Monday, March 23, 2009

Fortune's Magic Farm by Suzanne Selfors

This is a sweet, fun little fantasy for kids ages eight to twelve. The main character is Isabelle, a ten-year-old girl who lives in the town of Runny Cove, and like everyone else in the town, works at Mr. Supreme's Umbrella Factory. She lives with her Grandma Maxine at Mama Lu's boarding house. Grandma Maxine found Isabelle on the doorstep when she was a baby, and no one knows where she came from. Runny Cove is a very depressing town, where it always rains, and everyone must work at the factory, but they can barely afford their rent. The women who run the boarding houses, Mama Lu in particular, are terribly mean and petty, and constantly accuse their tenants of stealing. Isabelle knows that she is someone special, she just wishes she knew where she was from, and why she was left on the doorstep.
It isn't until a sea monster shows up and sneezes an apple into her lap that her adventure truly begins, however. No one has seen an apple in years, and Isabelle can't wait to share this one with her sick grandmother and her best friends. Then she meets Sage, the boy who brought the apple to Runny Cove, and she discovers Fortune's Farm. But now that Isabelle has discovered where she belongs, she must keep her promise to her friends, and help make Runny Cove the town it once was - Sunny Cove - again.
This is a charming, magical tale that many children would enjoy. It could easily be read to kids under eight, and would be enjoyed by older kids as well.

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