The Magic of Finkleton
Author
K. C. Hilton
Publisher
CreateSpace
1 Review Copies Left
Most folks say, "Mother Nature controls the rain". However this is not the case in the village of Finkleton. In the perfect little village of Finkleton, the weather is always perfect. Every farm grows the best, biggest, healthiest crops in the entire world, and everyone is happy. Soon after the Finkles inherit their Uncle Harry's shop and move to Finkleton, they discover magical secrets hidden in his shop. One clue at a time, Jack, Lizzy and Robert learn the town's amazing secret. No, Mother Nature is not in charge in Finkleton! Ever since Uncle Harry's death, the weather has not been cooperating. Farms are starting to fail. Will the Finkle children be able to solve all the magical mysteries before the village is destroyed? Come along to Finkleton. A very special, magical adventure is about to begin!
Reviews
When I saw this book's gorgeous cover and read the glowing reviews, I got this book for my kids so we could discover along with the Finkle kids the secrets they stumble upon in Finkleton. After reading the synopsis to my daughter she told me outright that it sounded very predictable. She didn't seem excited as I was to read it along with me. Nonetheless, I snuggled with my kids on the bed and began reading. The first chapter was promising but by the third chapter, my son told me there was too much dialogue and not enough action.
Both my kids were right.
From then on we struggled through it. My son lost total interest and my daughter and I were bored. The story had an interesting premise about a family who inherited their Uncle Harry's shop and moved to Finkleton, where they discover magical hidden secrets in the shop. The setting is England but the time is unclear leaving us to guess that it took place sometime in the 19th century. I liked this because I envisioned a wholesome story with children who wouldn't be distracted by modern technology but rather would cleverly use their wits to solve the mystery of Finkleton. While the story is wholesome, we did not consider the children witty. Except maybe for Robert, the youngest, who figured things out and took an interest in the hourglasses. But we did like how in the end they came to work together for the good of their town.
The problem was that the story was very slow with not much suspense. The excessive dialogue was irritating because it did nothing to move the plot forward. Each chapter could have been easily cut in half. Too much telling and not enough showing. An editor would have caught this and helped to polish the text.
We really wanted to like this book but in the end, my daughter and I didn't care for any of the children (Jack 14, Lizzy 12 and Robert 8) who bickered like preschoolers and cried often. All the children acted younger than their age. My daughter remarked that Lizzy seemed more like a 7 year-old in her behaviour. I could see that she couldn't relate to her. Moreover, character development was lacking as well as the magical wonder we were expecting. Even Mr. Lowsley, the antagonist (if we could call him that) was quite tame.
This book might work for a young audience but savvy middle-graders who are used to action and adventure and meatier plots... well they might just roll their eyeballs and move on. But that's only our family's opinion. Sometimes tame and predictable is good too.
Reviewed on 09/16/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Fabiani
Their house burning down left few choices for the Finkle family. Taking over their recently deceased Uncle Harry’s general store in Finkleton was their only option. Arriving in the small England village after hearing father’s stories of Uncle Harry and his store, each of the three children were intrigued just enough to be looking forward to exploring everything. After a modicum of unpacking, they all wanted to look at the store and the house, Jack was the oldest and was looking forward to learning more of the workings of the store and finding the office in disarray, organizing was his first priority. The middle child and only girl was an avid reader and since the fire had consumed her store of books, she was only interested in the promised room of books. Once there, she quickly figured out how they were organized and selected her first nights reading material with the promise to return for them all at some point. As the youngest, Richard was trying to find his own place when he found something much more interesting. The lever under the counter seemed to control the rain. Astonished at his find, Richard wanted this to be his secret from everyone, but as the consequences started making themselves clear, her realized he needed hop to make sure Mr. Bad Guy never found out the true secrets of the success of Finkleton.
- **** -
Reviewed on 05/27/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Debbie Berry
As you turn each page “The Magic Of Finkleton” comes to life in this amazing book. Young readers will delight as they unlock the magic that awaits. Inheriting their great-uncle Harry’s general store seemed to be a blessing after their cottage in Bath caught fire, yet once the Finkle children arrive they find that it was more than fate that brought them here. Discovering one clue then another, Jack, Lizzy, and Robert unlock the secrets that the shop holds. Once all the clues are in place the children discover that Mother Nature is not in control of the weather in Finkleton, they are. Now they most figure out to set the small village back to rights. A very entertaining read, with an ending that leaves you wanting more. Children of all ages will enjoy this magical story as they embark on a journey of magical discovery right along with the Finkle’s.
Reviewed on 05/19/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons
After their house is mysteriously burnt, the Finkles learn that their Uncle Harry had died the exact same night, and he left all his belongings to them, including his general store. The Finkles pack up what didn’t burn in the fire and move to Finkleton to start a new life. The three children are Jack, Lizzy, and Robert, who are all uniquely different from another. Jack is the oldest and thinks he is the brightest. He enjoys numbers and organizing things. Lizzy is the bookworm of the family, and Robert is the youngest.
The family moves into the apartment above of the general store. Lizzy is sad that all of her books were burnt in the fire, but instantly became happy when her father told her that Uncle Harry had a library in a secret room in the store. Most of the books are non-fiction, and Lizzy wants to read them all. Robert investigates the store and finds a strange room filled with hourglasses that are labeled and has a string attached to each of them, but one of the strings was broken.
The family reopens the store, with a few customers complaining about all the rain because Finkleton use to have the perfect weather for farming. A stranger named Mr. Lowsley shows up several times asking about land he could buy. Robert doesn’t like this man, and believes that he is up to no good.
Then, Robert pulls on a wood lever hidden in the store and the rain suddenly stops. Did Uncle Harry control the weather in Finkleton? Why does Mr. Lowsly want to buy land in Finkleton?
When I received this book in the mail, my first thought was “This is a dazzling cover.” After reading the page and a half prologue, I was hooked into the world of Finkleton. It was a nice change to read an original book that doesn’t involve vampires and werewolves. I got a kick out of the kids bickering back and forth in the beginning of the book and enjoyed it when they started to work together to solve the mystery of Uncle Harry’s store. The Magic of Finkleton is a great read for both children and adults!
Reviewed on 05/15/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Billy Burgess
