoon creation of the company, Mickey Mouse, is the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.
--from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 15, 2018
I really enjoyed this book but it lost one star because I guessed the plot twist correctly. It really put me in the Christmas spirit! I would recommend for younger readers.
November 17, 2018
How will grief change us? Will we lose sight of who we are and why we are here, or will we gain (eventually) a deeper sense of identity and be in true possession of ourselves? Will we become bitter or better? That is the question this masterfully written book raises.
Meredith Ruus, the author, has given us a novelization of the Disney movie, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Using multiple points of view, Ruus guides us through the transformational arcs of three major characters. There is Marie, whose parents die in a tragic fire. We see her both as a child and as an adult. Under the guidance of Drosselmeyer, an inventor who lives in a sprawling estate, she combines imagination and mechanics to create the Four Realms, a magical fantasy world that becomes the setting for much of the story.
Another major character is Sugar Plum, Marie’s treasured porcelain doll, which she brings to life in the Realms and whom she charges with being one of the Regents (or caretakers) of her creation.
The main character is Marie’s fourteen year old daughter, Clara, whom we first meet after Marie’s untimely death. Clara is deeply affected by her mother’s death, as is everyone who knew Marie. At Christmas, Drosselmeyer, who is a mentor for Clara, as he was for her mother before her, passes on a beautifully crafted egg that Clara’s mother wanted her to have. Inside, she is told, is a message from her mother. The only problem is, the key is missing and she cannot open the egg. The story is launched as Clara goes in search of the key, making a journey that will take her into the Realms and, in time, to the resolution of her grief.
Ruus is a master of the writing craft, especially good at description, using all the senses—taste and smell as well as sight and sound and touch.
Disney has bound Ruus’ book in a lovely, quaint, cloth cover that makes it suitable as a gift for, perhaps, a middle grade reader, who may want to keep it for her own children some day.
Meredith Ruus, the author, has given us a novelization of the Disney movie, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Using multiple points of view, Ruus guides us through the transformational arcs of three major characters. There is Marie, whose parents die in a tragic fire. We see her both as a child and as an adult. Under the guidance of Drosselmeyer, an inventor who lives in a sprawling estate, she combines imagination and mechanics to create the Four Realms, a magical fantasy world that becomes the setting for much of the story.
Another major character is Sugar Plum, Marie’s treasured porcelain doll, which she brings to life in the Realms and whom she charges with being one of the Regents (or caretakers) of her creation.
The main character is Marie’s fourteen year old daughter, Clara, whom we first meet after Marie’s untimely death. Clara is deeply affected by her mother’s death, as is everyone who knew Marie. At Christmas, Drosselmeyer, who is a mentor for Clara, as he was for her mother before her, passes on a beautifully crafted egg that Clara’s mother wanted her to have. Inside, she is told, is a message from her mother. The only problem is, the key is missing and she cannot open the egg. The story is launched as Clara goes in search of the key, making a journey that will take her into the Realms and, in time, to the resolution of her grief.
Ruus is a master of the writing craft, especially good at description, using all the senses—taste and smell as well as sight and sound and touch.
Disney has bound Ruus’ book in a lovely, quaint, cloth cover that makes it suitable as a gift for, perhaps, a middle grade reader, who may want to keep it for her own children some day.
December 31, 2018
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ~ The Secret of the Realms ~ an Extended Novelisation is the most beautifully illustrated and presented novel filled with 'magic' and imagination.
The cover is stunning as it sits perfectly in the palm of your hand. It's very special with shining 'gold' illustrations of owls and mice against a red background.
I managed to pick this novel up just prior to Christmas a few weeks after seeing the movie, The Nutcracker and The Four Realms which was a movie I absolutely adored! Filled with mice, sugar plum fairies and toy soldiers.
Enter a Land of Flowers, for beauty, a Land of Snowflakes, for memory, a Land of Sweets, for happiness and find out more about the Land of Amusement.
Enjoy your journey into The Nutcracker and The Four Realms in this very 'special' Christmas edition.
Sure to delight both young and old!
Let the magic find you.
The cover is stunning as it sits perfectly in the palm of your hand. It's very special with shining 'gold' illustrations of owls and mice against a red background.
I managed to pick this novel up just prior to Christmas a few weeks after seeing the movie, The Nutcracker and The Four Realms which was a movie I absolutely adored! Filled with mice, sugar plum fairies and toy soldiers.
Enter a Land of Flowers, for beauty, a Land of Snowflakes, for memory, a Land of Sweets, for happiness and find out more about the Land of Amusement.
Enjoy your journey into The Nutcracker and The Four Realms in this very 'special' Christmas edition.
Sure to delight both young and old!
Let the magic find you.
December 24, 2020
I really liked that the book went more in depth about the backstory than the movie. It was a cute read that had me humming along to the music from the ballet.
**read for Christmas Book Bingo - a Nutcracker retelling**
**read for Christmas Book Bingo - a Nutcracker retelling**
November 28, 2018
A delightful and engaging story that draws the reader in.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Secret of the Realms is told in what is called a time-slip fashion, in other words, two different times are presented that as a whole explain the world of the Realms.
We are told about the creation of the Realms through the story of Marie a young orphan who comes to live with Drosselmeyer. Now Drosselmeyer is an inventor who shares his skills with Marie who soon becomes an inventor as well. Marie and Drosselmeyer come across a unique and unknown passage within his home - one that leads to a magical land. It is here that Marie comes into her own and the Four Realms are born.
Upon the death her mother Clara is at loose ends - no one truly understands her need to tinker and create as her mother could. This is the first Christmas without her and the family is about to spend yet another one at the home of Godfather Drosselmeyer. This year Drosselmeyer has strung strings to lead all to their gifts. Clara's string leads her deep into the house to an unexplored corridor which opens upon a beautiful world.
But the beautiful world is in trouble an internal threat may bring down the Realms and Clara as Marie's daughter may be its only hope.
I was enchanted by this world and drawn into it as the two stories worked towards the climax that would determine the fate of the Realms and Clara. I was a little surprised at how it ended which is a good thing because I like being surprised.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms: The Secret of the Realms is told in what is called a time-slip fashion, in other words, two different times are presented that as a whole explain the world of the Realms.
We are told about the creation of the Realms through the story of Marie a young orphan who comes to live with Drosselmeyer. Now Drosselmeyer is an inventor who shares his skills with Marie who soon becomes an inventor as well. Marie and Drosselmeyer come across a unique and unknown passage within his home - one that leads to a magical land. It is here that Marie comes into her own and the Four Realms are born.
Upon the death her mother Clara is at loose ends - no one truly understands her need to tinker and create as her mother could. This is the first Christmas without her and the family is about to spend yet another one at the home of Godfather Drosselmeyer. This year Drosselmeyer has strung strings to lead all to their gifts. Clara's string leads her deep into the house to an unexplored corridor which opens upon a beautiful world.
But the beautiful world is in trouble an internal threat may bring down the Realms and Clara as Marie's daughter may be its only hope.
I was enchanted by this world and drawn into it as the two stories worked towards the climax that would determine the fate of the Realms and Clara. I was a little surprised at how it ended which is a good thing because I like being surprised.
February 12, 2019
I was expecting to be all like the movie but I was pleasantly surprised to know Clara's mum story!
December 12, 2021
Un libro con un aria Natalizia travolgente, mi ha fatto pensare agli anni passati ed ai momenti passati in famiglia.
Una storia che ti sa conquistare a poco a poco, proseguendo con la lettura sei sempre più curioso di scoprire cosa succederà a Clara e suprattutto cosa conterrà il misterioso scrigno.
In questo caso, il cattivo della situazione non te lo immagineresti mai, è un personaggio che sempre gentile con Clara, in realtà poi non è quello che è.
Una cosa che ho notato è che mi ricorda Le Cronache di Narnia per due cose che... scoprirete solo leggendo, per il resto è una lettura veloce e magica, in poco tempo sei già alla fine e... vorresti ricominciare subito.
Se amate questo genere di storie con atmosfere natalizie e viaggi in regni magici e misteriosi questo è il libro che fa per voi.
Una lettura super consigliata.
Una storia che ti sa conquistare a poco a poco, proseguendo con la lettura sei sempre più curioso di scoprire cosa succederà a Clara e suprattutto cosa conterrà il misterioso scrigno.
In questo caso, il cattivo della situazione non te lo immagineresti mai, è un personaggio che sempre gentile con Clara, in realtà poi non è quello che è.
Una cosa che ho notato è che mi ricorda Le Cronache di Narnia per due cose che... scoprirete solo leggendo, per il resto è una lettura veloce e magica, in poco tempo sei già alla fine e... vorresti ricominciare subito.
