Eight-year-old Maggie isn’t like other girls who live in the Enchanted Forest. She notices magical animals around her that no one else does – like flying pigs and geese that lay golden eggs.
Maggie hasn’t been getting along with her stepmother and stepbrother. It doesn’t help that flying pigs keep messing up her chores and getting her into trouble! One day while she’s near a lake, she catches a magical fish who promises to make her wish come true, but only if she frees him. Maggie wants a new family more than anything, but can she really trust a talking fish?
Even though Maggie works hard, her stepmother keeps punishing her. Every time Maggie gets into trouble, her stepmother withholds food. It’s a good thing there are wild berry bushes in the Enchanted Forest! Maggie’s stepmother is convinced that Maggie is a liar and a thief, so she throws Maggie out into the cold. Like a Disney fairytale, Maggie and the Wish Fish concludes with a happy ending where Maggie has a new home and a new friend.
Maggie and the creatures who live in the Enchanted Forest appear in black and white illustrations. The cute illustrations appear every 2 to 7 pages. Even though the trolls and the goblins are dangerous, they look cartoonish instead of frighteningly scary. One of the characters shares his journal with Maggie. The illustrated journal gives information about the magical animals and their habits. Readers who are not fluent will need help with some of the vocabulary. However, with short paragraphs, large text, and a simple plot, Maggie and the Wish Fish is accessible to readers ready for chapter books.
Young readers will enjoy the fairytale elements of Maggie and the Wish Fish. A mean step-family, arguing goblins, and talking animals combine to make a sweet story. The story contains enough suspense to keep readers interested and a satisfying ending that will leave readers with a smile. Readers who enjoy fairytales should add the Once Upon a Fairy Tale Series by Anna Staniszewski to their reading list.
Sexual Content
- None
Violence
- None
Drugs and Alcohol
- None
Language
- None
Supernatural
- Maggie meets a girl who has a goose that lays golden eggs.
- When goblins see Maggie, she chases them away with a piece of unicorn horn. “Unicorn horns destroyed poison. There was poison in goblins’ blood. Any goblin that even touched a unicorn horn would go poof! and vanish.”
Spiritual Content
- None
