The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree

by Bill Brittain

Book Overview

1984 Newbery Honor Book Notable Children's Books of 1983 (ALA) 1983 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book) Best Books of 1983 (SLJ) Notable 1983 Childrens' Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC) 1983 Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE) Children's Books of 1983 (Library of Congress) Books for Vacation Reading (NYT)

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060206861
• ISBN13: 9780060206864
• Release Date: January 1983
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Be careful what you wish for, it might come true

This book is one that everybody should have. It is about three youngsters who visit a magic man named Thaddeus Blinn, who claims that he can give them whatever they want for only fifty cents each. Each one gets a white card with a red spot on it. They are to place their thumbs on the red spot and say what they wish for. Well, one of them wishes that she would be popular and ends up sounding like a frog. Another wishes that her boyfriend would never leave her, but she doesn't say her wish right and her boyfriend puts down tree roots. Another wishes his fathers farm would have enough water, but instead the farm gets flooded. I hope to one day see a movie made out of this.

Easy to pick up, hard to put down

I rate the Wish Giver by Bill Brittain a five star book. Some characters in the story were Polly Kemp, a girl that said whatever she wanted; Rowena Jervis, a girl in love with Henry Piper; Adam Fiske, a boy that has no water under his whole barn and house; Henry Piper, a salesman that lies to Rowena about going places and Thaddeus Blinn, a man of magic that will give you whatever you want for only 50 cents. I liked it because it was funny. For example Polly Kemp said Jug-A-Rum every time she said something insulting to some one. Rowena Jervis turned her boyfriend Henry Piper into a tree. Adam Fiske flooded his barn and house with water that shot up from the ground. If you want to know how all those weird things happened than read this book!

I really enjoyed this book!

The book The Wish Giver was very exciting because there were 3-5 main events, and they were all pretty crazy. It was kind-of mysterious because you could never make a reasonable prediction unless you really thought about your clues and what was going on in the story. This story had alot of suspense also. A brief summary is: There was a church social oneday. Alot of Coven Tree's townspeople went. Stew Meat, Polly Kemp, Rowena Jervis, and Adam Fiske went to Thaddeus Blinn's {the Wish Giver's} tent and bought a card with a red dot on it for $0.50 per card. They each got one card. When they wanted to make their wish, they put their thumb on the red dot and said their wish out loud. After reading this wonderful book, you will probably learn this lesson : be careful what you wish for.

"I want my child to be a lawyer when he grows up..."

"...What book should I have him read?"Your would-be lawyer prodigy should read 'The Wish Giver' to learn early on the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. In this case, the law of magic, and the 'just desserts' granted by its mysterious logic.Fact: After reading this book as an 8 year old girl, I spent hours of my time designing wishes in contractual format that would not allow my wish giver to cheat me one bit.Highly recommended.

The Wish Giver is a great story for kids & adults!

The Wish Giver is an outstanding story involving magic, fantasy, and problem solving at its best. Set in the small town of Coven Tree, Stew Meat and three youngsters encounter Thaddeus Blinn, a sinister traveling magic man. Wishes are made, and they all come true, with some intersting results. Children and adults both will enjoy this enchanting tale of mystery and humor. Over the years I have read it to my students in grades 1 through 6, and all of us agree that the Wish Giver gets 5 Stars!