Se amate questo genere di storie con atmosfere natalizie e viaggi in regni magici e misteriosi questo è il libro che fa per voi.
Una lettura super consigliata.
January 1, 2025
I expected this book to be just a written copy of what we see in the movie which I watched not long ago but it surprised me in the best way. We get so much more information that helps the story stand on its own and we completely miss that in the movie,l. And I love that we got more than just Clara's pov. Marie's pov was so important to understand the story of the realm and Sugarplum's rlly surprised bcs i just wasn't expecting seeing her side of the story. I will say there were a few differences on how the story developed and resolved and im still trying to understand if maybe the movie was based on an unpublished version of this book and then they published it to serve as merch for it. All I know is that i tend to enjoy this books made after movies a lot more than some of the movies.
This was also the perfect book to end the year.
This was also the perfect book to end the year.
December 23, 2022
Actual rating: 4.25/5 stars
A true engaging and magical story for a cosy winter reading.
The piece itself has already been that famous but this novella version made a good compliment to the storyline. Being told in different points of view through different time stamps, the author brought us from begining to the end of this magical journey. Each character have their role to play, the story itself was beautifully written with reasonable amount of each character and each voice devoured the chance to be heard.
A true engaging and magical story for a cosy winter reading.
The piece itself has already been that famous but this novella version made a good compliment to the storyline. Being told in different points of view through different time stamps, the author brought us from begining to the end of this magical journey. Each character have their role to play, the story itself was beautifully written with reasonable amount of each character and each voice devoured the chance to be heard.
December 3, 2018
One of the few books that I had requested prior to Hurricane Michael that actually made it to me well after the fact...and boy was I glad!
Think you know the story of The Nutcracker? THINK AGAIN! The tale takes us both into the past and along the trail of present day as we follow Marie and Clara through a magical world that reminds us that while all things that glitter may not shine, we have, in and of ourselves, all we need inside. This enchanting story starts out with heartbreak in both timelines. For Marie, it was the passing of her parents leaving her orphaned and in the hands of the state...if not for her newly named "Uncle" Drosselmeyer; for Clara, it's the passing of her mother (the formerly mentioned Marie) leaving her family in an unsettled state of mourning. Both have much to learn about themselves and about the world, and while mother teaches daughter from a distance, daughter inherits much more than grace, or beauty, but the power to BE HERSELF, TRUST HERSELF, and the strength of heart to not only carry on, but to help her family do the same. The dazzling worlds they each occupy, the magic that is unleashed, and the darkness that is battled, all add to the initial splendor of the novel while giving long time fans of the classic that bit of something MORE.
Highly recommended for fans and new inductees. It has all the timelessness of the original with just the right amount of MAGIC to increase the enchantment tenfold.
Think you know the story of The Nutcracker? THINK AGAIN! The tale takes us both into the past and along the trail of present day as we follow Marie and Clara through a magical world that reminds us that while all things that glitter may not shine, we have, in and of ourselves, all we need inside. This enchanting story starts out with heartbreak in both timelines. For Marie, it was the passing of her parents leaving her orphaned and in the hands of the state...if not for her newly named "Uncle" Drosselmeyer; for Clara, it's the passing of her mother (the formerly mentioned Marie) leaving her family in an unsettled state of mourning. Both have much to learn about themselves and about the world, and while mother teaches daughter from a distance, daughter inherits much more than grace, or beauty, but the power to BE HERSELF, TRUST HERSELF, and the strength of heart to not only carry on, but to help her family do the same. The dazzling worlds they each occupy, the magic that is unleashed, and the darkness that is battled, all add to the initial splendor of the novel while giving long time fans of the classic that bit of something MORE.
Highly recommended for fans and new inductees. It has all the timelessness of the original with just the right amount of MAGIC to increase the enchantment tenfold.
December 16, 2018
Reading or seeing a production of The Nutcracker is a holiday tradition for me - loved it!
December 30, 2018
Amazing, inspires so much love and imagination
August 18, 2019
It’s weird that this is on Goodreads considering the fact that it’s a movie and not a book, but I just finished watching the movie and it was wonderful.
June 13, 2024
The Nutcracker and the Four Fealms
An owl sees a mouse outside on Christmas Eve and decides it will be a good snack, but before he can get to it he disappears into the crack of a house. Clara demonstrates to her brother Fritz how to trap the mouse. Clara remembers her mother and how she wishes she could show her (her) new invention, but she passed a couple of months ago. The housemaid calls them down for biscuits and they’re told to come into the sitting room where their father is doing his best to carry out his wife’s wishes and still give them a good Christmas. It’s a little off at first, but they help him make the adjustments to the tree and decorations .Thier father gives them each an early present from their mother. Fritz gets a set of tin soldier’s he saw. Louisa (the oldest) gets the beautiful gown her mother worse last Christmas and Clara gets an egg-shaped box that won’t open. She frantically looks through her mother’s dresser (her mother was also an inventor) and her tools but can’t find the key that opens the box.
At Mr. Droslemyers’s mansion there’s a Christmas party being held. Clara finds him in his inventing room. He’s working on a swan mechanical piece that won’t go in the right direction. Clara has the right star shaped tool and easily corrects the problem. When it’s working, she shows him the box and he remembers that he once gave it to her mother. He doesn’t seem to have the key and they’re called off to present the presents to the guests.
When Marie���s house catches fire and her parents die, Droslemyer takes her in. On Christams morning he gives her a gift (the egg). He gives her the key and when she opens it’s a music box. She asks him to teach her how to make one like it. He tells her to imagine that her parents love is inside. As the weeks past, Marie catches on quickly to the lessons. Years past. Droslemyser asks Marie what she wants for Christmas and she always says a party. So, they throw grand Christmas parties. She doesn’t make a lot of friends but her tinkering keeps her content. Marie begins to work on a ballerina doll that dances without strings. Her uncle is surprised. It’s not the doll they were working on. She explains the replaced the joints with gears.
After a ballet performance all the guests are told to go to the garden where their presents await them. Only there are strings (attached to the gazebo?) and the guests have to follow the strings tbe lead to their gifts. The strings all have name tags. Clara follows hers into the house and down a corrider, but she finds herself outside in a forest.
Maria and Droselmyer come to a hallway in the manor that he isn’t familiar with. In the hallway is the grandfather clock he worked on with Maria’s father. Only he doesn’t remember moving it there. They notice a door behind it and come out on the other side of a forest. They see a beautiful land with a castle. They explore it for a month and give it the name “The Realm”. The Realm doesn’t have people or animals living there, time goes slower there, it stretches on forever, and things that they create there only exists *there*.
In the center of the forest is a beautiful tree (similar to the ones her mother did). Her thread leads her to a star shaped key, but before she can get it a mouse takes off with it. So, she gives chase. As she chases it she sees the ruins of a city. She finally spots the mouse in a tree, but the tree is covered in mice. The mice all begin to attack. They back her into the ruins of the city. Suddenly a soldier appears and he fights them off and they scamper into the night. He introduces his self as Captain Phillip. He warns that they’d best leave, but Clara wants her key. In the fog, Clara sees the mice morphing into each other and forming one enormous mouse (the Mouse King). The Mouse King starts to attack Phillips so Clara takes off her shoe and flings it at him. He screeches and disappears into the fog. Then they all retreat.
Clara tries to search for the key but Phillip pulls her away (realizing she’s not from the Realms). They hear a creature advancing and Clara sees a hand. Phillip gives the word and they run into the forest. They ride away on Phipps horse. Phillip tells her the creature’s name is “Mother Ginger” and it rules the Fourth Realm. He tells her she’s not in London anymore. He hears her name and realizes she’s Marie’s daughter. He tells her his is her mother’s land (as she was the one who created it). Then he offers to show her.
He tells her about the Land of Flowers, the Land of Snowflakes, and the Land of Sweets. The pattern sounds familiar to Clara and reminds her of her mother. He takes her to the Regents, (Hawthorne) of the land of Flowers (Shiver) of the land of Snowflake and Sugar Plum of the Sweet Land. Sadly, she has to relay the news of her mother’s passing to them. When Clara tells them about the key, they wonder if it’s “the one”.
