Author | Bill Brittain |
---|---|
Illustrator | Andrew Glass |
Language | English |
Genre | Children's book |
Publisher | Harper & Row |
Publication date | 1983 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
Pages | 181 pp |
ISBN | 0-06-020686-1 (First edition) |
OCLC | 9080819 |
LC Class | PZ7.B78067 Wi 1983 |
The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree is a 1983 young adult or children's book by Bill Brittain. The "wish giver" in the title refers to the enigmatic man who gives three children a wish to make their deepest dreams come true, but the wishes are not worded carefully, and go horribly wrong.
The Wish Giver was the recipient of a Newbery Honor in 1984. [1]
The narrator, Stewart Meade (nicknamed "Stew Meat"), meets a strange man named Thaddeus Blinn in a carnival tent and notices something unusual about him. Stew Meat sees that there are three children in the tent who he recognizes as Polly, Rowena, and Adam. Blinn sells each of them a card with a red spot in the middle, for only 50 cents each, explaining that all they have to do is to press their finger on the spot, make a wish out loud, and it will come true – exactly as they word it.
Polly, an 11-year-old girl loves to play with bullfrogs and her only two friends. She wishes to be popular, and have the school's two most popular girls, Agatha and Eunice, to like her and invite her over for a tea party in which they would pretend to talk like real ladies. Her wish is granted, but now she croaks like a frog when she says vain, mean words about other people. Her sudden croaking in the middle of class causes her to become the center of attention – amid much grins and guffaws – at school. Agatha and Eunice invite her over, but she learns during her visit that they are snobbish and unlikable people, and they only invited her to ridicule her for her croaking. She realizes that her habit of gossiping and talking about her classmates behind their backs has kept them from befriending her.
Rowena wishes that Henry Piper, a traveling salesman she is infatuated with, but only sees two times a year, will "set roots down in Coven Tree and never leave again!" Her wish is fulfilled word-for-word: his feet become literally rooted to the ground, and he gradually transforms into a sycamore tree. Rowena finds out that he never really loved her, but only pretended to so that her father would like more of his items. She also develops a liking for the family's farmhand, Sam Waxman, who helps her throughout the situation with Henry.
Adam lives on a farm that requires water to be trucked in every few days, so he wishes for it to be covered with some as far as the eye can see. The next day, he is taught dowsing and finds the dowsing rod reacting at every turn. When he digs through the soil, a huge geyser shoots out which initially causes his parents, Edward and Sarah, to be joyful. But soon the geyser grows out of control, flooding the entire farm.
Adam, Polly, and Rowena ran to Stew Meat, asking him to fix their wishes, since he has the only other wishing card in Coven Tree. He accepts, and he grants all their wishes. Polly no longer says mean things about other people and thus never croaks again; Henry is restored to human form, but Rowena forgets him and dates Sam instead; Adam travels around the world to dowse.
Kirkus Reviews described it as "another entertaining tale of magic and transformation." and "Brittain's knack for old-fashioned, funny-scary storytelling makes this another playfully atmospheric tale of strange doings in yesterday's New England." [2]
Hallowe'en Party is a work of detective fiction by English writer Agatha Christie, first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in November 1969 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. This book was dedicated to writer P. G. Wodehouse. It has been adapted for television, radio, and most recently for the film A Haunting in Venice (2023).
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a children's novel by American author Elizabeth George Speare, published in 1958. The story takes place in late 17th-century New England. It won the Newbery Medal in 1959.
Dobry is a book by Monica Shannon first published in 1934 that won the Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American literature for children in 1935. Bulgarian-born sculptor Atanas Katchamakoff illustrated the book.
Salem's Seven is a fictional team of magical beings and former supervillains appearing in Marvel Comics. They were initially foes of the Scarlet Witch and the Fantastic Four, but became allies to both. All seven are the children of Nicholas Scratch and the grandchildren of Agatha Harkness. They are witches and warlocks with magic powers who can transform into fantastic creatures with super-powers.
"The Juniper Tree" is a German fairy tale published in Low German by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. The story contains themes of child abuse, murder, cannibalism and biblical symbolism and is one of the Brothers Grimm's darker and more mature fairy tales.
