Product Description

Twelve-year-old Willa Havisham is a classics reader, a cherry-cordial eater, and quite possibly the world's worst wisher. But when she and her glamorous single mother, Stella, move to Bramble, Cape Cod, Willa's wishes begin to come true: She makes her first-ever best friend, Tina. She bonds with her hip, candy-making Nana. And best of all, steely Stella is falling for Willa's English teacher, Sam -- he's perfect dad material! But before Willa can marry off her mother, or dance with her adorable crush, Joseph, a pit gets stuck in the wishing well....

Can Willa undo the damage before Stella misses her chance to say "I do"?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415635 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-23
• Released on: 2006-05-23
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .56" h x 5.64" w x 7.48" l, .31 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6–This book is as sweet a confection as the cherry cordials its 12-year-old protagonist is so fond of eating. Willafred Havisham is starting to put down roots in Bramble, Cape Cod, where her grandmother runs a candy shop and where she's made a friend. She is hoping that her mother will stay here longer than the two years they usually live anywhere, and that she will remarry. Stella is a successful wedding planner who is unaware that her daughter has been adding her own touch for years: she sews cherry pits into the hem of the gowns for good luck. When a celebrity wedding goes awry because of this, Stella feels her business is ruined and the two leave town. The girl's letter to her mother about the meaning of the pits (they represent love) provides emotional heft to what has up to that point been just a pleasant story. Chapters begin with a quote from a book or, less successfully, from a character in this novel. These allusions may prompt readers to look into some of Willa's favorite books and writers.–Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Review
"This book is as sweet a confection as the cherry cordials its twelve-year-old protagonist is so fond of eating."

-- School Library Journal

"This smart and funny fairy tale stays hopeful and enchanting, even as it touches on the more difficult aspects of love. Romantic and real."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"A sweet little morsel"

-- Publishers Weekly

About the Author
Coleen Murtagh Paratore is the author of the acclaimed The Wedding Planner's Daughter and its brand-new sequel The Cupid Chronicles. For younger readers, she has also written How Prudence Proovit Proved the Truth About Fairy Tales. She's a believer in community rent, Cupid, and the magic of Cape Cod. Look for Mack McGinn's Big Win -- in which two all-American sports-star brothers battle to be the best -- in Summer 2007. Learn more about Coleen at http://www.coleenparatore.com/