Alyssa loves to paint. In this world, she creates her favorite subjects—flowers, plants, and vines—the old fashioned way. With a paintbrush and paper. But when she and the other girls in her crafting club accidentally enter a magical world called the Realm, Alyssa discovers she can create and command the plant life with mere words. And she’s not the only one of the girls who learns she possesses a remarkable power … or a secret royal identity.
Wellspring of Magic is the first book in the Creative Girls Enchanted Adventures series, an exciting new fantasy series by Jan Fields (Annie’s Publishing, April 2015, Ages 7-10). When Alyssa and her sister move from New York to Portal, CT, they discover their new neighborhood is anything but normal. Five large, old houses that have been empty for years stand in a circle. In the middle of the circle is an overgrown park filled with strange statues of scowling people and a small stone building. No one knows where the statues came from or who built the building. Although the houses have been empty for nearly a century, they’re all purchased by new families at about the same time. And every family that moves in has a girl of about the same age—creative girls like Alyssa who quickly become friends and decide to turn the old stone building into their crafting clubhouse.
Then it happens. The oddly heavy, metal medallions arrive in the mail, sparking a frenzy of speculation. Each girl receives one, engraved with a design unique to her talents. It is a big mystery who sent them and an even bigger mystery as to why. But when they place them together inside their clubhouse, a secret portal to a magical world opens, and the girls enter the Realm. There they learn they are the lost princesses of the six kingdoms and must master their newfound powers in order to heal the magic of the land before evil forces completely destroy everything—including the doorway back to their clubhouse.
The brave and creative group of heroines in this delightful adventure will appeal to middle-grade readers, especially those who enjoy fantasy and crafts.
About the Author :
Jan Fields has penned more than 20 children’s books, including the Adventures in Extreme Reading series. She lives in Ledyard, Connecticut.
Review :
April 2015
Okay wow. If you want a really easy good read then don't worry about buying it for a child buy it for yourself. I am proud to admit I really enjoyed reading this book! I enjoyed it so much that I picked up the 2nd book in the series straight away. I can't wait to read more. The story is meant to be for ages 7-10 and is more written towards a girl reading it. The fantastic thing about these set of books is they use hobbies and crafts as a positive that can help us in situations. All of the girls have moved into a set of houses that are set around a small park. In the park they find a clubhouse which they start using. Each of them has a favourite hobby/craft and they start spending time in the clubhouse doing their crafts. During this time they each receive tokens with each of their
creative talents on. They put them together and it opens a gateway to a magical land. The magical land is under threat and they use their talents to try and save it. This book empowers girls to be proud of their talents. It takes something simple and makes it into a beautiful story. I think most girls will really enjoy the story. It is fun and exciting with a good mix of characters and themes.
It brings in giant bears and vampire spiders but above all working with their talents they can help
to defeat the evil powers. I myself enjoyed this short story. The book is a 126 pages long and each of them is packed full of fun and interest. It's well worth purchasing!
http://www.crochetaddictuk.com/2015/04/wellspring-of-magic-book-review.html
