#1 NYT bestselling author Pat Wrede returns to Scholastic with an amazing new trilogy about the use of magic in the wild, wild west.Eff was born a ...
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Feb 16, 2011
Misty
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The Thirteenth Child tells the story of Eff Rothmer, a thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is a double-seventh child, a position of great magical power and potential. Unfortunately for Eff, the thirteenth child is said to be cursed, hazardous to those around them, and even evil. Eff is terrified that she will one day "go bad" and hurt those around her, so she tries desperately to control her magic, and possibly even rid herself of it. Eff must learn how to become her own perso
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Jan 07, 2012
AnEyeSpy
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"Thirteenth Child" (Frontier Magic 1) by Patricia Wrede has no humor like her Dragon series. In a magical alternate Ben Franklin time, Bostonian Helvan Shores place, everyone knows the seventh son of the seventh son is the best of all, and the thirteenth child, the worst, even before age ten, when their magical powers show. Nasty relatives of narrator Eff, and her twin brother Lan, are cruelly certain. In the wild West, Mill City offers Papa, Henry, a university teaching position, with
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Jul 27, 2011
Ubalstecha
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Eff Rothmerr is a thirteenth child, according to superstition, doomed to bring bad luck to all those around her. Added to her pain is the fact that her twin, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means the same tradition and superstition that has handed Eff the place of pariah, has handed her brother a place of power and prestige.
EFF and Lan's parents, aware of this contriversy, move their family to the frontier, just behind the great barrier. There Eff is away from the daily tauntin More...
EFF and Lan's parents, aware of this contriversy, move their family to the frontier, just behind the great barrier. There Eff is away from the daily tauntin More...
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Jun 18, 2009
I was eager to read this because I'd liked Wrede's other books (the Enchanted Forest Chronicles and Cecelia and Kate series) and am always on the lookout for books that create a distinctly American magical world. So I dived in. (6/18/09 see update at end of this review.)
The world building here is thorough. Wrede gives us an alternate American frontier --- one where magic and magicians rather than rifles and John Wayne types keep settlers safe. We get snippets of alternate politica More...
The world building here is thorough. Wrede gives us an alternate American frontier --- one where magic and magicians rather than rifles and John Wayne types keep settlers safe. We get snippets of alternate politica More...
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May 15, 2009
(15/5/09) Just took away my rating, because of a very upsetting couple of hours spent reading about this on Tor.com. I've written it up on LJ, but for those who don't feel like bothering to read that, it appears that Wrede erased the Native Americans from the book because she didn't like either of two stereotypes of them, so just got rid of 'the problem' [sic:] by not having any.
Below was my original review:
Again with the indecisiveness about ratings; I'd give the book More...
Below was my original review:
Again with the indecisiveness about ratings; I'd give the book More...
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Feb 06, 2012
Cassie (C.M.W.)
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NUTSHELL: Oh, no, she di-in't. 1, and not just for the racefail.
I hope you didn't buy this one. Nope. Borrowed it. Didn't even hold it for fifty cents, just... took it out and returned it on time.
Did you finish it? Yes, though that was an uphill battle. Wrede typically reads better than this. Her Kim, from the Magician's Ward books, had much more chutzpah; I also enjoyed <spoiler>Kim and Mairelon's romantic tension</spoiler>. Eff, unfortunately, goes from five to More...
I hope you didn't buy this one. Nope. Borrowed it. Didn't even hold it for fifty cents, just... took it out and returned it on time.
Did you finish it? Yes, though that was an uphill battle. Wrede typically reads better than this. Her Kim, from the Magician's Ward books, had much more chutzpah; I also enjoyed <spoiler>Kim and Mairelon's romantic tension</spoiler>. Eff, unfortunately, goes from five to More...
Jan 18, 2012
Mauve
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I really enjoyed this read, but there were a few things that bugged me (side note: these are all personal preference notes and not actual critical literary notes). First off, I'm not the biggest fan of books that span over a decade. I'm alright with flashbacks and such but really, I'd rather know what's going on in the main plot rather than slog through 2/3 of a book of back story. Granted, the story was interesting and not entirely 'back-story' as it were, but still it took an awfully long time
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Dec 19, 2011
Yune
rated it: 
I avoided this book for a time because of the problematic milieu -- the settling the Wild West sans Native Americans, but rather with wild magical beasties to contend with.
