13 Gifts [Hardcover]

Wendy Mass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 720L (What's this?)

Wendy Mass turns to another magical birthday: 13!

When Tara, a self-proclaimed shrinking violet, steals the school mascot, a goat, in order to make some friends with the popular crowd and gets caught, she gets herself in a heap of trouble. In addition, her parents decide that instead of taking her on their summer trip to Madagascar to study the courtship rituals of the Bamboo Lemur, she must go stay with her aunt, uncle, and bratty cousin Emily St. Claire in Willow Falls. Tara thinks it's a good time to start over; she'll be turning 13 after all, so she might as well make the best of it and perhaps even attempt to break out of her shell (in a non-criminal manner). What Tara doesn't know is that this charmed town has something big in store for her on her 13th birthday. It's not a typical birthday. But then again, nothing is Willow Falls is exactly typical!

Editorial Reviews

Review

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Praise for 11 Birthdays

* “A fresh twist on the familiar themes of middle-grade family and school dynamics.” –Booklist, starred review

* “Girls will relate to Amanda's insecurities, and the confidence and insights she gains will resonate.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

Praise for Finally

“Finally is a treat–a delicious story about fitting in, falling down, and growing up. Wendy Mass has done it again!”–Rebecca Stead, Newbery award winner of When You Reach Me

“Finally will have readers laughing, nodding in agreement, and sighing in sympathy as they follow Rory's tale of reaching 12.”–Teensreadtoo.com

About the Author

Wendy Mass is the author of the award-winning books for readers A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE, LEAP DAY, JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL, EVERY SOUL A STAR, THE CANDYMAKERS, 11 BIRTHDAYS, FINALLY, and the Twice Upon a Time series. She tells people her hobbies are photography and hiking, but they're really collecting candy bar wrappers and searching for buried treasure with her metal detector. Wendy lives with her family in New Jersey. Visit her at www.wendymass.com.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545310032
• ISBN-13: 978-0545310031
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations

More About the Author

Wendy Mass is the author of "A Mango-Shaped Space" and "Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life," published by Little, Brown in November 2006. She lives with her family in Sparta, NJ.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for 11-14 year olds! September 8, 2011

By Caitie F

Format:Hardcover

Wendy Mass seems to know that birthdays are really important to kids, especially their 13th birthday. This is her second book revolving around a deadline of turning 13, and it adds a layer of excitement and suspense.

There is also a mystical aspect to the book. There is a mysterious old woman who loves to give school students tasks to complete...and if they don't she usually threatens dire circumstances. The fantastical element makes the book more fun to read and opens limitless possibilities.

The plot is also a lot of fun. Tara (and her friends) have to find 13 different items, all of which seem random and unconnected. It turns out they lead to more excitement and adventure for the entire town!

While the fantasy and the birthday is fun, what really makes this book are the characters and the relationships. Tara has moved around her entire life, so she is always on the outside of groups and doesn't really know how to make friends and depend on others. Luckily, she is given a chance to make some real friends and learns what it is like. She is smart, kind, and it is so much fun to watch her grow.

All of her new friends are realistic and I think kids will be able to see themselves in someone. There is the sweet and nervous David, getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah, without his father by his side. He was my favorite character because he is so mature for his age and is the key for Tara and her journey.

It was another great book by Wendy Mass. She proves, once again, that she understand the middle grade audience. I am really glad I can give this to my husband's middle school classroom!

Find this one for the 11-14 year old in your life!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll love it more if you've read Finally first October 28, 2011

By Jennifer Donovan TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My 13-year-old daughter turned me on to Wendy Mass when she first started reading her books 4 years ago. We both love her.

13 GIFTS is a Willow Falls book, meaning that the characters from 11 Birthdays and Finally are back. It's not a sequel and the story completely stands alone, but you will appreciate the "in jokes" if you've read Finally. And who wouldn't want to read that? It was hilarious and heartwarming.

In 13 GIFTS, we meet Tara, who is a bit of a loner. She's moved around a lot, so she's learned to just keep to herself. This saddens her mother, who is always encouraging her to make friends. In an effort to please her mom, she gets tangled up in a scheme with some other kids that causes her to get suspended. She was supposed to go to Madagascar with her mom and dad (her mom would be working, studying lemurs in their habitat), but instead, she has to go to Willow Falls to stay with her aunt and cousin who she barely knows.

Tara's not happy about it, but she's not totally mopey either. She ends up making friends (Willow Falls literary characters Rory, Leo, and Amanda, plus David) and getting caught up in a couple of projects that she tries to keep a secret from her family.

I don't want to give a lot of plot details, but if you liked 11 Birthdays or Finally, you will most certainly LOVE 13 Gifts. If you have a daughter in the 4th grade and up, share some Wendy Mass together.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 13 GIFTS is like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow February 3, 2012

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Wendy Mass writes for kids. She writes for kids who are just about to make that leap into the bigger world beyond childhood. And she obviously writes very well about it, not only because she has a legion of loyal fans who devour each book as it releases, but because she creates characters and engaging storylines that keep young readers coming back for more. 13 GIFTS is no exception and is one of her best yet.

Tara moves a lot, thanks to the crazy work life of her anthropologist mother. As they get ready to move to Madagascar for her mom's latest career fling, Tara does something dumb. In order to get in with the cool kids, she helps mastermind and pull off a stunt in which she kidnaps a goat from the principal of her middle school. Yes, she gets caught. And no, it's not a good thing.

Her prank lands her in a tiny town called Willow Falls, where she has to hang out with an eccentric group of relatives whom she barely knows. This is her punishment, but it also turns out to be quite the reward in the end; there is a plethora of silly, funny, interesting and altogether wacky kids in this town, so Tara is not the only weird one. However, the old woman who Tara ends up meeting becomes the focal point of all the weirdness when she asks Tara to perform a strange task. She must find 13 different objects before her 13th birthday, or, the old crone threatens, she will end up in dire straits (losing her soul, just a little thing like that). This mystical element is handled nicely by Mass, woven intricately into this tale of growing up.

Tara learns to make friends as well as stay on task, and she finds that her own eccentricities, like those of others, actually come to bear quite positively on her life. As she moves through the task, we can see her growing into a more self-confident girl. It's a nice move.

Even though the kids in town are strange and the task before Tara is mystical, there is a lot for children (and parents) to applaud and celebrate in this story about acceptance and love. When young people have a chance to discover for themselves how great and capable they are and how lovable they can be, the result is sure to be a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. 13 GIFTS is just that.

Reviewed by Jana Siciliano