Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short Stories (Puffin Short Stories) [Paperback]

Megan Whalen Turner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Puffin Short Stories

A leprechaun is sighted in a small town in New Hampshire. An inner-city boy goes back in time to prehistoric Sweden. There's a ghost living on the highest level of a huge factory--but what she sees is her own house. This collection of stories by 1997 Newbery Honor-winner Megan Turner is utterly delightful [and] perfectly crafted (Kirkus Reviews)--after reading them, you'll never see the world the same way again. Megan Whalen Turner proves to be one of the brightest creative talents. With each book, she continues to add new levels and new lustre to her sparkling imagination. --Lloyd Alexander, Newbery Medal-winning author of The High King Megan Whalen Turner is the author of the 1997 Newbery Honor Book The Thief (Puffin). She and her family live in Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Princes in disguise, royal elves and book-loving ghosts all play a part in the seven stories of this intermittently promising collection. Throughout, debut author Turner's style is expansive, allowing for mood-setting details and for occasionally sharp wit, but most of her plots follow familiar, predictable patterns. As a rural town fills up with leprechaun-hunters in "A Plague of Leprechaun," for example, it's easily foreseen that the sole disinterested party, an art school graduate intent on pursuing his craft, will end up with the little green fellow's bag of gold. On the other hand, the entry "Aunt Charlotte and the NGA Portraits" is a standout. This carefully framed narrative unfolds slowly and suspensefully to reveal a series of puzzles, their settings ranging from an underpopulated island off North Carolina to Canaletto's Venice, their marvelous resolution followed by a denouement of near-equal magic. The inventiveness and control shown here augur well for Turner's future endeavors. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8?Seven short stories in which fantasy mingles with the everyday lives of ordinary people. In the first, a leprechaun sighting brings an excess of tourists to a small New England village. In the next, a boy goes back in time and makes himself a hero by claiming to be a killer of roaches. In "Aunt Charlotte and the NGA Portraits," a girl is sent into a painting to search for a missing object that turns out to be a selkie skin. In the title story, an elf owes three wishes to a girl who keeps rejecting his efforts. In "The Baker King," a kingdom keeps waiting for its prince to return and finds that he is there all the time?but in a most unlikely place. Each selection has an unexpected twist at the end that will surprise readers but that logically fits the tale. Turner does a fine job of creating time and place and imbues the selections with a mild humor that will elicit gentle chuckles and smiles. Some of the stories are stronger than others, and not all of them will appeal to the same audience, but all are readable and the best are very good. Several would also make excellent choices for reading aloud.?Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140386726
• ISBN-13: 978-0140386721
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,676,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Megan Whalen Turner is married to a professor and often relocates when he needs to do research. When they traveled to Greece one summer, she decided to use its landscape as the background of a book, but didn't write The Thief until she was spending a year in California, where the olive trees reminded her of the Greek mainland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instead of 3 Wishes- Great Stories, July 8, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short Stories (Puffin Short Stories) (Paperback)

Every single story in this book are filled with excitement and you don't want to put the book down! Each are a surprising magical tale for all ages. One story, a girl goes into a painting to find a treasure for someone. A surprising ending. I can't tell you how good all of the stories are. You have to read them!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Magical Fun, August 27, 2006

By 

Wantz Upon A Time Reviews (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short Stories (Paperback)

In this collection of short stories, Turner treats readers to seven magical tales.

In "A Plague of Leprechauns," a small town is beset with leprechaun-hunting tourists whenever someone reports seeing one of the little green people. See what happens when a serious young artist arrives in town on the heels of a sighting.

"Leroy Roachbane" is a boy who is mysteriously thrown back in time to ancient Sweden. Asked whether he is a spirit or hero, he chooses hero. Soon after his arrival, there is a battle to be fought.

The "Factory" is a self-contained community in the middle of an unending city. John, the newest employee, is assigned a job operating a crane far above the factory floor. He soon learns that men rarely stayed in his position due to ghostly happenings.

"Aunt Charlotte and the NGA Portraits" is a fanciful tale, told by an old woman to her great-niece, of an adventure inside a painting.

"Instead of Three Wishes," Selene wishes to be left alone. The elf prince who promised her the wishes can't understand why she won't accept, so he tries to find ways to make her happy.

Kevin, your average school bully, is forced to live with "The Nightmare" after he and his pals try to frighten an old woman. Each night brings more fear until the dream can be overcome.

"The Baker King" is about a baker's apprentice who bears a striking resemblance to the late king's son. Will the young man's uncanny appearance help when outsiders threaten to take over the small kingdom?

Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always fascinating, these stories will intrigue young readers with a taste for the unusual. Each tale is cleverly written and believable in its own way. Some parents may take exception to references to drinking, but it is not a predominant theme and would provide a good talking point between parents and kids later. (i.e.: The difference between social drinking in a local inn versus routine drunkenness.)

If your child is too young for Poe but too old for Cinderella, this is a fabulous choice.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
8/27/2006

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for everyone, May 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short Stories (Puffin Short Stories) (Paperback)

Instead of Three Wishes, by Megan Whalen Turner, is a book for everyone. It doesn't matter whether you are six or sixty-six; this book brings out the inner child in all of us. The clever plot twists and fantasy worlds keep your mind on edge. Instead of Three Wishes is composed of seven mystical short stories that will amaze you. The second story is entitled "Leroy Roachbane." This story involves a child named Leroy. Every morning Leroy woke up and went into his pantry to kill off any cockroaches before his mother entered. One day after his daily duty, Leroy went to the store to buy boric acid and roach motels. On his way home, Leroy's bike skid on an ice patch, and he was knocked unconscious. Leroy's mind began to wander, and took him to a place in many ways similar to his own life. When Leroy regained consciousness, he discovered something out of the ordinary. This story was incredibly entertaining and mind boggling, as is the next story. The third story is called the "Factory." In short, this story concerns a new employee that will work the high crane at a local factory. For some reason, this job has been vacant often. One day while the employee was reading on his lunch break, he saw another figure that seemed to also be reading. In actuality, the figure was the ghost of a little girl who once lived on the factory lot. This story takes what we think we know and twists it into the unknown. "Factory" makes you wonder if there is an afterlife, in a fun and lighthearted way. The fifth story is the title story. This story is in some ways similar to the first story in the book. It involves a student who helped an unrecognizable elf prince cross a busy intersection. In return the prince offers the student three wishes. THe student declines the offer and moves on. Over the next weeks, the student and her dis abled mother recieved a handful of gifts, which they decline. In the end, the perfect gift is evident, the offer was so thoughtful, and the student could not refuse. This story was very interesting to read because of the personal connections. Everyone has tried to find the perfect gift, and this story just pulls those emotions together in a magical way. The final story is entitled " The Baker King." i personally found this story to be the most humorous and entertaining. The story involves an island country without a king. The elderly king sent his only son off to boarding school, but no one thought enough to ask where. After a short while, the king passed away, and the island was without a leader. The king's court decided it would simply wait for a letter from the prince. After nine years, a letter was finally recieved. But it was not from the prince. It was from a wanted bandit. The letter prolaimed that the bandit would king himself once he and his gang arrived in the country. With little time to spare, the minister of cultural events, Orvis, went out one night and accidentally ran into a baker. Orvis was convinced that the baker could very easily pass as the king. In the end, the baker became king for a day, but then chose to return to the bakery. This story has many interesting, funny, and clever parts. "The Baker King", also has a nice overall theme. The story shows, that being rich and famous is not perfect for everyone. Overall, this book was an amazing read. I would recommend this to any person who enjoys questioning the obvious.