The Wishing Well (A Weaver Tale)

My Review: Meet modern day Cinderella, Molly. She is the youngest of three sisters. Her mother Gert and her sisters Hannah and Eva treat her as if she is their maid. She is made to do her chores twice and treated as an outsider.While out and about with her friend Riddle, Molly came across an ugly blue creature from the stories she has heard known as Unwanted. Before Molly could ask Unwanted any question, they are interrupted by the other children and he disappears. Molly told her friend Riddle that Unwanted was real and that he is the little blue creature who grants wishes. Molly wish will be for her mother and sisters to be nice to her. Will Molly get to see Unwanted again and ask for a wish? All she wanted was for her family to be nice to her. A Cinderella story without the prince but a lesson for every kid including the parents.FTC Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion in any way.

4 STARSI had won this book from Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer blog last October 2012. I just finished reading it. I had not read any of Kai Strand books before. This was good and different twist on a Cinderella type story. It is aimed at readers 8-12 years old.It has lots of poems or tales in the story itself. It is a enjoyable story and has a lot of good lessons in it. I was most impressed with Molly's good friend Riddle.Molly is the youngest of three girls. She is treated like a Cinderella by her own mother and sisters. She is given so much work to do every day. She cooks, cleans, does laundry and has to put up with verbal abuse daily.Her friend Riddle comes over after her family leaves and helps Molly to her work so they can go off and play together with all the other children. Riddle does not have to help Molly.Molly is only 11 years old and has been treated different by her mom all her life. I wanted to scream at her mom for the way she treats Molly.Published July 24th 2012 by Guardian Angel Publishing 104 pages ISBN:1616333022

The Wishing Well, Another Weaver Tale is a delightful story that is similar to a cinderella story in the fact that the main character, Molly Minstrel, is treated terribly by her mother and her sisters while she still keeps that sweet disposition as she cleans and takes in the verbal abuse. The difference is that the story takes a fantasy twist with the unique and special character named Unwanted. This character brings humor to the story, yet at the same time also brings in that hint of truth. Before someone can make a wish they should know what they truly want.Molly is a great character who shows strength and determination to overcome her bad situation, she does find a way to make her life better, but not before it gets worse. It is then she realizes her true strength and what she really wants in her life. In doing so, she teaches children some great life lessons. Children from the ages of 8 to 12 will enjoy Mrs. Strands writing style and humor amid the characters turmoil. She has a way of absorbing the reader into the characters and storyline.Other Middle Grade books:

The Crypto-Capers: The Case of the Missing Sock

Does this sound like a cinderella story? Well there is no Fairy God-Mother but there is the UNWANTED, he is blue and looks kinda like an elf/troll and he does grant wishes under special circumstances.Do you think the UNWANTED could grant Molly a wish? Would this solve her problems? What would her wish be if she could find him?The characters of Weaver Tale are known for the tales they weave. Will Molly weave a tale?It was a nice turn that Molly's sister Eva took an interest in Molly and the way she was being treated by her mother and Hannah. Hannah picked up on her mother's hateful attitude toward Molly and emulated her mother's cruel behavior.The author told a tale that many children may be experiencing themselves and it was a very good tale indeed!I recommend this book.Disclosure:I received a free copy of this book from WOI Tours/Author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion.

If you could be granted one wish, what would you ask for? Eleven-year-old Molly Minstrel lives a Cinderella-like existence in the town of The Tales with her mother Gert and two older sisters Eva and Hannah, who all treat her very badly as if she were a slave. Molly's father died when she was only a small child. The older girls are interested only in chasing boys such as Vincent Chronicler or William Termsmith, and their mother seems intent on finding them husbands, even if one is the old, fat, crude, and ugly Sir Edward of Devonstead. One day Molly goes out with her best friend, Riddle Blaze, to play kickball with the other village kids and while looking for a lost ball comes across a small, blue, troll-like creature named Unwanted which has the reputation for granting wishes. Tired of being abused, she decides to see what his magic can do for her. What will her request be? What will happen as a result? Why does her own mother seem to hate her so? And will Eva have to marry the horrible Sir Edward? This book is a sequel to author Kai Strand's previous tween chapter novel The Weaver (2010), about Mary Wordsmith who also lives in The Tales. In fact, Mary makes a cameo appearance in The Wishing Well. I have not read the first book. There is a reference to serving a carafe of wine and a flagon of beer at a dinner party. Molly tells a lie about Eva's not resisting unwanted advances made by a previous suitor in her attempt to help her sister to keep from marrying Sir Edward. And Molly asks, "Does this skirt make my butt look big?" However, in general this is an entertaining story with well-developed characters that also illustrates the value of kindness, generosity, helping others, and problem-solving. The main theme is good versus evil, and in the end the good prevails. Most children will easily be able to relate to Molly's feelings and the problems which she faces.