Marie starts to come to the Realm alone and bring her projects. She decides she’ll need a bedroom there. So she gives herself a bedroom in the castle. She shortly after finds another door. She shows Droselmyer that the room has a workshop. It turns out they’re inside the grandfather clock and they can see through this world to the real world. (It’s a portal). Maria looks for more revelations but nothing shows itself. The castle becomes cluttered as Maria becomes more skilled than Droslemyer. Even tho she’s busy with schoolwork and tinkering she becomes lonely and wants a friend her age. Her only companion is a doll named Sugar Plum that her parents gave her before she died. She thinks about what her Uncle said about her possibly having a deeper connection with the Realm. She thinks about the ballerina doll and has an idea. After a while the devide is complete and when she turns the key into the device there’s a flash of white light.
The Regents decide to form an expedition to get the key back. Clara almost sits in Mother Gingers chair. She’s told that when Marie didn’t come back Mother Ginger tried to take over. So, they forced her into exhile. Sugar Plum shows Clara the clock device. She and Sugar Plum have turned into minture versions of themselves. They overlook the party going on at the mansion.
Marie makes a whole town of people with her device. Each land has a significance. The Snowflake Land is in remembrances of when Marie was first brought to Doselmyer. The flower garden is for her father. The Land of Amusement is for her mother and the Land of Sweets is for Sugar Plum (the most special of all). Sugar Plum wonders why Marie has to return to the real world when she could stay there with her forever. She’s a Queen there. Marie says she made a promise to her Uncle that she’d come back. Sugar Plum makes her promise that she’ll come back there too. After this Maria creates a nutcracker soldier (Phillip).
Clara is presented at a pagent and then Sugar Plum explains that the sance is about the Four Realms and how they were created. A dancer represents Mother Ginger and there’s a battle between her and her mice and the other Realm leaders. Sugar Plum tells her she hopes she’s the one that will end her. Sugar Plum then shows her “The Engine”. Marie shows Sugar Plum the tjrone room she created and introduces her too the four other ruler’s. She’s not able to come as much as Sugar Plum needs her so she’s sent her some help to rule the Realms. “Ginger” is named after her mother’s favorite foods (ginger biscuits). Marie is excited but Sugar Plum is confused. Marie assures her she’ll still be Queen but she’ll be going away to the academy soon. Sugar Plum explains to Clara they need the key to make the device work and Clara realizes she was given the key to give to them.Without it everything could be destroyed like in the Fourth Realm. So, Clara (along with Phillip) says they’ll go to the Fourth Relam (against the regents wishes). Dew Drop cp,es a;pmg tp assost/
IT's not the same without Marie (who comes less and less) but Sugar Plum gets use to her new role. Yet, she’s happy when she does return. Mother Ginger tho is always eager for her to return to the real world and pressures her about not having a suitor. Five years go by. On one visit, Sugar Plum tells her best friend it’s not the same without her. The day of her ball (back home) Sugar Plum has planned a special pagent. She’s choreographed a ballet especially for her (telling the story of the Four Realms). Marie gives them all presents (special seeds, a crystal looking watch, a nesting egg, and Dew Drop who she created from Sugar Plum’s sugar barette). But she has to leave to meet a young man that her Uncle wants to introude her to before she can see the pagent. Sugar Plum gets upset (she’s put a lot of work into the performance) but she just agrees with Hawthrone that they can reschedule.
She wonders why Marie always has to leave and put them second. She watches Marie and Charles through the clock and she blushes. Mother Ginger gells her that they can’t keep Marie forever, but they can still make the Realms perfect. Years pass, and Marie notices how much Clara takes after her and Louisa takes after her father. When she’s finally able to get back to the Realm (her husband and kids have kept her away) Sugar Plum seems distant. Sugar Plum pleads with her to take her back to the real world with her, but Marie says she doesn’t know how. Sugar Plum takes this to mean she doesn’t want her there. Marie says she can try to invent a machine to bring her back. Then she has an uncontrobale coughing fit. After it subsides she says sometimes she just starts coughing but she doesn’t know why. Sugar Plum makes her repeat the promise. Marie hesitates but then promises.
Once in the Four Realms, Clara is dropped down into a sink hole and carried by mice to Mother Ginger.(who looks like a marionette). . She then finds herself inside Mother Gingers skirt. Marie goes to Mother Ginger and tells her that she might not be able to visit the Realms for a while. The doctor has instructed she rest, but she says she’ll recover. She just needs time. She admits she hasn’t told Sugar Plum but she will tell her just not today while she looks unwell. She asks Mother Ginger too take a more active role. She told her it was her plan for Sugar Plum to become closer to the others, but the job has become too much for her. She doesn’t want to worry the others and says she came to her because she’s beome like a mother to her She wants them all to work together. . Mother promises her she’ll take care of everything.
Clara is attacked by clowns Using her head (and a seed) she finds herself in the control center of the Mariontee where she sees the key. She comes face to face with Mother Ginger. Before she can tell the story of what really happened after her mother left, she pulls a lever, knocks the doll over, grabs the key, and she and Phillip take off running. She can’t help tho think of the fear in Mother Ginger’s eyes, but then she hears her send her mice after her. Now Clara is finally able to open the egg but it’s just a music box. There’s nothing else inside.
Marie by this point realizes she’s dying, She gives Droslemyer the key to give to Clara. She tries to go to the Realm once last time but collapses. Droslemeyer sends her home. Clara makes it back wih the key and Sugar Plum takes it (taking it to the device). She tries to use it but it doesn’t work. Clara tho realizes the key changes shape Sugar Plum gets Clara to press a button and a bunch of soldiers become grotesque creations. Sugar Plum dumps another bunch of soldiers. Sugar Plum never wanted to save the realm. She wanted her own army. Mother Ginger tries to plead with Sugar Plum and make her understand why Marie hasn’t been bac (whose ranting about Marie forgetting them). She then says she’ll rule in her place, but Mother Ginger tells her they all have to work together. Sugar Plum says then she’ll go find her. Clara realizes that her mother did leave a message when she looks in the mirror of the music box. Everything she needs IS inside. Sugar Plum heads to the tunnel to try to pass through to the real world with warnings of Marie in her head that she can’t follow her or she’ll turn back into a doll. When she gets th the door she changes her mind. The rulers would probably like to see her disapper and never return. Especially Mother Ginger. She sees rats emerge from the wall paper and is horrorfied. They start to come after her because her dress is made of sugar. Then she thinks of a plan and tells them if they do as she says they can have all the sweets they want. Back home, she tells Shiver and Hawthrone she over Mother Ginger say she was going to take over the realms with the help of rats.
Sugar Plum coats Mother Ginger’s realm with sugar and lets the mice have at it. She convinces the others that it was Mother Ginger’s doing and she destroyed her own realm in the process. So they exhile her to her destroyed realm. Clara is able to reverse the machine at the end of the story and turn Dew Drop back into a barette and Sugar Plum back into a porcelean doll. Phillip takes over the Sweets Land and they offer Clara the chance to stay and work on Amusement Lamd and become their new Queen, but she turns it down. She says tho that she’ll visit them and maybe think of a way for them to visit her.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this story! I got so much more understanding with this than with the movie version. I haven’t watched it in a while but I think the movie tried to tell the story minus Marie’s parts which was a mistake because those were the most essential part of the story. Sometimes I know that they try to shorten movies because of time restrictions and all but this really is the best way to experience this story. I remember wanting to read this book for a long time but it took me a little bit to find it. It was very much worth the wait. I’ve had it for a while but just had never gotten around to reading it and what better time than in the month of Decemeber. One of my cousins and my aunt had also just gone to see a ballet of the Nutcracker Suite. Tho it didn’t sound a thing like this story. But what I learned was there are three different versions of the story. I didn’t know that! I loved the choice of the Four Realms and why each was created. The gifts Marie gave the regents were a nice fit. And even though I’d seen the movie and knew Sugar Plum was the real villain I must have forgotten because up until the end I still thought it was Mother Ginger (and I really should know better by this point because it’s always the one you DON’T think is bad. It’s never the one that’s pointed at heavily in the story. I think I really can’t remember this year enjoying a book as muchas I did this one (and I’ve read A LOT of books this year).
Rating: 8
An owl sees a mouse outside on Christmas Eve and decides it will be a good snack, but before he can get to it he disappears into the crack of a house. Clara demonstrates to her brother Fritz how to trap the mouse. Clara remembers her mother and how she wishes she could show her (her) new invention, but she passed a couple of months ago. The housemaid calls them down for biscuits and they’re told to come into the sitting room where their father is doing his best to carry out his wife’s wishes and still give them a good Christmas. It’s a little off at first, but they help him make the adjustments to the tree and decorations .Thier father gives them each an early present from their mother. Fritz gets a set of tin soldier’s he saw. Louisa (the oldest) gets the beautiful gown her mother worse last Christmas and Clara gets an egg-shaped box that won’t open. She frantically looks through her mother’s dresser (her mother was also an inventor) and her tools but can’t find the key that opens the box.
