The Wish Giver: Three Tales Of Coven Tree (1986) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a disappointing book. Maybe in 1983 they didn't have enough choices for the Newbery Honor? The writing is fine enough for a children's book but sadly the plot has been done over and over and over again and nothing about this version of wishes gone wrong is particularly original. Maybe it was 30 years ago, but considering the careful what you wish stories of the past hundreds of years, I'm doubtful. I just would like to see a wishes story that was different, it always ends up that the people don't word their wish specific enough in order to get what they want although (spoiler) the wish that gets them out of it only vaguely says not to give him any trouble like it usually does for wishing. There are no original twists, how everything is going to manage to come out okay is pretty clear from page one. (Or maybe ten, but long before you get invested in any of the characters.) It worries me a bit, is it that I've just gotten too old for children's books? But then I look at the plethora of amazing children's books that I can't bear to part with from my childhood, and in the case of the Oz books, actively collect and no, I'm not too old, this book simply doesn't meet my standards for something that won a Newbery.To get on my feminist soapbox for a moment, and warning for more spoilers, the girls who get wishes, request to be liked and to have the boy she likes stay in town, the boys wish for water on their farm and to end the wishes. Making two of your main characters females and then making them wish for "shallow" things doesn't exactly help with stereotypes. Where's the story where the boy wishes for something "shallow" (because really wanting to be liked and to fall in love are not entirely universally human but still pretty common across wide varieties of peoples) and the girl wishes for something that will benefit more then herself? Not to mention that while Polly ends up being nicer to people and Rowena finds a possible "true love" neither of those end up to be talents where Adam is able to get a job and make money after his trials and tribulation, thanks in part to the hardship. Also while the girls get laughed at and are frightened, Adam's father, while losing his house isn't mad at Adam in the slightest - he'd have wished for water too. It may have been published in '83 but that hardly makes the stereotypes and inequality any more charming.Basically nothing about this book is particularly outstanding and I'm left wondering if '83 was a slow year for children's books (although I doubt it). Poor choices by whoever picks the Newbery Awards.
The Wish Giver by Bill Brittain is a great read because it weaves together three stories with the common theme that one should be careful with what they wish for. I would give this book a three star rating because it is written well, but the idea is not original. The Wish Giver reminds me of long forgotten fairy tales with the common theme that one should be grateful for what one has. It also reminded me of the movie Home Alone, when the main character, Kevin McCallister, wishes his family away only to regret his choice. In my opinion, the author’s writing is effective because it makes the reader think about how they use their privileges and make choices. I liked that the book ends with the deep thought that one should deal with their problems instead of wishing them away. The author’s vivid description of the scenes and characters made me feel creepy. In one instance, Brittain portrays the villain, Thaddeus Blinn, and how his eyes turn red when talking to Stewart. I dislike that the book is set in neither a completely fantasy world nor a realistic time period. In addition, I think that the author is a little stereotypical. Brittain makes the girl characters’ wishes shallow unlike the boys’ wishes. I feel that this book appeals to older kids because it is a book where the reader wants to know what will happen next and at the same time think about how the book links to life.
What do You think about The Wish Giver: Three Tales Of Coven Tree (1986)?
Genre: FantasyFour people from the town of Coven Tree stumble across a tent at the church social. Inside is a stubby little man named Thaddeus Blinn who claims he can make any wish come true. He gives each of the four a card and tells them to wish if they would like. Three of them decide on their own time to do it. Interestingly enough their exact wishes come true, but not in the way they intended. They must figure out a way to reverse the magic that has happened.I thought this was a cute book with a good lesson to learn: Be careful what you wish for!Ideas for the classroom:-Great book for lower/struggling readers-Discussion on how words/language has changed over the years: ex)They say the phrase "Consarn it" a lot, which we have replaced today with "Darn it" and "Oh Shute"-Discussion of the theme of Be Careful What You Wish For and any personal connections
—Jessica
In short, this is a solid children's book. You have the overarching moral, plus morals within each subplot. Each story is different enough so that most people will probably favor one over the others, but it also makes it more memorable, especially for children, to have completely different things come together to a single conclusion, even if it is relatively predictable. I really like how each character is very individualized in how they act and react, and the shortness of each story proves that you don't need a full novel to effectively reveal a character to the reader.
—Camille Dent
At the Coven Tree Church Social, 4 people receive an offer that will change their lives. Thaddeus Blinn, purveyor of wishes (50 cents apiece, 1 per customer – ever), suckers each of them into buying one of his special cards – each has a red dot in the center, and the wisher makes a wish by pressing their thumb on the dot. They’re all skeptical after receiving their cards, but one by one they make their wishes, which come true, but not in the way that they want or expect them to. “Be careful,” goes the saying, “what you wish for.” Polly Kemp wants more than anything to be liked and to belong. Rowena Jervis wants a certain traveling salesman to stick around a bit longer so they can get to know each other better. Adam Fiske is tired of hauling water from Spider Crick all the way back to his farm – why did his daddy have to pick such a dry spot of land? And Stew Meat – the adult - doesn’t believe in the cards at all, which is a good thing, because he’s the only hope the others have left after they make their wishes.This was a gently creepy children’s novel, rather like Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (which I haven’t read). There’s no showdown at the end, though, between the people and Thaddeus Blinn. Presumably he goes on to hustle other people out of their 50 cents for his own sadistic pleasure when he grants their wishes in ways they’d never dreamt. Is he evil? Or is he more like a djinn – trapped into some kind of service and performing it, but to his own satisfaction? It would have been a meatier story if there’d been some kind of confrontation with Blinn. If you’ve read enough of these cautionary tales, you know that just wishing for something will not solve all your problems – easy come, easy go, AND you have to know how to word things in order to avoid the kinds of messes these kids get themselves into. Brief, but enjoyable. Kids who are reading this kind of story for the first time should appreciate it.
—Arminzerella
