The Wish Giver
Written by Bill Brittain
Narrated by William Dufris
4/5
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About this audiobook
A Newbery Honor Book that the New York Times called "an eerie delight," The Wish Giver is an engaging literary folk story about those who get what they wish for—whether they want it or not.
The people of Coven Tree are no strangers to magic. In fact, the town's very name comes from a gnarled old tree where covens of witches used to gather. Even now, imps and fiends continue to appear, frightening the townsfolk with their devilish pranks.
Usually these creatures are easy to spot. They have a particular smell, or sound, or way of moving, that betrays their dark nature.
But Thaddeus Blinn showed none of these signs when he came to Coven Tree. He was just a funny little man who drifted into town with a strange tale about being able to give people whatever they wished—for only fifty cents.
There was nothing scary about him. At least, not until the wishing began...
Bill Brittain
Bill Brittain's tales of the rural New England village of Coven Tree are well loved by children of all ages. The Wish Giver was a Newbery Honor Book; it and Devil's Donkey were both named ALA Notabled Children's Books as well as School Library Journal Best Books. Dr. Dredd's Wagon of Wonders was a 1988 Children's Editors' Choice (ALA Booklist), and Professor Popkin's Prodigious Polish was named a "Pick of the Lists" by American Bookseller. Mr. Brittain has written many other delightful books, which have also received high acclaim. Among these are All the Money in the World, which won the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award and which has been adapted for an ABC-TV Saturday Special; and The Fantastic Freshman, which was named an ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Bill Brittain lives with his wife, Ginny, in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Reviews for The Wish Giver
13 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cute book if an overworked premise. Talk about the "precision" of words and how you have to really watch what you wish for when several people are given a token by a man at the carnival that will grant them One Wish.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a cute, kid friendly retelling of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs. The wishes were less gruesome, but still traumatic to the adolescents that were experiencing them. Some of them were actually quite comical. I could definitely see the kid appeal.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very classic story, easy read. Recommend for everyone. I especially enjoyed the narrator’s mimic of water splashing everywhere. Good narrator!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5this book has good aventers and magical lands polly (the main charecter)has this magical thing with a dot,it can grant any wish at all,but when she tries to make a wish"I wish people would finally notes me,but most of all I wish agetha would invite me to her house for tea"but then all of a sudden the dot turns red and gets realy realy hot polly lets go of it and it gose straight under the bed.The next day polly startes croking like a frog she got attention just not the kind of attention she was hoping for.......
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5once again, this book is right up in the twilight range as far as favorites go. beware of the red dotted cards! the only summary for this book i can give is BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was a really good book for those people who like fantasy. It was about a lot of kids who wished something they desired except one, Stew Meat.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A strange man comes to town for the annual fair, claiming to be able to grant wishes for fifty cents apiece. He sells four wishes, one each to four townspeople, then promptly disappears. The story of each person and their wish is told separately, but by the end they're all nicely entwined. A fun version of the Foolish Wish trope, but nothing earth-shattering here.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As a child, I absolutely loved this book. The idea of a stranger coming to town and doling out wishes was fascinating to me, and of course I understood the lesson: Be careful what you wish for!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A simple story from a largely forgotten time in the U.S., when traveling carnivals were more common and a “big deal” when they did come into town. I thought it was cute and very appropriate for reader’s 8-10 ish (or so). I didn’t realize there was a book before this one, the Devil’s Donkey…but since I’ve decided not to trade The Wish Giver away (keeping it for the kids to read when they wan to), I’ll probably be getting this one too. The book is written in a chapter style where each chapter is kind of a short story all on it’s own, but the stories all fit together to tell a larger tale in the end. Cute, easy read…and I’d recommend it for kids (though the meaning of the whole thing is rather transparent…be careful what you wish for).