Synopses & Reviews
From the author of the best-selling WICKED, a transporting tale-within-a-tale about the strange world of skibbereen — aka tooth fairies — and the universal need to believe.A terrible storm is raging, and ten-year-old Dinah is huddled by candlelight with her brother, sister, and cousin Gage, who is telling a very unusual tale. Its the story of What-the-Dickens, a newly hatched orphan creature who finds he has an attraction to teeth, a crush on a cat named McCavity, and a penchant for getting into trouble. One day he happens upon a feisty girl skibberee who is working as an Agent of Change — trading coins for teeth — and learns that there is a dutiful tribe of skibbereen (call them tooth fairies) to which he hopes to belong. As his tale of discovery unfolds, however, both What-the- Dickens and Dinah come to see that the world is both richer and less sure than they ever imagined.
Review
"A whimsical look at the mechanics of tooth-barter....A deeper exploration of the power of stories in our lives." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Maguire plays with notions of fact, imagination, and art in this novel." The Horn Book
Review
"There's much here to appeal to both Maguire's younger and older fans, and the immediacy of the story and combination of fantasy and reality will grip even reluctant readers." School Library Journal
Synopsis
From the author of the best-selling
Wicked, a transporting tale-within-a-tale about the strange world of skibbereen aka tooth fairies and the universal need to believe.
A terrible storm is raging, and ten-year-old Dinah is huddled by candlelight with her brother, sister, and cousin Gage, who is telling a very unusual tale. It's the story of What-the-Dickens, a newly hatched orphan creature who finds he has an attraction to teeth, a crush on a cat named McCavity, and a penchant for getting into trouble. One day he happens upon a feisty girl skibberee who is working as an Agent of Change trading coins for teeth and learns that there is a dutiful tribe of skibbereen (call them tooth fairies) to which he hopes to belong. As his tale of discovery unfolds, however, both What-the-Dickens and Dinah come to see that the world is both richer and less sure than they ever imagined.
Synopsis
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the best-selling author of WICKED, a transporting tale-within-a-tale about the strange world of skibbereen -- aka tooth fairies -- and the universal need to believe (Age 9 and up) A terrible storm is raging, and ten-year-old Dinah is huddled by candlelight with her brother, sister, and cousin Gage, who is telling a very unusual tale. It's the story of What-the-Dickens, a newly hatched orphan creature who finds he has an attraction to teeth, a crush on a cat named McCavity, and a penchant for getting into trouble. One day he happens upon a feisty girl skibberee who is working as an Agent of Change -- trading coins for teeth -- and learns that there is a dutiful tribe of skibbereen (call them tooth fairies) to which he hopes to belong. As his tale of discovery unfolds, however, both What-the- Dickens and Dinah come to see that the world is both richer and less sure than they ever imagined.
Synopsis
From the bestselling author of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West comes a tale-within-a-tale about the strange world of the "skibbereen" (also known as tooth fairies) and the universal need to believe..
Synopsis
What-the-Dickens, 12 copies,
About the Author
Gregory Maguire is the author of more than a dozen novels for children as well as four adult novels, including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was made into a hit Broadway musical. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.