Customer Reviews

Fortune's Magic Farm

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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What I wouldn't give for a green thumb! Or at least a green pinkie. In the book Fortune's Magic Farm, ten-year-old Isabelle possesses a knack for growing things. She grows lichen in her hair and has mushrooms growing between her toes. Unfortunately, this odd little orphan girl happens to live in a very strange town -- a gloomy, dreary town named Runny Cove where the rain never ceases and the sun never shines. The place perfect for slugs but not for people. All the inhabitants of Runny Cove stay perpetually sick, have translucent skin and grow gray hair, "the color of sadness."

Just like all the other inhabitants of Runny Cove, Isabelle works tirelessly at the evil Mr. Supreme's umbrella factory. She lives in a battered boardinghouse with her beloved but sickly Grandma Maxine who found her as a baby abandoned on the doorstep. Without many options, Isabelle goes about her daily work complaining very little and doing her best to eek out a meager living. Then, one special day, out of nowhere a huge sea creature appears, sneezes and shoots a slime-covered apple out of its nose onto Isabelle's lap. Everything changes and she sets off on an adventure with a boy named Sage to find the "nowhere" she came from, a beautiful and magical place called Fortune's Farm. Feeling the sun for the first time and delighting in her newly green hair, she yearns to help her friends back at Runny Cove and turn the dismal place back into the Sunny Cove it once was.

Writing with humor and a large dose of creativity, Suzanne Selfors combines all the popular children's book components (an orphan in an unfortunate situation, magic, animals, adventure) and weaves them into a compelling, quirky fantasy. After reading the book you'll never look at a rainy day without thinking of Runny Cove or gaze at a garden without wondering where the Curative Cherry tree is located. Never was there a more likeable character than Isabelle. Her tendency to make up silly little songs and use them as a coping mechanism to deal with difficult situations amuses the heart. On her journey of self-discovery, she demonstrates that she is trustworthy and responsible and, in her own whimsical way, serves as a fun role model for all children. So enjoyable was the book that I'll go out on a limb and say adults (think Allen's Garden Spells combined with Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will enjoy the leisurely read nearly as much as the 8-12 age group the book is geared toward. Catia Chien's organic illustrations full of dense garden growth, appear at the beginning of each chapter. Like other reviewers, I wish the cover art looked less girlish and more adequately presented the book as appropriate for both girls and boys. Another thing I'd like to add - this marvelous garden read is the perfect happy green fictional escape with Earth Day approaching. Makes you want to get out and tend your own garden.

Roald Dahl was a troublemaker. Did he really have to be so original? So interesting? Did his books have to fall into such a distinctive age range? And did he have to be the kind of author that would inspire parents to come up to reference desks across the country asking desperately, "My kid only reads Roald Dahl. What do you have that's just like him?" Honey, you are barking up the wrong tree if you think that anyone could replicate Dahl's style. He was one of those rare authors to tread the line between early chapter books and older novels. His sense of fun was light-hearted and impossible to copy. Few authors have ever come close to being compared to Dahl, and nobody has his distinctive flavor. One of the very few authors to do so would have to be Suzanne Selfors. She doesn't really have that streak of darkness that was so distinctly Dahlian, but she certainly knows how to tell a story and tell it well. Slugs and marmots. Magical apples and dastardly foes. "Fortune's Magic Farm" follows hot on the heels of Selfors' last novel "To Catch a Mermaid" and shares that book's gleeful storytelling and delightful characters. A pure pleasure to read, for child and adult alike.

When you live in Runny Cove you get used to certain things. The fact that it's always raining, and always damp and cold. The fact that the only two occupations in town involve working in the local factory or acting as a landlord or landlady. Even though she's just a kid, Isabelle has to work in the factory too to support herself and her Grandma Maxine. Not that Maxine's her real grandmother. Actually Isabelle was abandoned at the boarding house years ago as a baby and never knew her real parents. Yet when she and two other ten-year-old kids in town suddenly are given delicious apples by three mysterious animals, Isabelle gets sucked into an adventure to find out her true past. But what happens when you meet your real family only find out that one of them doesn't even want you?

