Bright Shadow

Bright Shadow
Avi
Scholastic Inc, 1985
Pages: 167
Reading Level: 6-8
Genre: Fantasy

Morwenna is a young girl who cleans the Kings Castle. One day she happens upon an old, dying man. She asks if there is anything she can do to help him. Instead of answering, he grabs her hand. He starts chanting. He gives her five wishes. There used to be a thousand wishes, but now there are only five. These wishes are more a curse than a blessing. She can't tell anyone about them, she can't use them on herself, and when she uses the last one, she will die. Well, she doesn't really understand what just happened, so she just goes on with her life. The King, who is very evil, decides he needs to find the wizard (old man) and kill him so that he doesn't help the people overthrow the King. He can't find the old man, since he is dead. Instead, the King blames Morwenna's best friend, Swen. The King tries to kill Swen twice, but Morwenna saves him with the wishes. Swen, who also wished he wasn't dying, believed that he really was the wizard! The two children run away, and run into a group of people trying to overthrow the King. They all believe that Swen in the wizard, come to save them from the King, but one man discovers that it is really Morwenna. He keeps her prisoner until they overthrow the King. In the process, she uses all here wishes but one, and Swen dies because Morwenna decides that she wants to live more than she wants Swen to live, so Swen dies. Then Morwenna goes to live alone until she dies.

I would not recommend this book to anyone

This book could make children think it is okay to not cherish their friends

My reaction: I did not like this book at all. In the end, the Heroine proves to be selfish and save herself.

My rating: *