At Mr. Droslemyers’s mansion there’s a Christmas party being held. Clara finds him in his inventing room. He’s working on a swan mechanical piece that won’t go in the right direction. Clara has the right star shaped tool and easily corrects the problem. When it’s working, she shows him the box and he remembers that he once gave it to her mother. He doesn’t seem to have the key and they’re called off to present the presents to the guests.
When Marie���s house catches fire and her parents die, Droslemyer takes her in. On Christams morning he gives her a gift (the egg). He gives her the key and when she opens it’s a music box. She asks him to teach her how to make one like it. He tells her to imagine that her parents love is inside. As the weeks past, Marie catches on quickly to the lessons. Years past. Droslemyser asks Marie what she wants for Christmas and she always says a party. So, they throw grand Christmas parties. She doesn’t make a lot of friends but her tinkering keeps her content. Marie begins to work on a ballerina doll that dances without strings. Her uncle is surprised. It’s not the doll they were working on. She explains the replaced the joints with gears.
After a ballet performance all the guests are told to go to the garden where their presents await them. Only there are strings (attached to the gazebo?) and the guests have to follow the strings tbe lead to their gifts. The strings all have name tags. Clara follows hers into the house and down a corrider, but she finds herself outside in a forest.
Maria and Droselmyer come to a hallway in the manor that he isn’t familiar with. In the hallway is the grandfather clock he worked on with Maria’s father. Only he doesn’t remember moving it there. They notice a door behind it and come out on the other side of a forest. They see a beautiful land with a castle. They explore it for a month and give it the name “The Realm”. The Realm doesn’t have people or animals living there, time goes slower there, it stretches on forever, and things that they create there only exists *there*.
In the center of the forest is a beautiful tree (similar to the ones her mother did). Her thread leads her to a star shaped key, but before she can get it a mouse takes off with it. So, she gives chase. As she chases it she sees the ruins of a city. She finally spots the mouse in a tree, but the tree is covered in mice. The mice all begin to attack. They back her into the ruins of the city. Suddenly a soldier appears and he fights them off and they scamper into the night. He introduces his self as Captain Phillip. He warns that they’d best leave, but Clara wants her key. In the fog, Clara sees the mice morphing into each other and forming one enormous mouse (the Mouse King). The Mouse King starts to attack Phillips so Clara takes off her shoe and flings it at him. He screeches and disappears into the fog. Then they all retreat.
Clara tries to search for the key but Phillip pulls her away (realizing she’s not from the Realms). They hear a creature advancing and Clara sees a hand. Phillip gives the word and they run into the forest. They ride away on Phipps horse. Phillip tells her the creature’s name is “Mother Ginger” and it rules the Fourth Realm. He tells her she’s not in London anymore. He hears her name and realizes she’s Marie’s daughter. He tells her his is her mother’s land (as she was the one who created it). Then he offers to show her.
He tells her about the Land of Flowers, the Land of Snowflakes, and the Land of Sweets. The pattern sounds familiar to Clara and reminds her of her mother. He takes her to the Regents, (Hawthorne) of the land of Flowers (Shiver) of the land of Snowflake and Sugar Plum of the Sweet Land. Sadly, she has to relay the news of her mother’s passing to them. When Clara tells them about the key, they wonder if it’s “the one”.
Marie starts to come to the Realm alone and bring her projects. She decides she’ll need a bedroom there. So she gives herself a bedroom in the castle. She shortly after finds another door. She shows Droselmyer that the room has a workshop. It turns out they’re inside the grandfather clock and they can see through this world to the real world. (It’s a portal). Maria looks for more revelations but nothing shows itself. The castle becomes cluttered as Maria becomes more skilled than Droslemyer. Even tho she’s busy with schoolwork and tinkering she becomes lonely and wants a friend her age. Her only companion is a doll named Sugar Plum that her parents gave her before she died. She thinks about what her Uncle said about her possibly having a deeper connection with the Realm. She thinks about the ballerina doll and has an idea. After a while the devide is complete and when she turns the key into the device there’s a flash of white light.
The Regents decide to form an expedition to get the key back. Clara almost sits in Mother Gingers chair. She’s told that when Marie didn’t come back Mother Ginger tried to take over. So, they forced her into exhile. Sugar Plum shows Clara the clock device. She and Sugar Plum have turned into minture versions of themselves. They overlook the party going on at the mansion.
Marie makes a whole town of people with her device. Each land has a significance. The Snowflake Land is in remembrances of when Marie was first brought to Doselmyer. The flower garden is for her father. The Land of Amusement is for her mother and the Land of Sweets is for Sugar Plum (the most special of all). Sugar Plum wonders why Marie has to return to the real world when she could stay there with her forever. She’s a Queen there. Marie says she made a promise to her Uncle that she’d come back. Sugar Plum makes her promise that she’ll come back there too. After this Maria creates a nutcracker soldier (Phillip).
Clara is presented at a pagent and then Sugar Plum explains that the sance is about the Four Realms and how they were created. A dancer represents Mother Ginger and there’s a battle between her and her mice and the other Realm leaders. Sugar Plum tells her she hopes she’s the one that will end her. Sugar Plum then shows her “The Engine”. Marie shows Sugar Plum the tjrone room she created and introduces her too the four other ruler’s. She’s not able to come as much as Sugar Plum needs her so she’s sent her some help to rule the Realms. “Ginger” is named after her mother’s favorite foods (ginger biscuits). Marie is excited but Sugar Plum is confused. Marie assures her she’ll still be Queen but she’ll be going away to the academy soon. Sugar Plum explains to Clara they need the key to make the device work and Clara realizes she was given the key to give to them.Without it everything could be destroyed like in the Fourth Realm. So, Clara (along with Phillip) says they’ll go to the Fourth Relam (against the regents wishes). Dew Drop cp,es a;pmg tp assost/
IT's not the same without Marie (who comes less and less) but Sugar Plum gets use to her new role. Yet, she’s happy when she does return. Mother Ginger tho is always eager for her to return to the real world and pressures her about not having a suitor. Five years go by. On one visit, Sugar Plum tells her best friend it’s not the same without her. The day of her ball (back home) Sugar Plum has planned a special pagent. She’s choreographed a ballet especially for her (telling the story of the Four Realms). Marie gives them all presents (special seeds, a crystal looking watch, a nesting egg, and Dew Drop who she created from Sugar Plum’s sugar barette). But she has to leave to meet a young man that her Uncle wants to introude her to before she can see the pagent. Sugar Plum gets upset (she’s put a lot of work into the performance) but she just agrees with Hawthrone that they can reschedule.
She wonders why Marie always has to leave and put them second. She watches Marie and Charles through the clock and she blushes. Mother Ginger gells her that they can’t keep Marie forever, but they can still make the Realms perfect. Years pass, and Marie notices how much Clara takes after her and Louisa takes after her father. When she’s finally able to get back to the Realm (her husband and kids have kept her away) Sugar Plum seems distant. Sugar Plum pleads with her to take her back to the real world with her, but Marie says she doesn’t know how. Sugar Plum takes this to mean she doesn’t want her there. Marie says she can try to invent a machine to bring her back. Then she has an uncontrobale coughing fit. After it subsides she says sometimes she just starts coughing but she doesn’t know why. Sugar Plum makes her repeat the promise. Marie hesitates but then promises.
Once in the Four Realms, Clara is dropped down into a sink hole and carried by mice to Mother Ginger.(who looks like a marionette). . She then finds herself inside Mother Gingers skirt. Marie goes to Mother Ginger and tells her that she might not be able to visit the Realms for a while. The doctor has instructed she rest, but she says she’ll recover. She just needs time. She admits she hasn’t told Sugar Plum but she will tell her just not today while she looks unwell. She asks Mother Ginger too take a more active role. She told her it was her plan for Sugar Plum to become closer to the others, but the job has become too much for her. She doesn’t want to worry the others and says she came to her because she’s beome like a mother to her She wants them all to work together. . Mother promises her she’ll take care of everything.
Clara is attacked by clowns Using her head (and a seed) she finds herself in the control center of the Mariontee where she sees the key. She comes face to face with Mother Ginger. Before she can tell the story of what really happened after her mother left, she pulls a lever, knocks the doll over, grabs the key, and she and Phillip take off running. She can’t help tho think of the fear in Mother Ginger’s eyes, but then she hears her send her mice after her. Now Clara is finally able to open the egg but it’s just a music box. There’s nothing else inside.
