reviews
Apr 28, 2008
Chris
rated it: 
I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it...which is usually a good sign.
First, let me reacknowledge that Maguire is not for everyone. This book continues that trend.
The overall concept sounds fairly airy and fun but at its heart, it's a lot darker than you might imagine.
There are two story threads going on throughout the novel and each one is very intriguing. The threads sometimes intertwine and even when they don't direct More...
First, let me reacknowledge that Maguire is not for everyone. This book continues that trend.
The overall concept sounds fairly airy and fun but at its heart, it's a lot darker than you might imagine.
There are two story threads going on throughout the novel and each one is very intriguing. The threads sometimes intertwine and even when they don't direct More...
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Oct 03, 2007
Brandy
rated it:
A pretty firm "eh" on this one. The basic story--an orphaned tooth fairy makes his way in the strange world--is fun enough, but the frame around it--a man telling a story to his young cousins while they're stranded during a hurricane--doesn't make a lot of sense around it. The two bits of story don't weave together smoothly, and the book as a whole doesn't gel.
And it's written by Gregory Maguire, with his usual love affair with adjectives. I'm all for description, but wh More...
And it's written by Gregory Maguire, with his usual love affair with adjectives. I'm all for description, but wh More...
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Nov 01, 2010
Erica
rated it: 
The descriptions of the author in this book are amazing. He uses such accurate and interesting ways of describing the storm at the beginning of the story. The storm that causes ten year old Dinah to be stranded with her older brother Zeek and her younger sister, with only thier mother's cousin, 21 year old Gage, to babysit them. Gage is a Language Arts teacher, and is no handyman when it comes to living out in the middle of nowhere. So he settles the restless children down and tells them a t
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Mar 01, 2010
Angie
rated it:
I almost gave this four stars. The first part of the story of a tooth fairy named What-the-Dickens is utterly charming. His ignorance, his misplaced love for a cat who would as soon eat him as anything, his meeting with a crotchety old woman and his overwhelming desire for her set of false teeth---all delightful. The beginning is witty and fun to read aloud; I read this beginning section to Bennett, who laughed several times. If the book would have kept me relishing it as I did in the beginn
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Nov 24, 2009
Erin
rated it:
On a dark and stormy night, 10-year-old Dinah, her older brother Zeke, and baby sister Rebecca Ruth, are waiting for their parents to get back with only their older cousin Gage for company. To pass the time, Gage tells them a story about What-the-Dickens, an orphaned tooth fairy (or skibbereen, to use their true name) just trying to figure out his place in the world. What-the-Dickens has adventures with a cat, a bird, a tiger with a sore tooth, and an old woman who thinks he is the Angel of De
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Jul 22, 2009
Tara
rated it:
I enjoyed Gregory Maguire's book Wicked, but found that Son of a Witch and Mirror, Mirror were such incredibly horrifying flops that I did not wish to ever lay hands on one of his books again. Then someone told me that this book was not at all his usual writing style, nor was it truly one of his children's books, and that they had actually enjoyed it. I decided to give it a try. To my surprise, I find the book rather enjoyable. It could easily be labeled a children's book (I would personally lab
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Jun 09, 2009
Amy
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 31, 2011
FebruaryStars
rated it:
The subtitle "The story of a rogue tooth fairy" made me expect a story a little darker than the one hiding beneath the moody cover. Having said that, it was still a pleasant read.
The book starts with three siblings listening to their older cousin tell them a story to distract them from the fierce storm that has left them without power and cut off from their parents. The tale concerns an orphan tooth fairy and his naive exploration of an unforgiving world. He soon learns, am More...
The book starts with three siblings listening to their older cousin tell them a story to distract them from the fierce storm that has left them without power and cut off from their parents. The tale concerns an orphan tooth fairy and his naive exploration of an unforgiving world. He soon learns, am More...
Jul 30, 2011
Gaby
rated it:
3.5 Stars.
I picked this book up thinking it was going to be more evil tooth fairies and less cutsey. However, I did like the cuteness of the story, and found it less then creepy.