One of the things I like about her books is that Selfors doesn't go half ways when she describes something. She has this ability to tap into a kid-friendly vibe and really draw her descriptions in livid detail. Right from the start we learn that Isabelle's village, "was perpetually cast in a depressing shade of sludge - the same color as the gunky stuff that clogs up bathroom sinks." Her words are accessible, never relying on self-conscious long-winded descriptions or overly extensive passages to convey what it is she has to say. There's something very direct about the way in which Selfors writes. It's as if she knows exactly how to speak to her child readers. My co-worker's son had read "To Catch a Mermaid" and enjoyed it in the past, so I asked that he take a look at this book as well to give me a sense of what he thought. The result? He loved it. Absolutely adored it. Thought it was even better than her first book. Though you'll have to help kids to discover it, once they try its first page they will definitely be hooked.

There are so many books out there in which the hero or heroine discovers that they were abandoned as a baby because they are "special" in some way. And the list of ways in which they are special are pretty rote. When the child is capable of otherworldly abilities then they are A) A wizard, B) A half-god, C) A fairy or D) A combination of one or more of the above. This book is slightly different. Sure, kids will enjoy trying to decipher the clues to Isabelle's mysterious background, but the abilities that show that she is special seem pretty low-key at first. She grows mushrooms between her toes and also has impossibly warm hands at all times. What does that mean? It means that when you find out the truth to Isabelle's past it isn't the same as any other book. It keeps the kids guessing and, in the process, keeps them reading.

I'm going to insert a small SPOILER ALERT here for the remainder of this paragraph, particularly for those of you familiar with the movie, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". There is a moment near the end of this book that reminded me hugely of "Willy Wonka". It's strange that I would say this, mentioning Dahl as often as I have in this review. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record. However, if you read this book and get to that same part in the movie, you will understand what I mean. I don't think it's a flaw, necessarily, but it certainly does account for a sense of déjà vu.

So when you are asked to recommend someone like Roald Dahl, first you need to set them straight. There is nobody like Roald Dahl. That would be like someone asking for an author exactly like Shel Silverstein. Can't be done. However, you may also reassure them that all is not lost. Should they want something along the same lines as Dahl, combining outright fantasy with brave heroes and horrible villains, there is someone who fits the bill. Suzanne Selfors is still flying below the radar in terms of public acclaim but it's only a matter of time before she's discovered and her books enter the public consciousness. "Fortune's Magic Farm". A small treasure, waiting for kids to discover it.

My son and I read this book together and both loved it. It is laugh out loud funny at times and the author does a fantastic job creating memorable characters that are so vividly described you can picture them in your mind. We are looking forward to reading other books by the author.

This book had the nature of a Lemony Snicket novel with it over the top antics and far fetch situations. Overall, it was a fun romp, albeit predictable and simple. I enjoyed the farce and would recommend this fast read.

I LOVED Fortune's Farm.Each chapter kept you hooked,and the fact that she lived in a place were it always rains,got you hooked in the begining,too. I've read Fortunes Farm in 2nd grade and 4th grade, and I loved it both times.I usually dread reading, but I couldn't put Fortune's Farm down. Each chapter is a work of art.
Jas

I LOVED Fortune's Farm.Each chapter kept you hooked,and the fact that she lived in a place were it always rains,got you hooked in the begining,too. I've read Fortunes Farm in 2nd grade and 4th grade, and I loved it both times.I usually dread reading, but I couldn't put Fortune's Farm down. Each chapter is a work of art.
Jas

If you haven't discovered Suzanne Selfors yet, this is a great book to start with. Targeted for middle grade readers, this hilarious, quirky novel was as much fun for me as it was for my children. Isabelle, the plucky and unfortunate heroine, perseveres against eternally surprising bad turns and very UNfortunate luck until a bit of magic and her own sheer determination send her on a risky journey to save her town from its despotic overlord. Selfors' imaginative and surprising storyline--matched by her language and settings--bring classic chidren's literary themes into a new generation with sparkling creativity. You can't miss this book. Best news--she has a string of others for both middle grade and young adult readers, too.

Ten-year-old orphan Isabelle has never seen the sun.

Like nearly everyone else who lives in Runny Cove, where the rainfall never stops, she has to work at Runny Cove's Magnificently Supreme Umbrella Factory, the only business in town. Ever since Grandma Maxine fell sick, Isabelle has had to work double shifts to pay their rent at Mama Lu's boarding house, where residents are given two meager meals a day in exchange for leaky rooms and strict rules.

Through it all, Isabelle finds scraps of happiness in Grandma Maxine's tales of when Runny Cove saw sunlight and prosperous times, and in the knowledge that she, as the only orphan in Runny Cove to have been left on a doorstep, may indeed turn out to be special and different.