Marie by this point realizes she’s dying, She gives Droslemyer the key to give to Clara. She tries to go to the Realm once last time but collapses. Droslemeyer sends her home. Clara makes it back wih the key and Sugar Plum takes it (taking it to the device). She tries to use it but it doesn’t work. Clara tho realizes the key changes shape Sugar Plum gets Clara to press a button and a bunch of soldiers become grotesque creations. Sugar Plum dumps another bunch of soldiers. Sugar Plum never wanted to save the realm. She wanted her own army. Mother Ginger tries to plead with Sugar Plum and make her understand why Marie hasn’t been bac (whose ranting about Marie forgetting them). She then says she’ll rule in her place, but Mother Ginger tells her they all have to work together. Sugar Plum says then she’ll go find her. Clara realizes that her mother did leave a message when she looks in the mirror of the music box. Everything she needs IS inside. Sugar Plum heads to the tunnel to try to pass through to the real world with warnings of Marie in her head that she can’t follow her or she’ll turn back into a doll. When she gets th the door she changes her mind. The rulers would probably like to see her disapper and never return. Especially Mother Ginger. She sees rats emerge from the wall paper and is horrorfied. They start to come after her because her dress is made of sugar. Then she thinks of a plan and tells them if they do as she says they can have all the sweets they want. Back home, she tells Shiver and Hawthrone she over Mother Ginger say she was going to take over the realms with the help of rats.
Sugar Plum coats Mother Ginger’s realm with sugar and lets the mice have at it. She convinces the others that it was Mother Ginger’s doing and she destroyed her own realm in the process. So they exhile her to her destroyed realm. Clara is able to reverse the machine at the end of the story and turn Dew Drop back into a barette and Sugar Plum back into a porcelean doll. Phillip takes over the Sweets Land and they offer Clara the chance to stay and work on Amusement Lamd and become their new Queen, but she turns it down. She says tho that she’ll visit them and maybe think of a way for them to visit her.
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this story! I got so much more understanding with this than with the movie version. I haven’t watched it in a while but I think the movie tried to tell the story minus Marie’s parts which was a mistake because those were the most essential part of the story. Sometimes I know that they try to shorten movies because of time restrictions and all but this really is the best way to experience this story. I remember wanting to read this book for a long time but it took me a little bit to find it. It was very much worth the wait. I’ve had it for a while but just had never gotten around to reading it and what better time than in the month of Decemeber. One of my cousins and my aunt had also just gone to see a ballet of the Nutcracker Suite. Tho it didn’t sound a thing like this story. But what I learned was there are three different versions of the story. I didn’t know that! I loved the choice of the Four Realms and why each was created. The gifts Marie gave the regents were a nice fit. And even though I’d seen the movie and knew Sugar Plum was the real villain I must have forgotten because up until the end I still thought it was Mother Ginger (and I really should know better by this point because it’s always the one you DON’T think is bad. It’s never the one that’s pointed at heavily in the story. I think I really can’t remember this year enjoying a book as muchas I did this one (and I’ve read A LOT of books this year).
Rating: 8
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2018
This opinion is my own and should ABSOLUTELY be taken with a grain of salt in your decision-making process of whether or not you wish to read this story.
The Nutcracker is one of the first tales that made me fall in love with the art and power of storytelling. Brave young heroines, danger, adventure, magic, beauty, and a hint of romance all wrapped up into one epic story was all I looked forward to and more every Christmas as a child when my family went to see the ballet. When I got older, I read the original work by E.T.A. Hoffman and became a major fan of this holiday story.
So when Disney decided to make a movie, I was ecstatic. I was even MORE ecstatic when I found a copy of the novelization sitting all by itself on a bookshelf while I was shopping. I couldn’t wait to fall in love with a fresh take on the story I loved so much and dive back into a world filled with the magic and characters I grew up adoring. I just finished this book moments before I started writing this review to say one thing (please don’t hate me for it, but...).
I’m so disappointed!
First of all, this movie and it’s novelization is called “The Nutcracker” in giant gold letters at the top of this book cover and movie poster, yet when you read the book, there’s NO real story about the Nutcracker! Sure, he’s there, in the form of a toy soldier come to life, but he hasn’t been given any role of true importance to the story as he had in the ballet and original novel. Don’t get me wrong, I adored Clara in this story, her trials, and her growth, but this story SHOULD have been called “The Four Realms” since that was what it was ACTUALLY about.
I get that Disney was trying to give this story a fresh take, but at the end of the day, it’s supposed to be a retelling. It seemed to fall short of that for me. If anyone decides to attempt a retelling, I feel that there is an element of respect owed to the original creator NOT to take something they’ve given to the world and tear it into shreds, but this story makes me feel like Disney missed that memo.
The plot also drove me nuts. 95% of this story is discovering (read: meandering through) the magic of the Realms and the separate journeys of Clara and her mother, Marie. I was expecting a lot more action than what I got. This is a story about the Realms, and all I experienced as a reader was disappointment from the lack of parallels to the plots of both The Nutcracker’s ballet and the original novel.
The characters frustrated me. There was ZERO backstory to Mother Ginger, the story’s main antagonist. I wanted to learn more about her character since Clara’s mother based her off of her own mother. Instead, the story closes and we get no information. Her character, to me, was like a hastily and poorly wrapped Christmas gift that leaves you with questions like, “Why is this such a mess? Is it because you forgot about it until the last minute? Did you even care about making a good presentation?”
That last question is why I gave this story two stars. It’s written with haste and without care, and the lack of quality I found in the story doesn’t make me want to see the movie. If Disney can’t do the retelling justice in the novelization, what means they’ll do better in the format of a movie?
The Nutcracker is one of the first tales that made me fall in love with the art and power of storytelling. Brave young heroines, danger, adventure, magic, beauty, and a hint of romance all wrapped up into one epic story was all I looked forward to and more every Christmas as a child when my family went to see the ballet. When I got older, I read the original work by E.T.A. Hoffman and became a major fan of this holiday story.
So when Disney decided to make a movie, I was ecstatic. I was even MORE ecstatic when I found a copy of the novelization sitting all by itself on a bookshelf while I was shopping. I couldn’t wait to fall in love with a fresh take on the story I loved so much and dive back into a world filled with the magic and characters I grew up adoring. I just finished this book moments before I started writing this review to say one thing (please don’t hate me for it, but...).
I’m so disappointed!
First of all, this movie and it’s novelization is called “The Nutcracker” in giant gold letters at the top of this book cover and movie poster, yet when you read the book, there’s NO real story about the Nutcracker! Sure, he’s there, in the form of a toy soldier come to life, but he hasn’t been given any role of true importance to the story as he had in the ballet and original novel. Don’t get me wrong, I adored Clara in this story, her trials, and her growth, but this story SHOULD have been called “The Four Realms” since that was what it was ACTUALLY about.
I get that Disney was trying to give this story a fresh take, but at the end of the day, it’s supposed to be a retelling. It seemed to fall short of that for me. If anyone decides to attempt a retelling, I feel that there is an element of respect owed to the original creator NOT to take something they’ve given to the world and tear it into shreds, but this story makes me feel like Disney missed that memo.
The plot also drove me nuts. 95% of this story is discovering (read: meandering through) the magic of the Realms and the separate journeys of Clara and her mother, Marie. I was expecting a lot more action than what I got. This is a story about the Realms, and all I experienced as a reader was disappointment from the lack of parallels to the plots of both The Nutcracker’s ballet and the original novel.
The characters frustrated me. There was ZERO backstory to Mother Ginger, the story’s main antagonist. I wanted to learn more about her character since Clara’s mother based her off of her own mother. Instead, the story closes and we get no information. Her character, to me, was like a hastily and poorly wrapped Christmas gift that leaves you with questions like, “Why is this such a mess? Is it because you forgot about it until the last minute? Did you even care about making a good presentation?”
That last question is why I gave this story two stars. It’s written with haste and without care, and the lack of quality I found in the story doesn’t make me want to see the movie. If Disney can’t do the retelling justice in the novelization, what means they’ll do better in the format of a movie?
