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A review by juliawitmer
Wellspring of Magic by Jan Fields
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I first read this book when I was under 11. A friend had it, and when I saw what the story was about, I just had to read it.
Fast forward 10+ years later, and I had been searching tirelessly for this book (despite being unable to remember the title, book cover, characters names, or plot) since the day I moved overseas and decided to get rid of it at a yard sale (the worst mistake my 11-year-old self ever made). This day 10+ years later I went into a local used bookstore, headed to the children's section as I always do, and halfheartedly scanned the shelf for the book.
I gasped. Could that be it? That tiny spine hidden away among hundreds of others?
I removed it from the shelf, and all my lifelong dreams came true. It was the book! The famed book that inspired my writing career so heavily at the age of 8!
Obviously, I had to purchase it. I read it over the course of a few days (too many, but life is busy) and I can safely say I completely understand why little me was so obsessed with it.
Princesses? Magic powers? Sea serpents? Bears? IT'S EVERYTHING I COULD EVER DREAM OF.
8-year-old me gives this book a 10 out of 5 stars. Nothing can compare to the glory that is this book.
But what about 21-year-old me?
I have to admit, it's not the best book ever written. There are quite a few typos, the story is pretty "basic" from a plot perspective, and there's not a lot of super intense world building or anything, and the characters are fairly simple to make it easier to keep track of them.
But this is not The Lord of the Rings. This is a children's book.
It has some redeeming qualities. I think the basic concept (world is losing magic, girls must come restore it) is a cool concept. I think the author handles the large cast of characters fairly well considering how short the book is. And I think there's just a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled throughout the pages, perfectly hidden from the eyes of adults and impossible to miss in the eyes of young girls (or at least, young me).
This particular children's book happened to inspire my entire journey as a writer. While I was re-reading this I realized just how much I stole from this book as a child (don't worry; I no longer plagiarize, I promise).
The main character in the book I wrote right after reading this? Alison. One of the main characters of this book? Alysa. Both of their nicknames? Aly.
Character introductions at the beginning of 8-year-old-me's plagiarized story? Check! Writing style basically just this book, copy and pasted? Check!
I could go on. I mean, I knew I stole from The Secrets of Droon books, but this is just getting out of hand.
The fact of the matter is, this book is not made for grownups. Grownups cannot possibly grasp the magic that can be found within these pages. I know because I no longer grasp it the way that I did when I was little. How much of a tragedy is that?
The point of this long rant is this: will you, an adult, enjoy this book if you read it now? No. Will your daughter, probably around the age of 8-10, who loves fantasy stories, enjoy this book if you read it out loud to her or if she reads it herself? I think so. I certainly did.
I give this book 4/5 stars, because 8-year-old me gave it 10/5 and 21-year-old me gives it a 3/5, so that seems to be the best happy medium. If you stayed for this rant, bless you. I had a lot of fun writing it!
Fast forward 10+ years later, and I had been searching tirelessly for this book (despite being unable to remember the title, book cover, characters names, or plot) since the day I moved overseas and decided to get rid of it at a yard sale (the worst mistake my 11-year-old self ever made). This day 10+ years later I went into a local used bookstore, headed to the children's section as I always do, and halfheartedly scanned the shelf for the book.
I gasped. Could that be it? That tiny spine hidden away among hundreds of others?
I removed it from the shelf, and all my lifelong dreams came true. It was the book! The famed book that inspired my writing career so heavily at the age of 8!
Obviously, I had to purchase it. I read it over the course of a few days (too many, but life is busy) and I can safely say I completely understand why little me was so obsessed with it.
Princesses? Magic powers? Sea serpents? Bears? IT'S EVERYTHING I COULD EVER DREAM OF.
8-year-old me gives this book a 10 out of 5 stars. Nothing can compare to the glory that is this book.
But what about 21-year-old me?
I have to admit, it's not the best book ever written. There are quite a few typos, the story is pretty "basic" from a plot perspective, and there's not a lot of super intense world building or anything, and the characters are fairly simple to make it easier to keep track of them.
But this is not The Lord of the Rings. This is a children's book.
It has some redeeming qualities. I think the basic concept (world is losing magic, girls must come restore it) is a cool concept. I think the author handles the large cast of characters fairly well considering how short the book is. And I think there's just a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled throughout the pages, perfectly hidden from the eyes of adults and impossible to miss in the eyes of young girls (or at least, young me).
This particular children's book happened to inspire my entire journey as a writer. While I was re-reading this I realized just how much I stole from this book as a child (don't worry; I no longer plagiarize, I promise).
The main character in the book I wrote right after reading this? Alison. One of the main characters of this book? Alysa. Both of their nicknames? Aly.
Character introductions at the beginning of 8-year-old-me's plagiarized story? Check! Writing style basically just this book, copy and pasted? Check!
I could go on. I mean, I knew I stole from The Secrets of Droon books, but this is just getting out of hand.
The fact of the matter is, this book is not made for grownups. Grownups cannot possibly grasp the magic that can be found within these pages. I know because I no longer grasp it the way that I did when I was little. How much of a tragedy is that?
The point of this long rant is this: will you, an adult, enjoy this book if you read it now? No. Will your daughter, probably around the age of 8-10, who loves fantasy stories, enjoy this book if you read it out loud to her or if she reads it herself? I think so. I certainly did.
I give this book 4/5 stars, because 8-year-old me gave it 10/5 and 21-year-old me gives it a 3/5, so that seems to be the best happy medium. If you stayed for this rant, bless you. I had a lot of fun writing it!