13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison

Reviewed by Lori
13 Treasures
Title: 13 Treasures

Series: 13 Treasures Trilogy

Author: Michelle Harrison

Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 44457

Description: Bedeviled by evil fairies that only she can see, thirteen-year-old Tanya is sent to stay with her cold and distant grandmother at Elvesden Manor, where she and the caretaker's son solve a disturbing mystery that leads them to the discovery that Tanya's life is in danger.

Rubric Rating: Level 3: Laud It

 Why I Read It: My son picked this book as our read aloud and read together novel.

 Lori's Notes:  Tanya is horribly troubled by fairies.  She's been able to see fairies all her life.  Unfortunately, her mother doesn't seem to sense them at all, so Tanya is blamed for much (or all) of the mischief the fairies have caused.  Having had enough of her "pranks" Tanya's mother sends her to stay with her grandmother at Elvesden manor.  Tanya knows that her grandmother doesn't like her and dreads the stay but she eventually finds a companion in Fabian, the caretaker's son.  Fabian tells Tanya about the many disappearances in the community around Elvesden.  Tanya learns that these disappearances have everything to do with the fairies.  Tanya soon discovers that she isn't alone in having the "second sight" when she meets the town's local "witch" Mad Morag who gives her a special compass.  She also meets "Red" whose brother has been kidnapped by the fairies and is trying everything she can to get into the fairy realm to get him back.  Fabian's grandfather Amos was accused in the disappearance of Morwenna Bloom, Tanya's Grandmother's best friend.  When the two unexpectedly meet a woman in the woods that looks just like Morwenna they decide that they must rescue her from the fairies and clear Amos' name in her disappearance.  But all isn't as it seems and Morwenna isn't as lost as she appears to be.  With the help of her friends, Tanya is able to escape the trap that has been set for her since the day she was born.  While I really enjoyed the book, and I found myself wanting to keep reading, I did find that there were items that bothered me.  Most of which was Tanya's mother dumping Tanya with her grandmother and not contacting her for almost her entire stay.  The distance between Tanya and her grandmother, that could have been cleared up with just a bit of honesty instead of secrets, and I would have enjoyed a bit more of the back story of Morwenna, Morag, and Red.  Red's story continues in "13 Curses".

Recommended Readers:  Grade 4 and up.  Anyone interested in Fairy Literature.

Themes:  Fairies, Family, Secrets, Relationships (Grandmother/Granddaughter), Orphans, Friendship, Courage, Journey, Realms, Changelings, Disappearances, Mysteries.

Cross-Genre Links:
Movie: The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)
Movie: Labyrinth (1986)
Music: Stolen Child by Loreena McKennitt
Poem: The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats
Music: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
Wikipedia Search: Classification of Fairies

Possible Discussion or Essay Topics:
  • What are Changelings?
  • Why do you think Tanya's Grandmother hides the fact that she has "Second Sight"?
  • Do you think Fabian has many friends?  Why or why not?
  • Compare and Contrast the fairies in 13 Treasures vs. Disney's Fairies
  • What are the 13 Treasures?

Other Books in This Series:


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