Official Review: The Adventures of Abella and Her Magic W...

[Jocelyn Eastman]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Adventures of Abella and Her Magic Wand" by Zane Carson Carruth.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Adventures of Abella and Her Magic Wand is a children’s book about responsibility by Zane Carson Carruth. Abella is very excited because she is getting her wand, but before she does, she needs to swear that she understands all the rules and responsibilities that come with wand ownership. Abella swears, and she gets her wand! Her best friend Darcie also received her wand, but unlike Abella, she won’t use it very much. Abella is ready to use her powers, and when she sees a frog hopping into the mouth of a crocodile, she uses her magic wand to save it! Abella and Darcie then go to Gage’s baseball game and Abella ruins it with her magic! Will Abella learn the lessons of responsibility?

This is a children’s book and so it is easy to understand and can be read by beginning readers. There are also no mature themes and no mature language, so all readers can enjoy this book if they are into books about small fairies getting wands.

The thing I liked most about this book was the theme of friendship that was pervasive throughout the book. The book itself says it’s about responsibility, but I disagree. In the book, Darcie sticks with Abella through thick and thin. We see her there when Abella does a spell that helps someone, and we see her there supporting Abella when she makes a mistake. We also see that Darcie doesn’t make critical judgments of Abella, she just guides Abella to the best possible solutions to the problem. I think an enduring positive to this book is the friendship that Darcie and Abella have.

The thing I disliked most about this book is that it says it’s about responsibility, but we don’t see the characters take responsibility for their actions. In the book, Abella ruins Gage’s baseball game. When confronted Abella says, “You’re a legend in our own mind (which is also not the correct saying, but I’ll run with it).” She’s saying he’s only really good in their imaginations and not in real life! When she finally realizes she should apologize, we never see it happen in the book. I think if a character is supposed to do something in a children’s book, they need to be seen doing it.

Overall, I thought this was a cute read. I was disappointed that the whole original themes weren’t met, but I thought that other themes were shown. I would recommend this to children or emerging readers as a teaching tool about responsibility…as in what Abella should have done. Even with the responsibility theme not working out the enduring theme of friendship helps to save this book. Add in the illustrations and you have a book that children will like. I am going to rate this one 3 out of 4 stars.

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The Adventures of Abella and Her Magic Wand
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[Adanna Inya]

Awwww. I love children's books, especially ones focused on character building. Great review!

[Kachi_Ejiogu+_]

Sounds like an interesting read. I liked the fact that the author maintained a theme of friendship throughout the book. Great and honest review!.

[Monseher2]

This book sound so good for kids, it shows to kids about friendships, responsibilities and it shows how to fix problems

[Ediomis_Enwongo01]

The plot of friendship in the book is exciting. Let me go read the book so as to have a fun-filled story time with my kids. Thanks for the review.

[Miraphery]

I love the book cover, it's quite colourful. It's a pity the characters didn't take responsibility for their actions, which is the lesson. Thanks for the review.

[JKO]

I love the story told by this book. The colorful illustrations go a long way to make the book relatable to children. This is a good book and an excellent review.

[Dannyphery]

Sounds like a beautiful piece. I love the theme as well... I think the author did a nice job.
Nice review. Thanks.