What-the-Dickens is an orphaned tooth fairy, that becomes infatuated with a cat and goes searching the big wide world for another like him. I really did enjoy the recount of his wondering adventures, and his innocent logic as he fought to understand the rules of the rest of his kind. I also think his tale f More...
I picked this book up thinking it was going to be more evil tooth fairies and less cutsey. However, I did like the cuteness of the story, and found it less then creepy.
What-the-Dickens is an orphaned tooth fairy, that becomes infatuated with a cat and goes searching the big wide world for another like him. I really did enjoy the recount of his wondering adventures, and his innocent logic as he fought to understand the rules of the rest of his kind. I also think his tale f More...
Jun 06, 2011
Allyson
rated it: 
I wanted to really get into this story. The general idea of it sounded very entertaining, a rogue tooth fairy by the name of What-the-dickens who was orphaned and abandoned by his tribe of Skibereen! How could that not be an amazing story. However, the story was lacking something...ACTION. For the most part, the story was really boring.
Also, I should mention that the tale of What-the-dickens take place within another story. Three children are being told the story of Skibereen and Wh More...
Also, I should mention that the tale of What-the-dickens take place within another story. Three children are being told the story of Skibereen and Wh More...
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Jul 11, 2011
Val
rated it: 
I like dark books, so this was the book for me. It is the tale of a tooth fairy, but it is not what you would tell children: it takes place in a scary, cruel world that is darker than I expected.
The book follows two plotlines: in the first, three children and their older cousin are waiting out a hurricane while their parents are out seeking medical attention for their diabetic mother. With the terrible storm, the place has been evacuated, and the children are nearly out of food. To More...
The book follows two plotlines: in the first, three children and their older cousin are waiting out a hurricane while their parents are out seeking medical attention for their diabetic mother. With the terrible storm, the place has been evacuated, and the children are nearly out of food. To More...
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Aug 02, 2009
Parisa
rated it:
In WHAT THE DICKENS a terrible storm wipes out the power and everyone is told to evacuate their homes. One family decides not to evacuate. Just when the mother's insulin runs out, Gage (her cousin) shows up at the house and ends up taking care of the three children while the parents go out into the storm for medical supplies. During the storm, Gage tells the children a story of a rogue tooth fairy.
I'm not quite sure what I think of WHAT THE DICKENS just yet. The writing was good. Th More...
I'm not quite sure what I think of WHAT THE DICKENS just yet. The writing was good. Th More...
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Oct 08, 2010
Tonya
rated it:
What-the-Dickens is a story within a story. The story within was a fairy tale, and very nicely crafted. What-the-Dickens is a Skibberee, otherwise known as a tooth fairy. He is an orphan and hasn't learned his purpose in life until he meets Pepper, who brings him to her colony and shows him the ways of the Skibberren.
The fairy tale was original, quirky, and had some nice dialogue. What-the-Dickens was a lovable character.
On the other hand, the story that started the f More...
The fairy tale was original, quirky, and had some nice dialogue. What-the-Dickens was a lovable character.
On the other hand, the story that started the f More...
Jul 22, 2010
Marisa
rated it:
First, let me say that I'm well over due adding this my goodreads. I read it a long time ago, and I can remember many details of my reaction to it. I'm not even sure why I picked this book up, but I know I ended up reading it because I had it readily available when I was eager to start a new book.
It was incredibly average -- I would actually give it a complete middle-of-the-road 2.5 stars if I could. I read it slower than I should have because I didn't feel any real urge to read More...
It was incredibly average -- I would actually give it a complete middle-of-the-road 2.5 stars if I could. I read it slower than I should have because I didn't feel any real urge to read More...
Oct 08, 2007
Kristen
rated it:
Although this book was marked as J Fiction at my library, it would definitely not be understood unless by a high level reader. The author doesn't seem to dumb down his story at all for children, but it still has that young adult feel to it. It was an interesting read, even if it left me wanting at the end. Beautifully written and a great tale, I recommend it for lovers of fantasy.