November 16, 2020
It's a no brainer that whenever a book or game is adapted into something like a movie or a series, the original source material is always going to be better, mainly due to having more time and resources to tell its story. Movie and TV show adaptations do have their merits as well, but come with their own set of problems, such as making changes to better suit the medium, for better or worse, leaving things out, or not having enough time or freedom to really do the material justice. Just ask anyone who watched the Percy Jackson movies, the Persona 5 anime, or that crappy Netflix Death Note movie. But there are a few exceptions to the rule, where the adaptation can actually wind up being better than the original source, such as the anime for Angelic Layer--which expanded on the manga and made changes to it that made more sense, pretty much every World Masterpiece Theater anime ever, and Spielberg's movie, Jaws, which made the main characters much nicer and more likeable than their more jerkish, hypocritical counterparts in the original book. If given the right amount of time and creative freedom, an adaptation can really make the source material shine like no other. Such is the case for this novelization of Disney's movie, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
Being a tie-in for the movie, it has the same premise: A young girl named Clara Stahlbaum and her family are dealing with the loss of her mother, Marie. One Christmas Eve, her family try to make the best of things and attend her godfather Drosselmeyer's Christmas ball. She receives a present that once belonged to her mother, an egg-shaped music box, but there's no key. But through a series of events, Clara finds herself in an unexplored corridor of Drosselmeyer's house, which leads her into a magical parallel world unlike any fairy tale she has ever known, inhabited by living toys that her mother created. But the Realm is in danger, and it may be up to Clara and her new allies to save it from peril.
Now, for anyone who's interested, I did watch the movie, and to put it simply: It wasn't anything special. Just a cute, cliche fluff movie that's all style and no substance, trying too hard to be Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland and not making a whole lot of sense. It also made no effort to break away from all of the typical kid movie cliches that Disney has been swimming in over the past decade and not trying anything truly new with the premise. But for anyone who was disappointed by the movie, I highly, HIGHLY encourage you to read the novelization, because not only does it expand on and explain a lot of things that didn't make sense in the movie, but it gives a lot of much needed characterization and development for several key characters, giving them much more depth than the movie could ever hope to give them. Granted, the book is still pretty cliche on its own, even with the added backstory, as it follows a lot of familiar plot beats that every Disney movie has done: Lonely girl who feels misunderstood, a dead mom whose absence causes crap tons of angst for everyone, an ally who turns out to be bad, a villain who turns out to be good, so on and so forth. But there's a lot of things that the book achieves that helps it stand above the movie in terms of overall quality.
One of those things is the prose and overall writing. Sure, the material the book has to work with isn't anything special, and since this is a book aimed at children, it has to take care to be understandable and not purple prosey. But it also can't afford to be boring or dull, either. Thankfully, the novelization actually manages to strike this delicate balance very well. Every sentence is descriptive enough to make you feel like you're in the book's world, enough to make you picture exactly what's going on, with evocative imagery using all of the five senses, like taste, smell, and touch. At the same time, Rusu knows when to hold back on the description and let the story tell itself when needed, and he doesn't try to overexplain things that are better left to the imagination.
Another improvement is the fact that the book doesn't only show things from Clara's perspective, but also goes into the story of Clara's mother, Marie, and her companion, Sugar Plum. The extra time dedicated to Marie and Sugar Plum, and their segments in general give them much more backstory and development than the movie could give them, and Rusu choosing to flesh them out further gives them far more presence and personality than just the dead mother and the overly cutesy fairy friend. Furthermore, certain twists near the end are actually given proper foreshadowing because of this, rather than coming out of nowhere, something that the movie suffered from. This added characterization for everyone, along with Rusu actually getting into their heads and exploring their personalities make them far more dynamic than they were in the movie, even if they still admittedly adhere to typical archetypes that are prominent in stories like this. Also, I love that the novel decided to have Clara's dad just be generally nice and sympathetic, if a little clueless, rather than overly stern and more concerned about appearances than Clara's concerns and feelings like he was in the movie.
That said, the book isn't perfect, and while it does rectify a lot of issues that the movie had, it also has a few issues that the movie has as well. Mother Ginger is considered the main antagonist throughout a good bulk of both the movie and the book, but the direction they take her in doesn't really seem all that seamless. It was like the creators wanted to go through with a certain direction they had with her but didn't know how to make the transition in doing so, and as a result, her whole character just seemed cobbled together like a Christmas gift that got poorly wrapped and delivered at the last second. She didn't have much backstory or development compared to the other characters, and we don't learn much about her. Granted, I did like what little the book did try to give her, but as it stands, as far as character development goes, Mother Ginger kind of got the shaft. Furthermore, for those familiar with the original Nutcracker story, this novel isn't really about a Nutcracker. There is a nutcracker character, who in this is basically a toy soldier come to life, but that's really it, and he's a side character. People who liked the original Nutcracker and expected him to have a big role here will definitely be disappointed, as much of the story focuses on Clara and the magical world than a Nutcracker. I personally didn't mind, as I didn't read the original story (I do own it, though. I just never got around to reading it), but since the book and movie have the Nutcracker title in them, with the Nutcracker itself just being a side character, I wouldn't blame you for thinking this was false advertising on Disney's part.
While the book may not be perfect, I consider it to be the superior work over its source, Disney's movie, simply because it had more time and freedom to expand on the story, the characters, and everything else that the movie couldn't. Some things don't always work in different formats. Books and movies are two very different beasts, with different ways of telling a story. It's really all about how you use the time, resources, and ingredients you have, and I think this novelization of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms succeeded where the movie that inspired it didn't. It takes talent to make something that actually winds up better than the source material. It's not the original Nutcracker story, obviously, but I think it's better off going in its own direction than trying to be something it's not. The Nutcracker the Four Realms' movie isn't anything special, but the novel has become a favorite of mine, and hey, maybe you'll like it too if you decide to give it a read.
Being a tie-in for the movie, it has the same premise: A young girl named Clara Stahlbaum and her family are dealing with the loss of her mother, Marie. One Christmas Eve, her family try to make the best of things and attend her godfather Drosselmeyer's Christmas ball. She receives a present that once belonged to her mother, an egg-shaped music box, but there's no key. But through a series of events, Clara finds herself in an unexplored corridor of Drosselmeyer's house, which leads her into a magical parallel world unlike any fairy tale she has ever known, inhabited by living toys that her mother created. But the Realm is in danger, and it may be up to Clara and her new allies to save it from peril.
Now, for anyone who's interested, I did watch the movie, and to put it simply: It wasn't anything special. Just a cute, cliche fluff movie that's all style and no substance, trying too hard to be Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland and not making a whole lot of sense. It also made no effort to break away from all of the typical kid movie cliches that Disney has been swimming in over the past decade and not trying anything truly new with the premise. But for anyone who was disappointed by the movie, I highly, HIGHLY encourage you to read the novelization, because not only does it expand on and explain a lot of things that didn't make sense in the movie, but it gives a lot of much needed characterization and development for several key characters, giving them much more depth than the movie could ever hope to give them. Granted, the book is still pretty cliche on its own, even with the added backstory, as it follows a lot of familiar plot beats that every Disney movie has done: Lonely girl who feels misunderstood, a dead mom whose absence causes crap tons of angst for everyone, an ally who turns out to be bad, a villain who turns out to be good, so on and so forth. But there's a lot of things that the book achieves that helps it stand above the movie in terms of overall quality.
One of those things is the prose and overall writing. Sure, the material the book has to work with isn't anything special, and since this is a book aimed at children, it has to take care to be understandable and not purple prosey. But it also can't afford to be boring or dull, either. Thankfully, the novelization actually manages to strike this delicate balance very well. Every sentence is descriptive enough to make you feel like you're in the book's world, enough to make you picture exactly what's going on, with evocative imagery using all of the five senses, like taste, smell, and touch. At the same time, Rusu knows when to hold back on the description and let the story tell itself when needed, and he doesn't try to overexplain things that are better left to the imagination.
Another improvement is the fact that the book doesn't only show things from Clara's perspective, but also goes into the story of Clara's mother, Marie, and her companion, Sugar Plum. The extra time dedicated to Marie and Sugar Plum, and their segments in general give them much more backstory and development than the movie could give them, and Rusu choosing to flesh them out further gives them far more presence and personality than just the dead mother and the overly cutesy fairy friend. Furthermore, certain twists near the end are actually given proper foreshadowing because of this, rather than coming out of nowhere, something that the movie suffered from. This added characterization for everyone, along with Rusu actually getting into their heads and exploring their personalities make them far more dynamic than they were in the movie, even if they still admittedly adhere to typical archetypes that are prominent in stories like this. Also, I love that the novel decided to have Clara's dad just be generally nice and sympathetic, if a little clueless, rather than overly stern and more concerned about appearances than Clara's concerns and feelings like he was in the movie.