While on the beach one day after work, Isabelle is approached by a monster that crawls out of the sea, and leaves her with an item that only the richest in Runny Cove could afford--a single, red apple. Such an extraordinary experience in the dull life of a factory worker could only mean that Isabelle is special after all, and she finds out that this is true ten times over when she's told that the apple marks her as the heir to a magical farm.

Isabelle sets off to begin her new, exciting life, but soon finds her loyalties put to the test when she's given a chance to use her new fortune to save her friends and the home that she once knew.

This little book absolutely impressed me with its well-written story and deceivingly simple text that stirs up a wealth of emotion in spite of oneself. Reminiscent of novels by storytelling master Roald Dahl, this book draws young readers through steely gray sadness only to come out in a wash of color and happiness at the story's conclusion.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

I review great read aloud books for kids all the time, but typically they're in the picture book genre, rather than middle grade fiction. I don't really know why that is, I guess I just come across more picture books to rave about for read alouds than books for the older kiddos...this title though, definitely a nice middle grade fiction read aloud. Suzanne Selfors, a new-to-me author, has come up with a charming story that will be great to read as a family.

Fortune's Magic Farm is the story of ten-year-old Isabelle, a girl living in Runny Cove where the sun never shines, everything is gray, and it's always so wet that mold grows everywhere (even on the people of Runny Cove). Residing in a boarding house with her grandmother, Isabelle is forced to labor at the only place of employment in town, the umbrella factory, where she is overworked and underpaid.

When Isabelle finds an apple, a very rare item to see in Runny Cove, and then hears that several of her friends found apples as well, she knows something strange is happening. A mysterious boy arrives to tell her that she is needed at Fortune's Farm, across the ocean, and Isabelle, finally seeing a chance to escape Runny Cove, goes with him to the most glorious place in the whole world. Trees and animals and sunshine and rainbows and happiness are in abundance at Fortune's Farm and Isabelle is to play a very important role in maintaining that level of wonder.

What she feels she needs to do is go back and rescue her friends from Runny Cove and from the terrible umbrella factory, where they too are overworked and underpaid. She is told, however, that no one can ever know of Fortune's Magic Farm, that she must never tell. Isabelle must find a way to save her friends and protect the place she has grown to love so much.

There is SUCH description in this book! Selfors has a knack for helping the reader to truly picture what she is describing...the nasty umbrella factory, the moss covered floor in Isabelle's room at the boarding house, and the wonderful landscape of the farm. The description makes this an awesome choice to read aloud, as well as the fun, quirky, and sometimes silly plot. It will make adults [...] their heads and be confused as to whether it's ridiculous or great, but kids are going to love Isabelle's story.

My one complaint? The cover and illustrations. The cover lends absolutely nothing to the story. Yes, all the elements are there...an umbrella with light underneath, a gray world outside it, but SO much could have been done to invite the reader into this magical story and it fell short. It's also very "girl-oriented." Boys are going to love this story too, but I don't think they're picking it up off the shelf! The illustrations, though few, are the same.They are all done in black and white! I think black and white drawings are a great idea for the beginning of the book, but once Isabelle makes it to Fortune's Farm, color would have really accompanied the plot well.

Cover and illustrations are just a small part of this lovely little book that I enjoyed very much. A great choice for libraries and for parents wanting a fabulous read aloud for their kids.

Once again Suzanne Selfors puts the reader smack-dab into the middle of a strange and quirky world that is just enough different from our own to be magical, yet remains strikingly familiar. In a gloomy town where it never stops raining we meet Isabelle, a ten-year-old girl with a penchant for making up silly songs to brighten her otherwise monotonous days. Although little Isabelle is burdened with working a dead-end factory job and avoiding the accusing eye of her nosy and miserly landlady, her thoughts are ever occupied with learning the true story of where she came from. Left on a doorstep as a baby, she has no idea of who her parents were and where she belongs. Her past remains shrouded in mystery until one day when a surprise encounter on a beach changes the course of her life forever.

Fortune's Magic Farm has at its core a quandary of which we all cope with at some point in life: finding our own identity in a world that often seems unfeeling and uncompromising towards individuality. Underlying themes of destiny, the meaning of family and integrity make this a very personal story and the themes are thoughtfully woven throughout Isabelle's adventures. Surrounding the main story is a delightful collection of creatures and characters that bring this magical world to life in a way that will satisfy hungry readers of all ages. Not to be missed.