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Mar 16, 2009
Tracy
rated it:
I was expecting some great twist or ah-ha at the end. But there was none. If I had kids, this would be perfect for them because it could fuel the tooth fairy myth. It took me a week to read the 300 page book. For my dear friends, you know I read the last book of Harry Potter--700+ pages--in less than 24 hours. I have read 900 page books in 2 (maybe 3) weeks if I take my time. :-) So, it was not a page turner. It was not bad . . . it just wasn't really good. I mean when you see on the cover "
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Oct 26, 2009
Stuart
rated it:
Hands down the most delightful book that Maguire has written in years, this book is a quick read (a fast reader might pull it off in a day- I took two) and a fun little piece of fantasy, somewhere on the border between young adult fiction and regular old adult fantasy. It's more original than most of Maguire's other books- there story is based on the Tooth Fairy legend, but has no real literary pre-text. In its best moments it recalls such young adult classics as THE RATS OF NIHM and THE PHANTOM
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Aug 18, 2011
Gayla
rated it:
Great quick read by the auther of "Wicked" and" Son of a Witch".
This is a story of a young male adult that has been given charge of 3 young children when there parents have had to leave them during a hurricaine to seak medical care for the mother.
As daylight turns to night and the foursome settles down for the evening, with very little food and their last candle, Gage spins a tale of an orphaned "tooth fairy" named What-the-Dickens that has is younger cousin Dina More...
This is a story of a young male adult that has been given charge of 3 young children when there parents have had to leave them during a hurricaine to seak medical care for the mother.
As daylight turns to night and the foursome settles down for the evening, with very little food and their last candle, Gage spins a tale of an orphaned "tooth fairy" named What-the-Dickens that has is younger cousin Dina More...
Jan 29, 2012
Rebecca
rated it: 
Yet another delightful read by Maguire made even more enjoyable because I was not familiar with the Tooth fairy story it is derived from. A much different approach and look into the Fairy world and how they interact and think of humans. Very light reading, nothing challenging or thought provoking, but still a very fun book to read. The ups and downs and shifts between the "real" setting and the "story" setting were seamless and appropriate. Working the story teller into the s
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Dec 05, 2011
Aika
rated it:
Tooth fairy, which usually follows along with the word fairy tail;
although, Gregory Maguire takes these words into a different direction.
A story about a tooth fairy seems like a journey to find teeth from young kids, but in this case, it is to find home. This rogue tooth fairy is also considered a spy since he was not born with the rest of his kind. He was isolated, and he almost immediately fell in love with an animal over 100 times larger than he is, a cat. This is about the More...
although, Gregory Maguire takes these words into a different direction.
A story about a tooth fairy seems like a journey to find teeth from young kids, but in this case, it is to find home. This rogue tooth fairy is also considered a spy since he was not born with the rest of his kind. He was isolated, and he almost immediately fell in love with an animal over 100 times larger than he is, a cat. This is about the More...
Aug 23, 2009
Tobinsfavorite
rated it:
I really liked this book, and I would give it 5 stars, except that there's nothing higher than that to reserve for books that Change My Life. (I really wish i could give partial stars.)
I have been a fan of Maguire's writing since I found a copy of Wicked 11+ years ago, and this is one of his better books. His writing style is very natural and fast-reading while being rich and descriptive, and this example doesn't disappoint. This novel contains a story within a story, a fairy tale told More...
I have been a fan of Maguire's writing since I found a copy of Wicked 11+ years ago, and this is one of his better books. His writing style is very natural and fast-reading while being rich and descriptive, and this example doesn't disappoint. This novel contains a story within a story, a fairy tale told More...
May 28, 2009
Olivia
rated it:
Merged review:
This book made me want to unlearn how to read, which is a lot harder than it sounds. I almost didn't finish it, and now kind of wish I didn't. The story is very mundane, as is the dialogue, but never ending! The characters are hokie and contrived. Blah...blah...etc.
