First published 2001
Nuria lives in a mountain village where an ancient wishing well grants requests in the cruelest possible ways. The eleven-year-old has watched neighbors suffer when their deepest desires backfire through the well's malicious interpretations. Now crisis threatens her community and Nuria faces an impossible choice. She must risk making a wish herself, knowing the well delights in turning hope into tragedy. Nuria studies the well's past victims, searching for patterns in how it corrupts each request. She needs to craft words so precise that even this devious magic cannot twist them against her. The village depends on her success, but one wrong phrase could destroy everything she loves. Nuria discovers that outsmarting ancient magic requires more than cleverness. She must understand what her heart truly wants.
Genres: coming-of-age, fantasy, magical-realism, young-adult
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: impossible-choice, outsmarting-magic
Setting: Mountain Village
197 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Pr