Wanda Seasongood and the Mostly True Secret

by Susan Lurie, Jennifer Harney (Illustrator)

Overview

In this Princess Bride-style fairy tale romp, a girl strikes out on a quest to find her rightful family—because the one she's been stuck with all these years is most definitely wrong.

Wanda hates her little brother, Zane. But don't judge her for it—Zane is an absolute terror, and her parents blame Wanda for his monstrous behavior. On her eleventh birthday, Wanda makes a wish: to find her true family, because she knows deep down that this one can't be hers.

She gets a surprise visit from a talking bluebird named Voltaire who seems wise and confirms her suspicion that someone has been meddling with her life. He knows the secret . . . he just can't remember what it is right now.

Together they venture into the Scary Wood, where they encounter many magical creatures as they search for the truth. None of these adversaries prepares her for the biggest one: a witch named Raymunda, who has put her and her family under a spell.

Will Wanda succeed in breaking the curse, or will she be stuck in the wrong life forever?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368054294
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Series:	Wanda Seasongood , #1
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	34 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Susan Lurie is a children's book author and editor. Her picture books include Swim, Duck, Swim!, which received a starred Kirkus review and appeared on Bank Street's 2015 Best Books of the Year list; Will You Be My Friend?; and Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop. Before she became an independent author/editor, she was publisher of Parachute Press, the creator of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series. She has worked with R.L. Stine on more than 140 Goosebumps books and still counting. She lives in Forest Hills, New York with her husband and their pet fish, Pickle.
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Jenn Harney is the author-illustrator of Underwear! and Swim Swim Sink. She has also illustrated the Hazy Bloom chapter book series by Jennifer Hamburg, as well as the forthcoming picture books How to Become a Knight (in Ten Easy Lessons) by Todd Tarpley and Never Trumpet with a Crumpet by Amy Gibson. Jenn lives in Cleveland, Ohio, with her husband, her daughter, a corgi named Steve, and the ghost of the oldest living goldfish in North America. Follow her on Twitter @jennharknee.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Wanda Seasongood and the Mostly True Secret:

"A solid story with a strong female heroine and interesting supporting characters, making this a good addition to any library's adventure collection."—School Library Connection

"[Susan] Lurie spins a tale with satisfying twists and turns to keep the reader wondering who, if anyone, can be trusted in this fantastical adventure."—BCCB

"Wanda is by turns charmingly flabbergasted and persistently practical but ever well meaning; readers are sure to root for her along the journey."—Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will revel in the fantastical creatures and supernatural elements while cheering for Wanda and her avian sidekick."—Booklist

"Readers will find it hard to put this book down once they start reading and will be excited to find out what's next for Wanda and Voltaire. A great choice for general purchase."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

01/01/2020

Gr 3–6—Quick-moving, humorous, and full of adventure, this title takes readers along on a magical quest that perfectly sets the stage for future books in the series. Wanda Seasongood is tired of feeling like an outsider in her family. So when a talking bird, Voltaire, crashes into her window on her 11th birthday with a message for Wanda about a secret that could change her life, the unlikely pair set out together on a journey through the Scary Wood in search of answers. Along the way, they must outwit and outrun all sorts of fantastical creatures—including the boorish groods, the sinister swamp goblin, and a coven of evil witches—who threaten to end Wanda's journey or, even worse, her life. This fast-paced middle grade fantasy draws inspiration from classic fairy tales while feeling wholly original. The creatures that Wanda and Voltaire encounter throughout the Scary Wood are imaginative and memorable, thanks to Lurie's detailed descriptions coupled with Harney's expressive illustrations. Perhaps the most endearing part of this story, however, is the friendship that develops between Wanda and Voltaire, who together have the courage and smarts to overcome every challenge thrown their way. VERDICT Readers will find it hard to put this book down once they start reading and will be excited to find out what's next for Wanda and Voltaire. A great choice for general purchase.—Lauren Hathaway, University of British Columbia

School Library Journal

2019-10-09
Wanda's 11th birthday begins with a bluebird flying smack into her bedroom window, and then it gets worse.

Wanda always tries to be kind and helpful. Still, her parents chastise her and praise Zane, her horrible beast of a younger brother, no matter what happens, even when he spits peas at her across the dinner table. Every birthday she wishes to suddenly become an orphan. It turns out that the bluebird, named Voltaire, has a secret message to deliver, but he cannot remember it. On a journey to learn what it is, the two go into the Scary Wood among all sorts of creatures who wish her ill (and frequently almost succeed in doing it). Amid many magical mishaps, transfigurative perils, and a smooch-obsessed frog, Wanda hopes to discover her "true" family. The text is well constructed, containing odd scraps sewn together into an imaginative story quilt. There's a supernatural cast chock-full of familiar types in fiendishly new forms, such as the Groods, chimerically composed of various flora and fauna. Wanda is by turns charmingly flabbergasted and persistently practical but ever well meaning; readers are sure to root for her along the journey. Textual descriptions combine with Harney's cartoon illustrations to establish a largely white cast; in a welcome twist for a genre that too often racializes evil, the dreadful witch has "creamy" skin.

This inventive, modern fairy-tale adventure is sprinkled with wry humor. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews