REVIEW Julie Berry WISHES AND WELLINGTONS

Author: Julie Berry

Narrators: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 9 hours 29 minutes

Publisher: Audible Studios

Released: Sep. 25, 2018

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

From award-winning author Julie Berry comes a brand new middle-grade fantasy adventure full of humor and heart, exclusively from Audible. Maeve Merritt chafes at the rigid rules at her London boarding school for “Upright Young Ladies.” When punishment forces her to sort through the trash, she finds a sardine tin that houses a foul-tempered djinni with no intention of submitting to a schoolgirl as his master. Soon an orphan boy from the charitable home next door, a mysterious tall man in ginger whiskers, a disgruntled school worker, and a take-no-prisoners business tycoon are in hot pursuit of Maeve and her magical discovery. It’ll take all of her quick thinking and sass to set matters right. Maeve Merritt is one feisty heroine you won’t soon forget. Julie Berry lives near Los Angeles with her family. The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place is an Odyssey Honor Audiobook, and The Passion of Dolssais a Printz Honor Title.

Julie Berry is the author of the 2017 Printz Honor and Los Angeles Times Book Prize shortlisted novel The Passion of Dolssa, the Carnegie and Edgar shortlisted All the Truth That’s in Me (2013, Viking), the Odyssey Honor title The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place (2014, Roaring Brook), and six others. Her latest novel, The Emperor’s Ostrich, released June 13, 2017 from Roaring Brook. Her forthcoming novel, Lovely War, will release from Viking Children’s Books in Spring 2019. She holds a BS from Rensselaer in communication and an MFA from Vermont College. She lives in Southern California with her family.

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Jayne was born in the North of England and lived in a myriad of places (Vancouver, San Francisco, Tucson, Sequim, Seattle) before landing in Los Angeles. She is an avid improviser who hitched her space-work wagon to Patrick Bristow’s company, Improvatorium, where she studied, taught, directed and performed improv. She is an award-winning audiobook narrator best known for her narration of the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. She also received the 2015 Odyssey Honour Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry and the 2016 Odyssey Award for, The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. When not inhaling books for work or pleasure, Jayne works in film, television and commercials. The biggest star she has ever worked with is Shaquille O’Neal. He is quite literally THE biggest star she has ever worked with. Ever. He’s really big!

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  I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Julie Berry. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

[Flora]

Not only is this story award winning it is great for the long car rides with the kids.  The story is full of lovable characters and a theme of good versus evil and friends need to stick together.  The main character, Maeve, finds herself in trouble, yet again, and the headmistress punishment is to sort the trash.  This is a teachable moment on how the people of post world world 1 and during world war 2 were asked to recycle all metal for the war effort.  In the most unlikely of places while wearing Wellington boots, Meave starts on a wonderful adventure.  The story also involves the boy next door to the school at the orphanage.  The girls in the school Maeve attends are asked to make scarves for the boys as a charitable act (yet another teachable moment).  The story is so easy to listen to and will have you laughing and routing for Maeve and the others.  The mark of a great story is that it can be read on many levels, like this terrific tale.  The  narrator did a great job of reading the story.  I enjoyed that the narrator had a British accent which was very clear and easy to understand and added to this story which is set in England.  I would recommend this story to everyone who needs a lift.  
Amazon/GoodReads Rating: 5/5
In Patti's Imagination Rating: 10/10

Author Julie Berry Interviews Protagonist Maeve Merritt

 

1. So, Miss Maeve Merritt, why did your parents send you to Miss Salamanca’s School for Upright Young Ladies, instead of educating you at home?

  Mother said she can’t bear the nightmare of hiring and training another governess for me, nor persuading her to stay after I’d snuck out to play cricket with the village boys once too many times. She thinks my name is on a governess’s blacklist somewhere. Miss Salamanca’s reputation for taming unmanageable girls was music to Mother’s ears.

2. And what exactly were you doing at Miss Salamanca’s School when you found your wish-granting djinni?

If you must know, I’d been sentenced to garbage duty for two days. I was sorting through the dustbins, separating tin from rubbish.

3. I see … is this normal behavior for students at Miss Salamanca’s School?

No.

4. Were you under some sort of punishment?

Only because I’d socked nasty Theresa Treazleton in the eye. And only because she deserved it, and worse. Really, I went easy on her.

5. I suppose, if garbage duty led you to an all-powerful djinni, you made out handsomely in this transaction.

Then you don’t know much at all. A djinni’s proven harder to keep track of than a rabid mongoose.

6. Why would anyone want to keep track of a rabid mongoose?

Wouldn’t you rather know where it is than wonder where it’s hiding?

7. I suppose so. Are you sorry you found the djinni, then?

Who, Mermeros? No, I’m glad I found him. It’s been an education. More than I’d ever have gotten at school. I just wish I’d been able to keep him better hidden from so many rascals and villains. Beating them off at every turn was the hard part. The wishes themselves were pretty spectacular.

8. Did you get your wishes granted, then?

That’s cheating. You’ll have to listen to my story to find out. Nov. 4th: Lilly's Book World The Book Junkie Reads . . . Nov. 5th: Turning Another Page Nov. 6th: T's Stuff Nov. 7th: Declarations of a Fangirl Nov. 8th: Jazzy Book Reviews Nov. 9th: The Book Addict's Reviews Nov. 10th: Sefina Hawke's Books In Pattis Imagination

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