Millicent's Gift [Paperback]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Millicent's fourteenth birthday won't be an ordinary day. In her family, turning fourteen means receiving a magical Gift: the ability to make one wish in life that will come true.

But Millicent isn't sure she's ready for that kind of power. As her birthday draws closer, she realizes more and more how dangerous her magic is, and how difficult the choices ahead will be. Struggling with secrets, love, and betrayal, in the end Millicent has to make the hardest decision of all.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-There's a lot packed into this contemporary coming-of-age novel, including elements of magic and mystery, and strong themes of what friendship and family really mean. As she approaches her birthday, Millicent must decide how and if she wants to use the magical powers that run in her family. At 14, she will be able to have a single wish granted, as long as she avoids telling a lie until then. While these decisions approach, Millicent also starts going to school for the first time and makes her first real friend outside her close-knit family. This family, introduced in a prefatory "Cast of Characters" chapter, includes her much older brother, Mac, who is responsible for raising his younger siblings since their parents' separation, and is the local chief of police. Mac's no-nonsense approach to life earns both respect and frustration from Millicent. When both get involved in stopping a series of neighborhood thefts, their contentious relationship comes to a head. Though magic is a big part of Millicent's world, the novel really centers more around her relationship with Mac. With such a large cast of characters and sometimes scattered plot threads, though, it takes a while for the story to get moving. The mixture of magic and family dynamics is intriguing, and the eventual conclusion is fairly satisfying, but some readers may lose interest before then.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. "Sometimes I wish I was normal, like everybody else. Believe me, this Gift is a drag," confides Millicent on the second page of her narrative. She could reject it, but, of course, she doesn't. Born into a family where spells and shape shifting are a matter of self-discipline and training. Millicent is coming to the age when she can make one wish that will be granted. When her new friends in high school learn of her gift, she is besieged with requests for help and must convince them that they've been listening to rumors. This features a strong first-person voice and layered characterizations. Although the magic angle will initially attract readers, the most riveting aspect of the novel is neither the increasingly problematic intersection of magic and reality in Millicent's life, nor the subplot of friendship and betrayal, but the convincing portrayal of relationships within a complex family. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064410099
• ISBN-13: 978-0064410090
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ANN RINALDI is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast. She lives with her husband in central New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A novel of powerful characters, December 23, 2003

By 

D. Salerni (Chester County, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Millicent's Gift (Hardcover)

Wow! This book may have a slow start, with a prologue and a wordy "cast of characters" before chapter one, but Millicent is a protagonist worth persevering for. And when I was done the book, I went back and read both sections with new eyes, and marvelled at how the narrator had grown.

Millicent MacCool is about to turn fourteen. She has been home-schooled and trained in magic by her aunts all her life. Now, she is about to attend a public high school at just about the same time she will be granted her Power, the ability to perform one Wish. Her family is large, and she compares each one of them to characters out of Celtic legend. Although she lives with her mother, Millicent's legal guardian is her brother Mac, eighteen years older, the town police chief, and a man haunted by his own past failures. The family dynamics are tangled and intense. An embittered older sister who squandered her Power wants to sell magic secrets; the mother hangs on to a sad secret, and Millicent's twin brother Dexter is angry because he has been denied the Power.

When Millicent is faced with a dilemma -- betraying her only friend -- or betraying her guardian brother Mac; she risks losing all her magic and her special Power to face what she fears most and be true to what she loves best.

Rinaldi's story is believable and moving. Love, family, and friendship are the themes. The MacCool family practices magic, but they are also Catholic, not witches. There is nothing here to offend, nothing dark, or disturbing. Millicent is an astounding character, as is Mac. This book is a departure from Rinaldi's usual historical fiction. It is one of her best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Millicents Gift, January 9, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Millicent's Gift (Hardcover)

I read Millicent's Gift. I thought it was a great book. I liked because it had some adventure and there was a lot of details so you could picture where they were. I think other kids ten or higher would love to read it too. I recommend this book it is a great book to read and other kids should read it too. It is the best book I ever read. Anyone who sees this should read it's think u would like it too. It's at the top my list for books. If you have interests in magic, cops, and courts, this would be a good book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Novel for Readers Young and Old, April 6, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Millicent's Gift (Paperback)

Thirteen-year-old Millicent MacCool knows that her fourteenth birthday will not be an ordinary day. Not like other fourteen-year-old's birthdays. No, not at all. You see, in Millicent's family, turning fourteen means receiving a magical Gift, and that magical Gift, is the ability to make one wish in life that will come true. Sure Millicent wants to grow-up, but she's not sure that she's ready for that kind of Power. As the day of her fourteen bithday draws closer and closer, Millicent is slowly realizing how dangerous having this one Gift can be, and how difficult the choices that she will face throughout her life will be, as well. Millicent is learning how to struggly with love, secrets, and betrayal, and in the end, Millicent will have to make the hardest decision that she will ever have to make. One that will change her life forever, as she knows it.

I was surprised to stumble across Ann Rinaldi's MILLICENT'S GIFT, while browsing through the bookstore the other day, as I am so accustomed to her writing historical fiction, and MILLICENT'S GIFT is nothing like that. Instead, it is a paranormal/magic book that is set in modern day times. However, I will applaud Ms. Rinaldi on her amazing work, as MILLICENT'S GIFT is a wonderful work of literature for both young and old. Millicent is an exciting character, whom is a wonderful friend, and a trustworthy daughter, niece, and sister. She is intelligent, determined, and spirited, and will be loved by readers the world over. A must have book.

Erika Sorocco