Fortune’s Magic Farm

by: Suzanne Selfors

Published by: Little, Brown Young Readers

Reviewed by Beth Cummings

While this is a middle-reader book (ages 8-12), I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the characters.

Suzanne Selfors has set this novel in the fictitious town of Runny Cove, a dreary coastal village where it never stops raining and the sun never shines.

The main character, Isabelle, was found on the doorstep when she was a baby. She shares a boarding house room with her Grandma Maxine, but her grandma is not well and cannot go to work at the local umbrella factory to make enough money for food and rent. So Isabelle must go even though she is only ten years old. In Runny Cove everyone works at the factory and no one is really well. They are always damp and cold due to the poor weather. Grandma Maxine often tells Isabelle about the old days when the sun would shine and fruit trees grew in the village. But all of that changed ten years ago.

There are several evil people in the town that Isabelle must put up with–her landlady, the factory foreman and Mr. Supreme, the factory owner. But she has friend too, Gwen and Leonard, who are also ten and work at the factory.

Isabelle’s luck seems to change when a stranger comes to Runny Cove and tells her that he knows of some relatives of hers and wants to take her to them. At this point her real adventure begins.

This is a fun story. Isabelle’s adventures are both amusing and exciting. Her family turns out to be quite unusual. There is even an undercurrent of modern “green” thinking in the book and an emphasis on healthful eating, particularly fruit.

I would recommend this for upper elementary and middle school readers who enjoy a bit of fantasy that isn’t too bizarre.

Armchair Interviews says: Nice to have interesting middle read stories, especially those that love fantasy.

Author’s Web site: http://www.SuzanneSelfors.com