The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree by Bill Brittain  (84)
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-- A whiny, self-indulgent seventh-grader grows a set of wings and is talked into having them cut off in this decidedly disappointing story from the author of the Coven Tree tales. When Ian sprouts batlike wings he, his mother, his older sister, and his father, who is running for Mayor, look upon them as an unmitigated disaster. Complaining constantly and bitterly that Dad and Diane get all the attention, and that no one cares how he feels now that he's a freak, Ian returns to school and hooks up with classmate Anita, who has odd taste in clothes, an independent spirit, and six fingers on one hand. Anita and her equally independent mother take Ian in, away from reporters; on a hill near their home he discovers that he can fly. He glories in the experience--but when his father explains why his candidacy is important, and his mother tells him of Diane's sickly start in life, and he figures out that Anita will stick by him, Ian bows to pressure, and optsto have the wings surgically removed. He is a weepy, fretful character without redeeming qualities, suffering poorly thought-out physiological changes to make him a flier (alar musculature is commonly dorsal rather than ventral). More importantly, in treating Ian's physical difference as a liability rather than a gift, Brittain sends an unsympathetic message to readers struggling to cope with differences of their own. --John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
From the author of The Wish Giver (Newbery Honor, 1984) and other stories that blend lively humor with dark magic, a grim fable about a seventh grader whose wings cause him more anguish than joy. Though Ian has never caused trouble, his parents have neglected him while pampering his accomplished sister Diane. Even when fierce pain in his shoulders mystifies the family doctor, their response is annoyance, not sympathy. When Ian's huge, batlike wings emerge, they're horrified: Dad's sure the ``freak'' will spoil his new political career. Once the secret leaks out, Ian tries school but is cruelly teased; only six-fingered pariah Anita is concerned about his plight. She and her mother wisk Ian to their primitive mountaintop home and suggest that he try to fly--which he does; it's a grand experience. Meanwhile, Dad has found a surgeon to amputate; he and Mom tearfully divulge feeble reasons for their callousness (Diane was a sickly baby, and overprotection became a bad habit; Grandpa forced Dad to be a banker: running for mayor is the first thing he's ever done on his own). Reluctantly, Ian agrees to part with his beloved wings. It's true that wings would be an inconvenience, and Brittain imagines their logistical consequences with skill. But Ian's persecution by his family and classmates is disagreeably overdrawn, while the gun Anita and her mom use to clinch arguments with importunate reporters adds a gratuitously jarring note. An aggressively unfunny fantasy, depressing with or without its subtext--which is sure to elude children. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
Grade 5-7-- A whiny, self-indulgent seventh-grader grows a set of wings and is talked into having them cut off in this decidedly disappointing story from the author of the Coven Tree tales. When Ian sprouts batlike wings he, his mother, his older sister, and his father, who is running for Mayor, look upon them as an unmitigated disaster. Complaining constantly and bitterly that Dad and Diane get all the attention, and that no one cares how he feels now that he's a freak, Ian returns to school and hooks up with classmate Anita, who has odd taste in clothes, an independent spirit, and six fingers on one hand. Anita and her equally independent mother take Ian in, away from reporters; on a hill near their home he discovers that he can fly. He glories in the experience--but when his father explains why his candidacy is important, and his mother tells him of Diane's sickly start in life, and he figures out that Anita will stick by him, Ian bows to pressure, and optsto have the wings surgically removed. He is a weepy, fretful character without redeeming qualities, suffering poorly thought-out physiological changes to make him a flier (alar musculature is commonly dorsal rather than ventral). More importantly, in treating Ian's physical difference as a liability rather than a gift, Brittain sends an unsympathetic message to readers struggling to cope with differences of their own. --John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Kirkus Reviews
From the author of The Wish Giver (Newbery Honor, 1984) and other stories that blend lively humor with dark magic, a grim fable about a seventh grader whose wings cause him more anguish than joy. Though Ian has never caused trouble, his parents have neglected him while pampering his accomplished sister Diane. Even when fierce pain in his shoulders mystifies the family doctor, their response is annoyance, not sympathy. When Ian's huge, batlike wings emerge, they're horrified: Dad's sure the ``freak'' will spoil his new political career. Once the secret leaks out, Ian tries school but is cruelly teased; only six-fingered pariah Anita is concerned about his plight. She and her mother wisk Ian to their primitive mountaintop home and suggest that he try to fly--which he does; it's a grand experience. Meanwhile, Dad has found a surgeon to amputate; he and Mom tearfully divulge feeble reasons for their callousness (Diane was a sickly baby, and overprotection became a bad habit; Grandpa forced Dad to be a banker: running for mayor is the first thing he's ever done on his own). Reluctantly, Ian agrees to part with his beloved wings. It's true that wings would be an inconvenience, and Brittain imagines their logistical consequences with skill. But Ian's persecution by his family and classmates is disagreeably overdrawn, while the gun Anita and her mom use to clinch arguments with importunate reporters adds a gratuitously jarring note. An aggressively unfunny fantasy, depressing with or without its subtext--which is sure to elude children. (Fiction. 9-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
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