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Books by
Frances Hardinge

WELL WITCHED

FLY BY NIGHT

WELL WITCHED
by Frances Hardinge
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060880385
Ages 8-12
400 pages

If you were short on money for the bus, and it was nearing the time to catch the last one before you were stuck in dark, dreary Magwhite for the night, what would you do? Ryan, Josh and Chelle decide to pull some coins out of an old well so that they can have enough change for bus fare. No one will ever know, and their parents will be furious if they're not home soon.

But as early as the next day, things start getting weird. Ryan notices a wart on his hand that soon becomes two, and three, and more than he can count. He has a strange recurring dream in which his warts open up and become eyeballs. Chelle just can't keep her mouth shut --- except that instead of speaking her own mind, she seems to be telling her friends what everyone around her is thinking.

Ryan, Josh and Chelle eventually realize what has happened to them. They've stolen coins not from any old well, but from a wishing well! Now they are channeling the wishers' thoughts. With a little research, they figure out that the well spirit wants them to grant the wishes belonging to the coins they stole.

As if it's not hard enough to grant wishes for people they can't locate, Ryan and Chelle also find conflict with Josh, who doesn't understand why he isn't entrusted with a new skill like his two friends have.

What follows is a delightful and cleverly woven adventure with just the right mix of fantasy and reality. In the vein of the Harry Potter series, WELL WITCHED lets the children guide the story, and they are definitely resourceful and smart enough to do it. This book will appeal to a variety of readers, from mystery and adventure lovers to fantasy fanatics. The plot is surprisingly dark, which keeps the reader even more intrigued and invested in the story and its characters.

A side storyline involving Josh, who was adopted as a baby, was a little strange in what it seemed to promote, though it was tied up logically. I thought it was slightly offensive to use adoption as motivation for the malicious character he becomes, but it did resolve the story because of that.

All things considered, WELL WITCHED is the best children's fantasy I've read in the post-Harry Potter world. I look forward to more books by the talented Frances Hardinge.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Hannah Gómez (hannahgomez@gmail.com)

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