The Seven Tales of Trinket

When your mum's gone and your da doesn't know when she's coming back, someone must keep the family together. It is up to young Cordie, even if she must lie to do so. Thomas spins a tale in present-day Ireland of a family coming apart and a brave girl tasked with responsibilities beyond her age. It is early summer, and soon, tourists will be arriving in the seaside town of Selkie Bay, searching for trinkets and evidence of the legendary creatures. But for the Sullivan sisters--Cordie, 11, Ione, 8, and baby Neevy--faced with the disappearance of their mother, other matters weigh more heavily. Did Mum leave because she did not love them? Or because she was a selkie responding to the call of her own kind? Why will Da not use the money in the sugar jar to pay the bills they are so behind on? And if they can find the secret island off the coast, will they find treasure--or better yet, clues about their mother? Readers will like Cordie and want to follow the story, but they may find the resolution too reliant on an improbable turn of events for credibility. Moreover, the last-minute addition of pixie seals and an environmental message further mar the ending and detract from Cordie's affecting story. Though the book is not without flaws, readers looking for a strong main character or intrigued by Celtic folklore will find much to enjoy.

Copyright 2015 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Grades 5-8. Cordie and Ione’s mum has dark hair, dark eyes, slightly webbed fingers, and keeps a luxurious, silvery black coat in their closet. Everything points to her being a selkie, especially after she disappears from their quaint Irish home one afternoon. That she has returned to the sea is a much easier reason to swallow than the alternative scenario: she doesn’t love her family enough to stay. Cordie, almost 12, doesn’t believe such nonsense, but 8-year-old Ione is completely convinced. Spotting a dark-colored, friendly seal in the bay only solidifies Ione’s ideas, and soon she, Cordie, and their baby sister push off in their little boat behind their new seal friend, in search of the magical island where selkies live. In Cordie’s matter-of-fact, artfully emotional first-person narrative, Thomas explores grief and loss, as well as the comforting power of stories and belief in magic that can chase away sadness. She cleverly toys with readers’ expectations regarding whether or not Cordie’s mum is indeed a shape-shifting seal, and the fanciful folktales interspersed throughout the novel add plenty of charm.

Copyright 2015 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

Thomas (the Good Knight series) spins tales worthy of her heroine's aspirations in this nimbly structured collection of seven magical adventures that build into a highly rewarding story. When 11-year-old Trinket's mother dies, Trinket sets off to find her father, a celebrated storyteller known as James the Bard, and resolve her anger and anguish as to why he abandoned them five years earlier. Accompanied by her good friend, 10-year-old Thomas, following an old map of her father's and keeping secret her dream to become a storyteller herself, Trinket has exciting, often frightening experiences that turn into the tales that come to define her as the Story Lass. In one coastal village, she rescues a human baby from selkies and is rewarded with a magical harp, on which she learns to compose melodies that lull humans and animals alike. Set in a realistic, unspecified long-ago time and country, the tales are rooted in Celtic folklore and populated by banshees, ghosts, faeries, and gypsies; each ends satisfyingly with a simple, lyrical song that captures its emotional essence. Ages 8-12. Agent: Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Sept.)

Gr 4-6--Set in a fantasy version of the Middle Ages and shot through with medieval-style magic, this is the story of 11-year-old Trinket, who takes to the road, accompanied by Thomas the Pig Boy, after her mother dies. She is in search of her father, a traveling storyteller who left when she was little. As she journeys, she discovers her courage, her own storytelling gifts, and a strong sense of self. The episodic narrative consists of a series of linked stories, one to a chapter, in each of which there is an adventure or a conflict with magical creatures, including fairies, a banshee, a highwayman, and a pooka. These stories are tied to Trinket's own development as a storyteller. Her adventures are expertly told, with some suspense or danger in each chapter. However, the danger is resolved by the end of the chapter, giving the whole a gentle, reassuring feel. One is reminded of the world of folktale journeys and quests. The language is simple and direct, with a sprinkling of archaic words adding a taste of the medieval. Trinket's character is clearly drawn, and her determination and sense of self come to the fore when she is confronted by the Old Burned Man and the reality of who he is. The accessible format will appeal to readers who like their fantasy not too scary, and the flow of the narrative lends itself to being read aloud.--Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

"Thomas (the Good Knight series) spins tales worthy of her heroine's aspirations in this nimbly structured collection of seven magical adventures that build into a highly rewarding story."—"Publishers Weekly", starred