I finally gave it a go, and I'm a little sad because I loved the voice of the narrator: Eff, the titular thirteenth child, who is considered to be unlucky because of it. Her family decides to move out West to get her away from these prejudiced folks, and she slowly begins to grow in confidence, even though she'll n More...
I finally gave it a go, and I'm a little sad because I loved the voice of the narrator: Eff, the titular thirteenth child, who is considered to be unlucky because of it. Her family decides to move out West to get her away from these prejudiced folks, and she slowly begins to grow in confidence, even though she'll n More...
Dec 08, 2011
Abigail
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This is the first fantasy book I have read set in the Wild West (or the edges of it, anyway), so that was unique. However, there isn't much "story." We get to know Eff, her family, friends, and environs as she relates incidents throughout her life as she grows up, but otherwise not much happens--well, it's not so much that things don't happen as that they tend to be told, not shown. As for adventure, only a little happens and at the end.
I liked the world-building, though More...
I liked the world-building, though More...
Nov 21, 2011
Dimity
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Growing up, I was an avid (even rabid) fan of Patricia C. Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. My sister and I read the four books in that series probably more times than I can count. I was in the mood for some light hearted fiction so I decided to grab some more of Wrede’s books that were written after my YA days. I have to say, this book was a good diversion but didn’t quite live up to my high expectations of this author.
The book’s heroine is Eff, a twin born to an almost Dugg More...
The book’s heroine is Eff, a twin born to an almost Dugg More...
Oct 18, 2011
Anne
rated it:
I already knew about this book's seriously problematic issue of, you know, erasing the existence of Native Americans, so I would never have spent money for it. But I was given a free copy, and I was really curious about what the book was like, so I gave it a go.
I actually thought that maybe the erasure of Indians thing wouldn't be that visible -- I was working on the assumption that the history I learned in school and a lot of the frontier books out there basically already do this, s More...
I actually thought that maybe the erasure of Indians thing wouldn't be that visible -- I was working on the assumption that the history I learned in school and a lot of the frontier books out there basically already do this, s More...
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Sep 16, 2011
Linnae
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Eff and Lan are twins--she is the 13th child, doomed to misfortune and evil (supposedly), and he the extra fortunate and naturally magically gifted 7th son of a 7th son. When their parents decide to move the family out to the Wild West, just this side of the Great Barrier, life changes dramatically for Eff. She no longer has to worry about carping cousins and extended relatives constantly predicting her downfall, and with some new teachers at school, she's even learning about other magical syst
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Sep 16, 2011
Matia
rated it:
I really loved the setting for this story. Wrede took events in American history and changed them to an alternative universe, much like Diana Wynne Jones did with her Chrestomanci books and British history.
The story takes place in the (pseudo) nineteenth century American western frontier. Magic is a daily part of life for most people and the challenges of the frontier include stampeding mammoth herds and worse. Years before magical geniuses Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson create More...
The story takes place in the (pseudo) nineteenth century American western frontier. Magic is a daily part of life for most people and the challenges of the frontier include stampeding mammoth herds and worse. Years before magical geniuses Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson create More...
Jul 12, 2011
Michael
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Absolutely splendid! Patricia Wrede's new(-ish, 2009) book Thirteenth Child is set in the mid- to late-19th century of an alternate U.S. history in which magic is common place. Children study it as a subject in school, and most people do small spells for household chores, while some go on to become professional magicians. Now, imagine the wild western frontier in such an alternate history: Not only do settlers have to contend with wolves and bears and herds of bison, but they have to be wary
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Jan 13, 2011
Brittany
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This was an entertaining and very creative book. I still have yet to read anything of Patricia C. Wrede's that rivals Dealing with Dragons, but this was very fun.
Thirteenth Child details the life of a girl, the thirteenth child of her family. Her own fear that the number 13 is lucky, strongly reinforced by some awful extended family members, paralyzes her with fear that she is going to run bad. Meanwhile her twin, the seventh son of a seventh son, is supposed to grow up great and wo More...