That said, the book isn't perfect, and while it does rectify a lot of issues that the movie had, it also has a few issues that the movie has as well. Mother Ginger is considered the main antagonist throughout a good bulk of both the movie and the book, but the direction they take her in doesn't really seem all that seamless. It was like the creators wanted to go through with a certain direction they had with her but didn't know how to make the transition in doing so, and as a result, her whole character just seemed cobbled together like a Christmas gift that got poorly wrapped and delivered at the last second. She didn't have much backstory or development compared to the other characters, and we don't learn much about her. Granted, I did like what little the book did try to give her, but as it stands, as far as character development goes, Mother Ginger kind of got the shaft. Furthermore, for those familiar with the original Nutcracker story, this novel isn't really about a Nutcracker. There is a nutcracker character, who in this is basically a toy soldier come to life, but that's really it, and he's a side character. People who liked the original Nutcracker and expected him to have a big role here will definitely be disappointed, as much of the story focuses on Clara and the magical world than a Nutcracker. I personally didn't mind, as I didn't read the original story (I do own it, though. I just never got around to reading it), but since the book and movie have the Nutcracker title in them, with the Nutcracker itself just being a side character, I wouldn't blame you for thinking this was false advertising on Disney's part.
While the book may not be perfect, I consider it to be the superior work over its source, Disney's movie, simply because it had more time and freedom to expand on the story, the characters, and everything else that the movie couldn't. Some things don't always work in different formats. Books and movies are two very different beasts, with different ways of telling a story. It's really all about how you use the time, resources, and ingredients you have, and I think this novelization of The Nutcracker and the Four Realms succeeded where the movie that inspired it didn't. It takes talent to make something that actually winds up better than the source material. It's not the original Nutcracker story, obviously, but I think it's better off going in its own direction than trying to be something it's not. The Nutcracker the Four Realms' movie isn't anything special, but the novel has become a favorite of mine, and hey, maybe you'll like it too if you decide to give it a read.
December 24, 2024
For once, I knew the movie before the book. Usually, the paper version is better, but in this case, both complete each other : the movie immerse in its colors with beautiful music, while the book adds much more to the story, telling not only Clara's quest but the origins of it all, with her mother, Marie. It also develops some important characters like Drosselmeyer and Sugar Plum.
So, even if you already know the story through the movie, there's still a lot to discover in the book. A few things are different (Clara and Phillip's meeting, Drew Drop) but the plot remains the same. It's perfectly possible to begin with the book, beautifully illustrated by Thomas Fluharty. Despite its big pocket-size, the book is heavy in your hand.
So, « The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – The Secret of the Realms » is your classic isekai where Clara, a teenager whose mother recently died, discovers said mother had found and improved a whole parallel world, giving life to toys. Mourning is heavily present in the plot with both Clara and Marie, as she becomes orphaned herslf at the beginning. So, if it's a sensible subject for you, you might want to read something else.
If you don't like books taking their time too, because if we never get bored, it's more thanks to the oniric magic flying through the pages rather than expectation about what happens next. The view switches between Clara and Marie (and sometimes Sugar Plum) but Marie ones are almost slice-of-life, cutting the rythm. However, unlike in the movie, some twists don't seem to come out of nowhere ; here, on the opposite, we SEE them long in advance, gradually coming closer, unavoidable. A particularly frustrating detail at the end of the movie is also much better handled here, even if the alchemy between the characters is almost inexistant, unlike on screen where it flared. But we weren't here for that anyway.
Personnally, I found Clara's parts rushed compared to the movie and Marie and Sugar Plum's point of view. Maybe because we already knew the Realms from them and it'd have been redundant otherwise, but...
Still, « The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – The Secret of the Realms » has an enchanting atmopshere and will be a perfect read for the season.
7/10, generously rounded up to four stars.
So, even if you already know the story through the movie, there's still a lot to discover in the book. A few things are different (Clara and Phillip's meeting, Drew Drop) but the plot remains the same. It's perfectly possible to begin with the book, beautifully illustrated by Thomas Fluharty. Despite its big pocket-size, the book is heavy in your hand.
So, « The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – The Secret of the Realms » is your classic isekai where Clara, a teenager whose mother recently died, discovers said mother had found and improved a whole parallel world, giving life to toys. Mourning is heavily present in the plot with both Clara and Marie, as she becomes orphaned herslf at the beginning. So, if it's a sensible subject for you, you might want to read something else.
If you don't like books taking their time too, because if we never get bored, it's more thanks to the oniric magic flying through the pages rather than expectation about what happens next. The view switches between Clara and Marie (and sometimes Sugar Plum) but Marie ones are almost slice-of-life, cutting the rythm. However, unlike in the movie, some twists don't seem to come out of nowhere ; here, on the opposite, we SEE them long in advance, gradually coming closer, unavoidable. A particularly frustrating detail at the end of the movie is also much better handled here, even if the alchemy between the characters is almost inexistant, unlike on screen where it flared. But we weren't here for that anyway.
Personnally, I found Clara's parts rushed compared to the movie and Marie and Sugar Plum's point of view. Maybe because we already knew the Realms from them and it'd have been redundant otherwise, but...
Still, « The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – The Secret of the Realms » has an enchanting atmopshere and will be a perfect read for the season.
7/10, generously rounded up to four stars.
October 26, 2020
I know that a lot of people diss on the movie for feeling more like a wonderland knock-off than the book it is a retelling of, but I still rather like the movie and love the book (so does my dad who I got to read the book once I was done!).
My favorite parts of it were Sugar Plum's and Marie's p.o.v. I enjoyed their parts a little more mainly because it was new and left out of the movie so it felt more fresh AND because of Sugar's slow descend into being a villain.
Now I know that the book mentions over and over that Sugar and Marie's relationship was that of sisters, but my dumbass kept reading into it as something more on Sugarplum's side of things.
Maybe that's because I like reading one-sided love gone wrong (villainy), but I really thought that it helped my silly head feel for what was happening more (which might be effed up of me).
Sugarplum was obviously conceited and perhaps narsastic, though I think it's clear that she loved Marie and it hurt her to see that someone she loved dearly was spending less and less time with her as time went by.
And that sh*t hurts(personal experience).
That pain and hurt definitely caused her to think poorly about things and really made her view warp and thought she was owed more than what she got(which she wasn't, she already had more than enough).
Sadly she was too hurt and full of herself to see that and that Marie couldn't help that they spent less time together as Marie grew older.
And that she wanted Sugarplum to move on and find a family withinthe other regents...
I obviously really enjoyed reading this and put more thought into than I should have, especially the non-existing one-sided romance that I conjured up 😅
My favorite parts of it were Sugar Plum's and Marie's p.o.v. I enjoyed their parts a little more mainly because it was new and left out of the movie so it felt more fresh AND because of Sugar's slow descend into being a villain.
Now I know that the book mentions over and over that Sugar and Marie's relationship was that of sisters, but my dumbass kept reading into it as something more on Sugarplum's side of things.
Maybe that's because I like reading one-sided love gone wrong (villainy), but I really thought that it helped my silly head feel for what was happening more (which might be effed up of me).
Sugarplum was obviously conceited and perhaps narsastic, though I think it's clear that she loved Marie and it hurt her to see that someone she loved dearly was spending less and less time with her as time went by.
And that sh*t hurts(personal experience).
That pain and hurt definitely caused her to think poorly about things and really made her view warp and thought she was owed more than what she got(which she wasn't, she already had more than enough).
Sadly she was too hurt and full of herself to see that and that Marie couldn't help that they spent less time together as Marie grew older.
And that she wanted Sugarplum to move on and find a family withinthe other regents...
I obviously really enjoyed reading this and put more thought into than I should have, especially the non-existing one-sided romance that I conjured up 😅
January 6, 2022
This was a beautiful companion to the 2018 film. I loved getting a peek into Marie's childhood and the mysterious and fantastical origins of the Realms. I loved getting to see inside Sugar Plum's mind, learning how she grappled with the changes to her perfect world. The writing was a great mix of simplistic and easy to read, and atmospheric prose. The author really painted a warm and magical picture of Christmas time.
I wasn't a huge fan of the deviations in Clara's part, but that may just be because I'm so attached to the movie version. I realize things were likely altered to give readers something fresh and new to read, rather than just making it feel as if they're reading a transcript of the movie, but some changes felt like it took away a certain spark to the tension and development of side characters.
Overall, it was a lovely holiday read that would be enjoyable to any fellow lovers of the Nutcracker! Even if you've never seen the movie. In fact, I imagine someone who's never seen the movie would have a better time reading this, as they wouldn't notice or care about the changes to the plot.
I wasn't a huge fan of the deviations in Clara's part, but that may just be because I'm so attached to the movie version. I realize things were likely altered to give readers something fresh and new to read, rather than just making it feel as if they're reading a transcript of the movie, but some changes felt like it took away a certain spark to the tension and development of side characters.