Jennifer Kale is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Rich Buckler, the character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #11. Jennifer Kale is Johnny Blaze's cousin and a sorceress who is part of the Cult of Zhered-Na. She has also been a member of the Legion of Night and the Midnight Sons at various points in her history.
Topaz is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Mike Ploog, the character first appeared in Werewolf By Night #13 (1974). Topaz is a witch who belongs to a coven composed of Jennifer Kale and Satana Hellstrom.
Adam of the Road is a novel by Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining. Vining won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1943 from the book. Set in thirteenth-century England, the book follows the adventures of a young boy, Adam. After losing his spaniel and minstrel father, Adam embarks on a series of escapades throughout medieval England. The book is illustrated by Robert Lawson.
William E. Brittain was an American writer. He is best known for work set in the fictional New England village of Coven Tree, including The Wish Giver, a Newbery Honor Book.
Elizabeth and After is a novel by Matt Cohen, first published in 1999 by Knopf Canada. His final novel, it won the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction just a few weeks before Cohen's death.
These Happy Golden Years is an autobiographical children's novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and published in 1943, the eighth of nine books in her Little House series – although it originally ended it. It is based on her later adolescence near De Smet, South Dakota, featuring her short time as a teacher, beginning at age 15, and her courtship with Almanzo Wilder. It spans the time period from 1882 to 1885, when they marry.
The Underneath is a children's book by Kathi Appelt. It tells the story of an abandoned cat who goes to live with a maltreated hound dog underneath a crooked old house in a bayou on the border between Louisiana and Texas. Published in 2008, The Underneath is a John Newbery Honor book, ALA Notable Children's Book and a National Book Award Finalist.
The Singing Tree is a children's novel by Kate Seredy, the sequel to The Good Master. Also illustrated by Seredy, it was a Newbery Honor book in 1940. Set in rural Hungary four years after The Good Master, it continues the story of Kate and Jancsi, showing the effect of World War I on the people and land.
Julia Sauer was an American writer of children's fiction and librarian. Two of her books, Fog Magic and The Light at Tern Rock were among the annual Newbery Medal runners-up. Both are set in Canada, where Sauer frequently vacationed.
The School for Good and Evil is a series of fairytale books by Soman Chainani. The first novel in the series was published on May 14, 2013. The series is set in a fictional widespread location known as the Endless Woods.
A World Without Princes is a 2014 fairytale fantasy novel by Soman Chainani. The second book of The School for Good and Evil series and set after the events of the first novel, the book follows Sophie and Agatha who have returned to the village of Gavaldon, ending the "curse". However, Agatha secretly wishes for a different ending, reopening the gates to the School for Good and Evil which have become the School for Girls and Boys. First published on April 15, 2014, the book garnered positive reviews from critics.
The Coven is a 2015 United Kingdom fantasy horror feature film directed by John Mackie (director) and starring Dexter Fletcher. It is stated that the film is based upon actual events. The plot revolves around a Wiccan group, whose leader Uri Clef, and seven followers disappear. They were last seen at The Coven, a ring of trees in Queens Wood once used as a meeting place by practitioners of Cochrane's Craft. Some schoolkids are drawn to visit Queen's Wood in Highgate on Halloween. The film was finally released direct to DVD in the UK on 16 March 2015.
Scary Stories for Young Foxes is a 2019 children's book written by Christian McKay Heidicker, with illustrations by Junyi Wu. The book, published by Henry Holt and Company, was first envisioned to be similar to some of the Berenstain Bears' scary stories, but was rewritten into a collection of tales based on classic horror stories.
The School for Good and Evil is a 2013 fairytale fantasy novel written by Soman Chainani. The first novel in The School for Good and Evil series and Chainani's debut novel, it follows Sophie, a beautiful girl who believes she will be a Princess, and her friend Agatha, an oddity who is deemed a witch by the villagers, who are kidnapped by the School Master and taken to the School for Good and Evil. After their fortunes are reversed, Agatha is taken to the School for Good while Sophie is taken to the School for Evil, their friendship is put to the test.
Agatha All Along is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Agatha Harkness. A spin-off from the series WandaVision (2021), it is the 11th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios and the first to be released under its Marvel Television label, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. Schaeffer serves as showrunner and lead director.