Thirteenth Child details the life of a girl, the thirteenth child of her family. Her own fear that the number 13 is lucky, strongly reinforced by some awful extended family members, paralyzes her with fear that she is going to run bad. Meanwhile her twin, the seventh son of a seventh son, is supposed to grow up great and wo More...
Nov 08, 2010
Ori
rated it:
This would have gotten two stars out of five for me if it hadn't been for the world Patricia Wrede had dreamed up for Eff to live in.
Story development was long and plodding. I suppose this a new sort of book : slice of life, fantasy style? Still, it felt like I was waiting for something to happen the entire time I was reading this book, and the payoff, if you could call it that, was lacking in oomph.
The same could be said for the main character. I understood that Eff's circu More...
Story development was long and plodding. I suppose this a new sort of book : slice of life, fantasy style? Still, it felt like I was waiting for something to happen the entire time I was reading this book, and the payoff, if you could call it that, was lacking in oomph.
The same could be said for the main character. I understood that Eff's circu More...
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Sep 19, 2010
Brittany
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One of the reasons I love Patricia Wrede's books is the humor that she infuses in very nearly every page. Thirteenth Child was missing that humor, but I didn't notice a thing until well after I had finished the book.
Thirteenth Child is the story of Francine or 'Eff', a girl born right at the cusp of the American Settlers expansion to the Western shores. She is the thirteenth child, who is supposed to bring doom upon everyone in her family. Her twin brother, born just after her, is the More...
Thirteenth Child is the story of Francine or 'Eff', a girl born right at the cusp of the American Settlers expansion to the Western shores. She is the thirteenth child, who is supposed to bring doom upon everyone in her family. Her twin brother, born just after her, is the More...
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Aug 07, 2010
Megan
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this was excellent sick-day, read-in-one-sitting material. set in an alternate magical version of the U.S. in the 1800s, eff (short for francine) and her family are living on the frontier, separated by a magical barrier from wild beasts like steam dragons that live to the west (and yet not from the native people, for she's left them out altogether...). she's the thirteenth child in her family, considered unlucky, but because this is a fantasy coming-of-age narrative, of course she turns out to h
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Aug 02, 2010
Erin
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Despite being enthralled with this book to the point of not wanting to do anything else but read till I figured out what it was about, I had some problems with it. First, the similarity between this and Orson Scott Card's Seventh Son, although possibly being for a slightly younger audience, was a little unbearable- both set in alternate United States histories with magic in an area of westward expansion and incorporating the folklore about seventh sons. The magic system does end up differentia
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Jul 07, 2010
P.M.
rated it:
Eff Rothmer is the thirteenth childing in her family while her twin Lan is the fourteenth and a double seven. (the seventh son of a seventh son) Everyone expects Eff to turn bad because of her birth position. When Uncle Earn actually brings a policeman to arrest four year old Eff, her parents decide to move to the frontier where Father will take up a position as professor of magic at a land grant college and no one will keep expecting Eff to turn evil. The author introduces us to an alternate Am
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Jun 28, 2010
Nan
rated it:
While this book was a fun fantasy Bildungsroman, I'm not certain that I liked it well enough to continue the series.
I've been reading Wrede's books for years; my first was Daughter of Witches way back in the 80s. I have all of the Lyra novels and the Regency Magic series. In addition to these books, Wrede is well known online for her Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions she created for writers. Over the years, I've come to trust her writing--and especially her worldbuilding.
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I've been reading Wrede's books for years; my first was Daughter of Witches way back in the 80s. I have all of the Lyra novels and the Regency Magic series. In addition to these books, Wrede is well known online for her Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions she created for writers. Over the years, I've come to trust her writing--and especially her worldbuilding.
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Jun 26, 2010
Sara
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Eff, is the thirteenth child of a seventh son, and twin to a double seven. Where she lives, a magica,l frontier version of America, this is considered to be very unlucky. Not just unlucky - according to her backward aunts and uncles it means that she will turn out bad, very bad. Her parents don't set much store by this, and after one of her uncles takes it too far when she is only five, her dad takes a magical professorship right on the edge of the frontier. Folks in Mill City don't care nearly
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Jun 15, 2010
Kristina
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I was really, really looking forward to reading this because The Enchanted Forest Chronicles are some of my favorite books of all time, and I've loved everything of Wrede's I've ever read.
