The Wedding Planner's Daughter (The Wedding Planner's Daughter #1) [Paperback]

Coleen Murtagh Paratore (Author), Barbara McGregor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Twelve-year-old Willa Havisham is a classics reader, a cherry-cordial eater, and quite possibly the world's worst wisher. But when she and her glamorous single mother, Stella, move to Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa's wishes begin to come true: She makes her first-ever best friend, Tina. She bonds with her hip, candy-making Nana. And best of all, steely Stella is falling for Willa's English teacher, Sam -- he's perfect dad material! But before Willa can marry off her mother, or dance with her adorable crush, Joseph, a pit gets stuck in the wishing well....

Can Willa undo the damage before Stella misses her chance to say "I do"?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6–This book is as sweet a confection as the cherry cordials its 12-year-old protagonist is so fond of eating. Willafred Havisham is starting to put down roots in Bramble, Cape Cod, where her grandmother runs a candy shop and where she's made a friend. She is hoping that her mother will stay here longer than the two years they usually live anywhere, and that she will remarry. Stella is a successful wedding planner who is unaware that her daughter has been adding her own touch for years: she sews cherry pits into the hem of the gowns for good luck. When a celebrity wedding goes awry because of this, Stella feels her business is ruined and the two leave town. The girl's letter to her mother about the meaning of the pits (they represent love) provides emotional heft to what has up to that point been just a pleasant story. Chapters begin with a quote from a book or, less successfully, from a character in this novel. These allusions may prompt readers to look into some of Willa's favorite books and writers.–Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"This book is as sweet a confection as the cherry cordials its twelve-year-old protagonist is so fond of eating."

-- School Library Journal

"This smart and funny fairy tale stays hopeful and enchanting, even as it touches on the more difficult aspects of love. Romantic and real."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"A sweet little morsel"

-- Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141691854X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416918547
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

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.