Wedding Planner's Daughter, The [Paperback]

Coleen Murtagh Paratore (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: MacMillan Children's Books (2006)
• ISBN-10: 1405088508
• ISBN-13: 978-1405088503
• ASIN: B001KSSB5W
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable New Book for Middle Readers, April 1, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: The Wedding Planner's Daughter (The Wedding Planner's Daughter #1) (Hardcover)

Twelve-year-old Willafred "Willa" Havisham has a passion for cherry cordials, classics, and is the worst wish maker in the entire world. That is, until Willa and her glamorous, wedding planner mother, Stella Havisham, move to quaint Bramble, Cape Cod. Suddenly, everything that Willa wishes for begins to come true: she has a best friend for the first time in her entire life, Tina. Stella is falling for "The Poet," also known as Willa's English teacher, Sam - who would make the best possible father in the entire world! Her crush, Joseph, seems to actually like her back, and she's finally getting the chance to bond with her candy-making Grandmother - who is actually quite hip. Willa couldn't be happier, that is, until she lets a secret slip, and suddenly her whole world - and that of the loved ones around her - is flipped upside down, leaving her with a HUGE amount of damage that only she can fix.

I loved the brief summary that I read about this book a few months ago, and must admit, that the cover illustration totally drove me wild - it's SO cute - so I knew that I would just have to read Coleen Murtagh Paratore's THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER, and boy am I glad that I did. Willa is the perfect character, smart, funny, cute, and super friendly. I loved the fact that she was a fan of the classics - so am I - as I found that I had read all of the books that she recommends to readers on the very last page. Paratore has done an amazing job with THE WEDDING PLANNER'S DAUGHTER, and I hope that she continues to write more about Willa's wonky adventures, as I'd love to give them a read.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, May 1, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Wedding Planner's Daughter (The Wedding Planner's Daughter #1) (Hardcover)

I am an eleven year old fifth grader. Willafred, who likes to be called Willa, is a preeteen soon to be teen, who wishes everyone is happy. She wishes her mother had a man after a dramatic hot air balloon accident during their honeymoon.Estelle, who likes to be called Stella is scared of ever falling in love again and having a prince charming not ever be good enough for her. She keeps herself busy on purpose, drowning herself in all of her wedding designs. Willa is always sad about moving. Once she moves to Cape Cod and meets a best friend Tina, she thinks everything will change. She lives in fear of a dreaded statue look in her mothers face, which means she will have to move again. But just when mother meets a wonderfull seventh grade English teacher, she starts to really like him, still scared she starts to get to know him more. Then finally, the wedding of a life time gets destroyed, they must move, again. Read more about everyone and how Willa is coping with everything in The Wedding Planner's Daughter, my favorite book in the world.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Charming as a Cherry Cordial..., December 10, 2005

By 

Marilynn Griffith (Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Wedding Planner's Daughter (The Wedding Planner's Daughter #1) (Hardcover)

I bought this for my daughter at the Scholastic book fair yesterday, but it looked cute and so I opened it and that was all she wrote! And she wrote indeed. This is a wonderful blend of contemporary fiction and literary classics. Willafred Havisham, a twelve-year-old wedding planner's daughter who's been moved across the eastern seaboard every two years since her birth, makes a delightful narrator in this tale of friendship, family, and finding love. In the end, Willa (Willafred's preferred name) realizes that what she's been pining after may not be what she thinks.

Set in the charming Cape Cod town of Bramble, Massuchusetts, this book quietly stole into my heart with echoes of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and other delightful girl stories I read growing up. I spent last night cheering for Poet, the handsome English teacher next door with his backyard labyrinth and beautiful smile, Nana and the bookstore owner, Tina, Willa's first best friend and Mum, the unconventional minister of Bramble United Congregational.

If you're feeling like life's the pits, this saltwater taffy tale of good friends, good books and growing up will make things seem like a bowl of cherries. Give this book a try. I'm glad I did and I think my daughter will enjoy it too.