The Wish in the Bottle (by Morna MacLeod)

Tired of tagging along after her siblings on a nature hike, youngest sister Laurie borrows her brother Mark's butterfly net to capture the biggest, most beautiful butterfly she's ever seen. When the children bottle the creature, however, they're surprised to discover that it's not a butterfly at all. Instead, they've caught an odd-looking, fast-talking fairy named Ocavia, who's wandered miles from her fairy kingdom.

Ocavia grants the children three wishes if they promise to release her. Determined not to squander their own wishes, older siblings Lani and Mark grow exasperated by Laurie's impulsive wishes. When the three travel through the woods to return Ocavia to her fairy home, however, all three children discover that they might need to use their last wish to save Ocavia's home--and their own lives.

Fans of folktales will recognize this novel's premise; a magical creature grants wishes to foolish humans who wish impulsively. While this is enough plot for a folktale, it doesn't sustain a novel. The portrayals of the three main characters aren't enough to carry the novel either; little sister Laurie, for example, is too precious for words. The narrative constantly points out Laurie's cuteness -- her tendency to truncate long words, her devotion to a stuffed animal -- in a treacly depiction of childhood. Indeed, many of the novel's details, such as Lani's adorable nicknames for Laurie, and the children's tendency to break into song, seem aimed more at nostalgic adults than at children.

The same is true of the novel's heavy-handed morals; the author includes numerous platitudes such as "a little sympathy often goes a long way toward sweetening someone's disposition." Although details such as Ocavia's diet, and the fairies' conflicts with a horde of bats, might hold the interest of readers who are fascinated by fairies, the novel fails either to capture the fairy world or to provide a child-centered view of the human one.

Author: Morna MacLeod
Illustrator: Thea Kliros
Publisher: Arte Publico
Publication date: June 1, 1997
Number of pages: 130
Paperback price: $3.99