- Paperback: 167 pages
- Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks (October 1988)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0689712561
- ISBN-13: 978-0689712562
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 13 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 113 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
As assistant to the king's chambermaid, 12-year-old Morwenna is hardly a likely candidate for wizardly inheritance. Yet there's something to be said for being in the right place at the right time--or is that the wrong place at the wrong time? Either way, with no warning, Morwenna suddenly becomes the recipient of five wishes when a 1,000-year-old ailing wizard, desperate to pass on his magical legacy, finds Morwenna at hand the moment before his dusty demise. Unfortunately, no guidance or advice accompanies this mysterious gift. Morwenna soon flounders in confusion and danger, as her best friend Swen, through a series of mishaps, comes to believe he is the new wizard, and all the kingdom awaits liberation from a despotic ruler. This tense, moving tale raises painful questions about altruism and selfishness, as a mere child is asked to grant wishes, secretly and judiciously.
Avi himself must have inherited mystical powers. With nothing in his hands (other than a pen) and nothing up his sleeve, Avi writes spellbindingly in just about any genre. The proof is in his more than three dozen popular books for young people, including Midnight Magic and the Newbery Honor-winning historical novel The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8 A sensitively written tale which poses philosophical questions about selfishness, selflessness and the terrible burdens of what first appear to be wonderful gifts. Young Morwenna, upon the death of an ancient wizard, finds herself in possession of the world's last five wishes. She soon discovers that this gift is a lonely burden. By a curious trick of fate, a beloved but rather simple and selfish friend believes himself to be in possession of the wishes and constantly gets himself into situations from which Morwenna must extricate him. Freed from his foolishness through his death, Morwenna must live with the knowledge that she could have saved him had she been willing to use her final wish, thus giving up her own life in return. In a straightforward manner, Avi presents a fascinating balance between the simplistic and the complex. The inner conflict constantly taking place within the more mature (though chronologically younger) Morwenna is well contrasted with that of the unsophisticated Swen. A compact and well-told story that should inspire much debate about Morwenna's predicament and what readers would do in her circumstances. Karen P. Smith, Yonkers Board of Education, N.Y.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bright Shadow,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bright Shadow (Paperback)
How would you feel if you were a wizard, yet you had to keep it a secret from your best friend? Bright Shadow tells the story of a young girl named Morwenna who receives a gift filled with wishes, but cannot use them on herself. At first she is scared to hold the wishes because it is a big responsibility. Ruthvin, the nasty king, wants to catch Morwenna and keep her in captivity so he can have the wishes she protects. Morwenna has many challenges in this book because she can not use her wish to save her friend.Bright Shadow is an extremely wonderful book. It is exciting and surprising. Things happen at unexpected times. For example, in the first chapter everything is calm. Characters are described, but there is little action or emotion. Then in the second chapter you can feel a strong hate that King Ruthvin puts out by the way he speaks to Pindel. "You are in the presence of the King," Ruthvin snapped at the old man. "My law requires you to bow when I pass by." One of the major themes in Bright Shadow is listening to your inner voice. Morwenna gets herself in a lot of trouble because she does not listen to her inner voice. She keeps hearing "keep them safe," meaning not to tell Swen about the wishes, but she doesn't pay attention to this. When she tells Swen, the voice screams. Because she tells Swen about the wishes, he dies and Morwenna feels responsible. Avi has a talent for telling the reader what the characters are feeling. She uses wonderful language to describe the characters. Here is how she describes King Ruthvin. "King Ruthvin was a small, lean man, hard and tight as if put together with wire bits. In one hand he held a short whip. In the other a just delivered message." Her language creates vivid pictures in the reader's mind. I recommend this book to people of all ages who like fantasy. If you read Bright Shadow you will jump out of your seat because it is so thrilling and dramatic. (...)
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Story, Could have a Stronger Ending,
By "cinnamon_sugar" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bright Shadow (Paperback)
I really enjoyed reading this book. The whole plot was amazing and the way Avi wrote it was so smooth and really grabbed me. My only complaint would be the ending. Too much suspense, and a tiny bit too sad. I really wished that Avi told a little more than he wrote.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as I'd hoped.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bright Shadow (Paperback)
I have been a fan of Avi's since 'The True Confessions of Charolate Doyle'. He's written some amazing books, in all kinds of genras, but this one just didnt add up to his normal standard. From the beginning there is a problem with no solution. I kept waiting for one of Avi's famous ending twists, but there was none, and when I finished the book I frowned said, hmm, so much for clasic Avi style, maybe he just wrote it to make another dollar. It was not bad, as far as average books go, but for Avi, I was expecting better.
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