Overall, it was a lovely holiday read that would be enjoyable to any fellow lovers of the Nutcracker! Even if you've never seen the movie. In fact, I imagine someone who's never seen the movie would have a better time reading this, as they wouldn't notice or care about the changes to the plot.
April 19, 2019
I went to the cinemas with my eldest daughter to watch
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
earlier this year and we thoroughly enjoyed it. So when we saw this book at the library, my daughter had to get it.
The movie shows one part of the book, which is why we were never bored when reading it. While the film only shows us Clara's story, along with a few insights into Sugar Plum's, the book takes us back to the beginning and we learn about Clara's mother, Marie.
With the extra details about how the realm was formed and why it came about the way it did through Marie's eyes, we were able to better understand Clara's story and therefore enjoy the reading just as much as the film.
A fantastic book, recommended to all.
The movie shows one part of the book, which is why we were never bored when reading it. While the film only shows us Clara's story, along with a few insights into Sugar Plum's, the book takes us back to the beginning and we learn about Clara's mother, Marie.
With the extra details about how the realm was formed and why it came about the way it did through Marie's eyes, we were able to better understand Clara's story and therefore enjoy the reading just as much as the film.
A fantastic book, recommended to all.
April 6, 2025
Based on the Disney movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, this story follows the journey of Clara, a smart and curious young girl who, on Christmas Eve, is transported to a magical world while searching for a key left behind by her mother. In this enchanted new realm, she discovers four fantastic kingdoms — the Land of Sweets, the Land of Flowers, the Land of Snowflakes, and the mysterious Fourth Realm.
Clara sets out on a mission to restore harmony among the realms, facing challenges and uncovering secrets about her family, her inner strength, and the true importance of courage and compassion. With the help of the Nutcracker soldier and other magical allies, she discovers she is more powerful than she ever imagined.
I loved it! It was such a magical, charming, and beautiful read. The narrative has that fairy-tale touch that warms your heart, and the setting is simply breathtaking. I felt like I was inside a dream—or inside a fairy tale itself!
Clara sets out on a mission to restore harmony among the realms, facing challenges and uncovering secrets about her family, her inner strength, and the true importance of courage and compassion. With the help of the Nutcracker soldier and other magical allies, she discovers she is more powerful than she ever imagined.
I loved it! It was such a magical, charming, and beautiful read. The narrative has that fairy-tale touch that warms your heart, and the setting is simply breathtaking. I felt like I was inside a dream—or inside a fairy tale itself!
November 18, 2018
A lovely Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics holiday story.
A land of flowers for beauty.
A land of snowflakes for memory.
A land of sweets for happiness.
A land of amusement for love.
“But when you miss me, you’ll remember me, and that memory will make you smile.”
“Claire no longe felt lost and confused. Her mother had given them all the gifts they needed to be whole. Her mother’s joy & laughter, ingenuity & grace, kindness & comfort, & love all lived on thru them. Thru her. Everything she needed truly was inside.”
A land of flowers for beauty.
A land of snowflakes for memory.
A land of sweets for happiness.
A land of amusement for love.
“But when you miss me, you’ll remember me, and that memory will make you smile.”
“Claire no longe felt lost and confused. Her mother had given them all the gifts they needed to be whole. Her mother’s joy & laughter, ingenuity & grace, kindness & comfort, & love all lived on thru them. Thru her. Everything she needed truly was inside.”
January 19, 2020
When I was younger, I attributed the authorship of 'The Nutcracker' to Tchaikovsky, not knowing that the ballet was adapted from a book. I finally got around to reading E.T.A. Hoffman's 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' in December 2019, ahead of reading this book (and before I watched the 2018 same-titled movie), which I assumed was a sequel of sorts.
I was wrong about this book being a sequel. This is a reimagined tale with a contemporary spin, and has a greater lean towards fantasy and magic. I like this more fleshed-out version, which bridges the real and the fantastical worlds better than Hoffman's. At the time of this writing, I still have not watched the movie, but I suspect that this might be a case of the book being better than the movie, because there are nuances and intricacies that likely cannot be conveyed via cinematography -- after all, "an extended novelization" accompanies the title of this book.
That said, I am now looking to read another version of 'The Nutcracker' by Alexandre Dumas [yes, of the 'The Three Musketeers' fame], which itself (I only very recently discovered) is an adaptation off of Hoffman's original, and it is Dumas' version that Tchaikovsky's ballet is based on.
P.S. It might be a while before I shake 'The March of the Toy Soldiers' earworm.
* Read for the '2020 PopSugar (Advanced) Reading Challenge' task: A book with more than 20 letters in its title
I was wrong about this book being a sequel. This is a reimagined tale with a contemporary spin, and has a greater lean towards fantasy and magic. I like this more fleshed-out version, which bridges the real and the fantastical worlds better than Hoffman's. At the time of this writing, I still have not watched the movie, but I suspect that this might be a case of the book being better than the movie, because there are nuances and intricacies that likely cannot be conveyed via cinematography -- after all, "an extended novelization" accompanies the title of this book.
That said, I am now looking to read another version of 'The Nutcracker' by Alexandre Dumas [yes, of the 'The Three Musketeers' fame], which itself (I only very recently discovered) is an adaptation off of Hoffman's original, and it is Dumas' version that Tchaikovsky's ballet is based on.
P.S. It might be a while before I shake 'The March of the Toy Soldiers' earworm.
* Read for the '2020 PopSugar (Advanced) Reading Challenge' task: A book with more than 20 letters in its title
December 10, 2020
When I saw the first trailer for this movie, I was very excited. When I finally saw it, it was a bit of a confused mess, and a real trial of style over substance - but there was a gem of a good story in there, and this book is that gem. It may not be perfect, and yes, the villain twist is easily predictable, but this book expands on the plot of the film (as much as I can remember it anyway) and infuses it with heart. I sort of want to see the film again now, but sort of don’t having enjoyed the book.
December 23, 2021
I loved the story, though the inside of the egg was cliché and predictable, being a story by the Disney company. Anyone who watched the Kung Fu Panda movies would have been able to guess what was inside as their stories have not varied from the narrative norm since Disney himself was in charge. The dramatic twist was also foreseeable from miles away. Aside from that, it was an enjoyable read, perfect for Christmas time. There are times in which regularity brings welcome contentment. This was one of them.
December 12, 2023
I absolutely love The Nutcracker so this was really fun for me to read! It does read like a middle grade novel and feels like it is for a younger audience. The dialogue and characters aren't amazing, but the storyline and setting is so much fun. It is full of whimsy and imagination! Reading it is like stepping into a fairytale wonderland with the magical descriptions of the Four Realms. I haven't seen the movie yet so I have no idea how it compares! But I'm excited to reread this one with my toddler in the future.
February 26, 2019
Disney’s 2018 book “Nutcracker and The Four Realms” is a story about personal transcendence and the liberating forces of imagination that empowers spiritual awaking. This awaking helps the reader experience the presence of departed loved ones in the realms of beauty (flowers), nature (snowflakes), tastes (sweets) and playful experiences (in lands that amuse). These realms help us quell fears by creating a world that reflects perfect happiness and love. (L/e-book)
April 25, 2019
This novelization is written from three perspectives: Marie, a tinkerer, as she discovers a hidden place filled with magic she dubs the Realms in which she can invent and bring her imaginations to life; Clara, a tinkerer just like her mother, who is led to the Four Realms to try and find a key to open an egg left by her mother; and Sugar Plum, once a toy now alive, terribly sad, lost, and angry at the absence of her dearest friend Marie.
A wonderful story.
A wonderful story.
December 14, 2022
I was excited for this one, I've still yet to watch the movie so was hoping on the book to be really good, but no I was disappointed.
As always with a disney book or movie one parent is always dead, that is one thing you can count on. I was expecting a more lavish story, more magic and more world building but no I felt it was lacking in both departments. I still did enjoy this different take on the Nutcraker and I was surprised at who the villian enede uo being. Now to finally watch the movie.
As always with a disney book or movie one parent is always dead, that is one thing you can count on. I was expecting a more lavish story, more magic and more world building but no I felt it was lacking in both departments. I still did enjoy this different take on the Nutcraker and I was surprised at who the villian enede uo being. Now to finally watch the movie.
December 21, 2024
This was a tad confusing to listen to the audiobook with the passages of time, the different points of view. Especially so toward the end with the transition from Clara to Sugar Plum. That aside, I think if one was reading this, they'd be easily delighted from beginning to conclusion. It's whimsical and dreamlike with tender scenes and brilliant imagery throughout. If you loved the movie, this is just so much more!
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