What-the-Dickens
The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy
Age 9+
General Fiction
"Gregory Maguire does for the dark and stormy night what he did for witches in Wicked." — The New York Times Book Review
A terrible storm is raging, and Dinah is huddled by candlelight with her brother, sister, and cousin Gage, who is telling a very unusual tale. It’s the story of What-the-Dickens, a newly hatched orphan creature who finds he has an attraction to teeth, a crush on a cat named McCavity, and a penchant for getting into trouble. One day he happens upon a feisty girl skibberee working as an Agent of Change — trading coins for teeth — and learns of a dutiful tribe of tooth fairies to which he hopes to belong. As his tale unfolds, however, both What-the-Dickens and Dinah come to see that the world is both richer and far less sure than they ever imagined.
Creators
Gregory Maguire is the author of the incredibly popular books in the Wicked Years series, including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which inspired the musical. He is also the author of several books for children, including What-the-Dickens, a New York Times bestseller. Gregory Maguire lives outside Boston.
Reviews
Both stories are littered with humour that Maguire creates by simply stating the obvious. I found myself laughing (loudly) when others (on trams), may have considered laughter to be inappropriate
Viewpoint
