This story takes place in the dark, dank village of Runny Cove. There, orphan Isabelle works her fingers to the bone at the Magnificently Supreme Umbrella Factory, struggling to support herself and her Grandma Maxine. That is, until Isabelle discovers that she has inherited Fortune's Farm, the last place on earth where magic grows. Now Isabelle must use the magic to save the people of Runny Cove without spilling the secret of Fortune's Farm to the world-or worse, to the greedy factory owner, Mr. Supreme, who wants to exploit the magical fruit for his own selfish purposes.

Good story line. Well done. Would keep elementary interest. Very funny in parts. Lots of discussion could come from this book. ( )

I guess I didn't like this as much as the other reviewers. To me it seemed really childish. It was written at the 9-12 year old reading level, but the plot and characters seemed more like what would interest a 6 year old, who probably also provided the illustrations. ( )

Runny Cove is a miserable place – it is always grey and raining and everyone, even the children, have to work all day at the Supreme Umbrella Factory. Isabelle doesn’t know any other life but when a sea elephant sneezes up an apple for her it is the start of a big adventure filled with exciting discoveries: the sun, fruit trees, magic and some relatives.
This is a delightful story with a charming heroine that would be enjoyed by girls aged 10 and up. ( )

I really liked this story, with its whiff of whimsical charm. The dank and dismal Runny Cove was Dahlesque in the extreme, the magic was wild and exuberant, the ending delightfully happy-ever-after.

The problem is....I just can't think of any kids who I could recommend this to. Maybe Dahl fans, but the second half is a little too sweet for their taste. The closest thing I can compare it to is Eva Ibbotson and as far as I know, I don't have any readers of her at my library. But you never know...Anybody recommend this to anyone? I'm thinking of trying to booktalk it at my upcoming school visits, but I'm reluctant because it's owned by the system, not our specific library.

Oh, and one caveat - SPOILER - I have to say that I really, really disliked the "testing" part. What gave them the right to make her so completely unwanted and miserable? Why should she trust them after that? Doesn't she get to test them? I hated the whole deception thing. Just a personal quibble.

Update: I went ahead and booktalked this and it was a hit! Looks like the Dahl fans will snap it up after all. I purchased a copy for the library and it circulates briskly.

Verdict: Recommended! No caveats after all!

ISBN: 978-0316018180; Published March 2009 by Little Brown; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library