In the fairy-tale kingdom of Wanderly, everyone has a role.
Birdie Bloom is a Tragical. Doomed to an unhappy ending, she spends her days locked away with seventeen other orphans at Foulweather’s Home for the Tragical, where she’s supposed to be learning to accept her terrible fate.
Agnes Prunella Crunch is a witch. The wicked kind. Which means she’s supposed to be perfecting her witchy Cackler and flinging curses from The Book of Evil Deeds.
But lately, Birdie has been desperate for an escape, and Agnes has been in a bit of a witchy slump. The one thing they could both use is . . . a friend. And with the help of some magical Winds, a wayward letter, and a very unusual book, they might just find each other—and together rewrite their story into one that (just between us . . . ) isn’t very Tragical at all.
Intrigued? Read On:
Birdie Bloom was just a regular Tragical–until she found a book that spoke of something wonderful, something forbidden. Friendship. After that, everything changed.
Meanwhile, the witch Agnes has given up on her book, one filled with supposed evil deeds. She’s bored out of her mind and ready for some excitement. But she got more than she bargained for when the meddlesome Winds of Wanderly sent her letter to–of all the horrendous things–a child!
Can friendship prevail in a world where anything that’s not “by the book” is forbidden?
The Tragical Tale of Birdie Bloom is a pretty adorable story. In terms of a fairy-tale world, it’s pretty typical, with rules that only benefit a few and generally just restrict free will. However, it stands out from the others with its cute style, themes, and unique elements like the Winds of Wanderly.
What I Love:
Creative and cute, The Tragical Tale of Birdie Bloom was a lot of fun to read. The narrator is the book itself, who has quite a few opinions and insights on the whole matter.
Friendship is a recurring theme as witch and girl learn what it really means. Birdie doesn’t just make friends with Agnes, however. She even dares to befriend other orphans in Foulweather’s Home for the Tragical. It’s an exploration of what friends really are and what it means to be one.
I can also never argue with having a good dragon in the story. The Blue Dragon is a mythical solution to the problem nearly everyone has–being stuck in their fairy-tale role. But solving their problems won’t be as easy as all that.
What I Don’t Love:
The narrator attempts to make things sound outrageous and astounding. But it’s a little overdone. Honestly, it makes the narrative clunky. And in the same way, while the narrator being the book gives it a unique twist, it also separates us from the main characters’ heads.
“Typical fairy-tale world” is a place where cliches are sure to abound–and they certainly do. The typical tattletale haughty girl, the helpful spirit, the oppressive “good guy” leader, characters trapped in their roles, and so forth. However, A Tragical Tale of Birdie Bloom is a cute read and enjoyable for preteens and younger kids.
Content Warnings:
Creepy crawlies, mentions of death, witchcraft.
There are lots of disgusting little critters. A sea of spiders, a friendly rat, a malicious scorpion. So on and so forth. Some of them gave me the heebie-jeebies.
As the Tragicals’ one sole duty is to die, the book mentions death quite frequently.
And finally, one of the main characters happens to be a witch involved in an association of witches, all of whom practice–you guessed it–witchcraft.
Ratings:
Appropriate content: 4/5
Writing skill: 3.8/5
Story construction: 3.8/5
Ethics: 4/5
Other Information:
Christian: No
Point of view: Third person limited
Tense: Past tense
Romance: No
Series: No
Conclusion:
In a tale encircled by magical winds and secretive bookish narrators, Birdie and Agnes struggle through their fairy-tale lives in search of something…more. Temre Beltz has created a sweet, quirky story of unlikely friendships and hope even in the most desperate of places.
I recommend this book for 7-12 year-olds and would altogether give it 3.8 out of 5 bowls of blueberry oatmeal.
Psst! Don’t forget to subscribe to receive access to a short story about a young girl who is also trapped in her role–and just how dangerous that can be.
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