I have to say though...I was a little let down by this book. Maybe it's just because I had such high expectations, but for me, "Thirteenth Child" just didn't have the same...magic, I guess...as her other work. What I loved so much about Dealing with Dragons - the clever humor, the little More...
I have to say though...I was a little let down by this book. Maybe it's just because I had such high expectations, but for me, "Thirteenth Child" just didn't have the same...magic, I guess...as her other work. What I loved so much about Dealing with Dragons - the clever humor, the little More...
Apr 26, 2010
Joan
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The Thirteenth Child is "Eff" who is continually harassed by aunts and uncles about her fate in the ruination of the entire family line. Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son and everyone thinks he is special. So does Eff. To escape the family hate, her father accepts a position at the frontier edge in a college of magic...whoa there Nellie! Yes, I said college of magic for this is not your normal Laura Ingalls Wilder tale, but the tale of a frontier time that
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Apr 19, 2010
Phoebe
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I was a big, big fan of Patricia Wrede's "dragons" series in middle school, though my memories of those books are vague. I remembered them fondly--as slim, plot-driven, funny, and somewhat feminist tales--so I was eager to revisit her writing in Thirteenth Child.
Too bad, then, that this book is nothing like the quick, addictive reads I remember. Thirteenth Child is less a novel and more a fictional memoir. It's the story of Eff, seventh daughter in a large frontier family, More...
Too bad, then, that this book is nothing like the quick, addictive reads I remember. Thirteenth Child is less a novel and more a fictional memoir. It's the story of Eff, seventh daughter in a large frontier family, More...
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Feb 15, 2010
Foz
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Something I really appreciated about this story was the extent to which every member of Eff's very large family was a real, distinct character - someone whose actions impacted on everyone else. Wrede has taken the extant idea of power residing in seventh sons and thirteenth children and made it unquestionably her own. In the hands of a lesser writer, the fact that Eff was a thirteenth child would have been little more than a convenient excuse with which to explain her abilities, with her twelve
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Jan 23, 2010
Rosalyn
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I've been a fan of Patricia Wrede for some time (Mairelon the Magician,Sorcery and Cecilia), and was thrilled to actually find this in my local library. Luckily, the book didn't disappoint. Like Mairelon and Sorcery and Cecilia, Wrede has set this book in an alternate magical reality, this time in frontier America. Eff (short for Francine) is the thirteenth child--a position which her uncle (among others) persists in believing that is not only unlucky, but will bring ruin on her and everyone aro
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Jan 22, 2010
Mickey
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this was the best book i have ever read once you start reading it you can't put it down it's just so addicting .. what i learned from this book is that eff was born thirteenth child . Her twin brother lan is a seventh son of a seventh son . this means he's supposed to posses amazing talent - and she's supposed to bring doom to everyone around her . Undeterred , her family moves to frontier where her father will be a proffeser o0f magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that pro
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Dec 30, 2009
K.
rated it:
Fabulous book for the 10 and up set.
Gave it four stars for a few reasons;
-It was missing Wrede's humor I have come to love in some of her other books.
-Had a couple of D---s in it.
-The setting of this book was on the American Frontier circa somewhere in the 1830s or so. But it's like an alternate universe or something. Some real places and things exist, but some don't. There's "Aphrika" and India and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and Ben Frankli More...
Gave it four stars for a few reasons;
-It was missing Wrede's humor I have come to love in some of her other books.
-Had a couple of D---s in it.
-The setting of this book was on the American Frontier circa somewhere in the 1830s or so. But it's like an alternate universe or something. Some real places and things exist, but some don't. There's "Aphrika" and India and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and Ben Frankli More...
Dec 29, 2009
JoLee
rated it:
My sister and I first stumbled upon Patricia Wrede when we were hunting for a book to listen to on a drive from Utah to Colorado. We found Wrede's Dealing with Dragons and soon fell in love with her Enchanted Forest Series. I then read Wrede's series that begins with Sorcery and Cecelia and loved the concept of the letter writing game. So, I was thrilled when I happily stumbled upon Wrede's newest work of fiction in the recently published section of the library.
Thirteenth Child is More...
Thirteenth Child is More...
