Official Review: Strange Happenings : Leprechaun Tales

[kismoody]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Strange Happenings : Leprechaun Tales" by Julian Coppola-Zahavi.]

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One boy wishes to find the golden pot on St. Patrick’s Day, one wishes to be taller. Some wish for adventure while some would rather travel in their mind through books. One longs to be the best bakery in town while others get presents they never asked for. When a mischievous leprechaun comes to town, such wishes have unintended, disastrous consequences. Not only do the townspeople become greedy, but trickery, tomfoolery, people turning into giant cookie people, and loss of memory are just a few things that happen. All seem to get tricked by the leprechaun except for Ms. Krochet the town librarian. Can Ms. Krochet find a solution before the leprechaun’s tomfoolery goes too far?

This book is one complete story, but each tale has a moral and can be read individually. In Jasper and the Golden Pot for Stew, Jasper learns that getting things is great as long as you don’t get greedy. In Lulu and the Leaping Leprechaun, adventure-loving Lulu learns the lesson “be careful what you wish for.” In Cookies are Yummy, the local baker, Penny, learns that it is better to give than to receive, especially when there are those less fortunate than you. In Bobby’s Birthday at Aunt Lillie’s Place, Bobby learns that it’s okay to be short and that it’s better to be yourself. In Suzie and the Magic Harp of Tackett Street, Suzie learns that there’s a time and a place for everything, including music. In Community Day, however, things turn from bad to worse and people start disappearing until Kevin learns the importance of having courage. In The End of the Leprechaun, a smart librarian learns that knowledge is key and should never be swept aside.

The characters in this book were likable and quirky. The small town dynamic worked well in exhibiting the competitive nature of the characters and their eccentricities. The leprechaun himself was delightful and you actually felt a little bad for him at times, which was quite a feat for creating an antagonist in the story. My favorite character, however, was the librarian who rallied the townspeople and figured out how to defeat the leprechaun.

The plot flow of the book was well-done. The short stories all blended together well and complemented each other without feeling like a collection of tales. I loved the unique solution the author came up with for defeating the leprechaun and the plot twist at the end of the book.

My only complaints were that there were a couple of typos and the chapter headings were a little hard to follow at first due to them starting at unexpected parts on the pages.

Overall, I’d give it 3 out of 4 stars. A fun read aloud or independent reading book for kids who enjoy leprechauns, trickster tales, Aesop Fable-like books, and books with magic.

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Buy "Strange Happenings : Leprechaun Tales" on Amazon

[ALRyder]

Ha, this kind of looks like a less horror version of Stephen King's "Needful Things". Nice, thorough review.

[Timea]

This reminds me of The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, not quite sure why... lovely review, though

[angeel]

great review i love things about leprechaun's and to be able to read something that have lessons to learn would be great for all ages well done

[kismoody]

Thanks ya'll. it was kind of a Stephen king lesser horror/selfish giant type leprechaun story. I'd say even a bit of cautionary tale-esque. Highly recommend it