Feb 08, 2012
Cyndi
rated it:
This was a clever story idea but not well written. It started out like maybe it was going to be something like a science fiction novel. The weather was bad with earthquakes and landslides. The family home schooled their three kids and they lived in a farm house out in the boonies. The parents for some unknown reason left the kids in this state to be looked after by a 21 year old English teacher cousin and he began telling them stories. This was after the electricity went out and the food was dep
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Dec 23, 2009
Vickie
rated it:
Another read at work. Finished in under a day.
Probably because it is aimed at younger adults, there was a lot of depth missing. Maguire sets up the stranded children (I'm not giving anything away, don't worry) with a lot of exposition on their background and the environment in which they were raised, but the only real impact the stress on that lifestyle has to the outcome of the story is a set of pithy lines in the last chapter that announce a conclusion I'm not sure I would have ven More...
Probably because it is aimed at younger adults, there was a lot of depth missing. Maguire sets up the stranded children (I'm not giving anything away, don't worry) with a lot of exposition on their background and the environment in which they were raised, but the only real impact the stress on that lifestyle has to the outcome of the story is a set of pithy lines in the last chapter that announce a conclusion I'm not sure I would have ven More...
Oct 25, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
Well, this novel was not at all what I expected it to be. After reading some of Maguire's work, including "Wicked," I expected a grim retelling of the tooth fairy myth. "What-the-Dickens," however, is not dark at all. It's actually a story full of hope about the power of belief and imagination. Although, Maguire does get a bit preachy at times, especially about "annoying adults" who sully the world. Still, the reframing of the tooth fairy story was clever and f
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Sep 28, 2011
Christy
rated it:
A terrible storm is raging, and ten-year-old 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 who is working as an Agent of Change — trading coins for teeth — and learns that there is a dutiful tribe of skib
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Jan 29, 2012
Melissa
rated it:
While the Easter Bunny and Santa might be fictional characters designed to entertain the thoughts of young children, one childhood belief is actually a reality.
What-The-Dickens was born alone, orphaned from the start. During his quest to please a cat, he has an unexplanable urge to perform dentistry. Once he stumbles upon another creature quite like himself, the story of his roots unfolds.
As a fan of Maguire's Wicked, I was excited at the opportunity to read the tale of the r More...
What-The-Dickens was born alone, orphaned from the start. During his quest to please a cat, he has an unexplanable urge to perform dentistry. Once he stumbles upon another creature quite like himself, the story of his roots unfolds.
As a fan of Maguire's Wicked, I was excited at the opportunity to read the tale of the r More...
Dec 01, 2010
Courtney
rated it:
I've never read any of Maguire's books because they are all a bit filthy for my tastes, but the cleaned up musical WICKED is a favorite for me and my girls. Since this book is for 8 and up, I decided to give it a read to see if my daughter will like it. She might.
I don't find his writing to be all that it is hyped to be. Sure, he's got FABULOUS ideas, but I think his execution suffers a bit. The end leaves us with quite a cliff hanger (please, no sequel), but I didn't mind because I wa More...
I don't find his writing to be all that it is hyped to be. Sure, he's got FABULOUS ideas, but I think his execution suffers a bit. The end leaves us with quite a cliff hanger (please, no sequel), but I didn't mind because I wa More...
Dec 05, 2009
Carrie
rated it:
For a good chunk of the book, I was thinking that the story would have probably been better without the human element relating the tale; most of the loose ends in the narration didn't get tied together until the last ten or so pages. That being said, I thought the story was really imaginative and challenged the perceptions we had in a certain childhood myth, much as he does with the other stories he twists.
And my favorite part probably wasn't in the story itself, but in his acknowle More...
And my favorite part probably wasn't in the story itself, but in his acknowle More...
Sep 30, 2007
Sammy
rated it:
A childrens book about the time that humans met with a very unusual tooth fairy. A good story, but told over a dark setting that really makes this more of a teen book then a child's book.
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