The Wondrous Prune

by Ellie Clements

Magic comes from within ...

Uprooted by her single mum along with her troublesome older brother, eleven-year-old Prune Robinson is trying to settle in a new town. She figures she can't burden her hard-working mother with the fact she's being bullied. Or the fact that her drawings have started coming to life.

But with her brother soon in danger, Prune comes to realise that she can't hide her power forever; in fact, it might just be the one thing that brings her family back together and saves them all.

Planned as the start of a series about remarkable children from the same neighbourhood, The Wondrous Prune is poignant and surprising with wonderful wish fulfilment and accessible storytelling.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 12, 2022

About the author

Born in London, Ellie Clements decided she wanted to become an author at the age of nine, when her favourite hobby was writing short stories. Her passion for writing continued and she later studied journalism at university. Ellie's working life has mostly been spent in the charity sector and when she isn't busy writing for children, she enjoys long walks, browsing her local bookshop, and on occasion can be found doing a spot of karaoke.

Reviews

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorably magical middle grade read about siblings, standing up for yourself and the power of art and creativity.

[Victoria Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and can imagine that the children I teach will love it too. At the start of the story, Ellie Clements hooks you in by creating a mystery - why has Prune suddenly started seeing these colours and what do they mean? And as the story unfolds and she discovers her magical powers, it's exciting to find out what kind of drawings she brings to life. Alongside all the magical drama, Prune is also dealing with moving schools, meeting new friends and unfortunately meeting bullies at the same time. I liked the fact that the dangers Prune has to face are very realistic and things that children without magical powers might come across to. I also liked the way Prune didn't always turn to her powers to solve the problems. I think children will be able to relate to Prune and could see myself using this book in the classroom in a number of ways, including asking the children to write letters to Prune to offer her advice. I noticed a couple of hints that this might not be the last we hear of Prune and the Delmere community and I hope that I'm right as I'd love to see what lies in store for her next.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely middle grade story featuring an ordinary girl with an unusual superpower. I'm sure children are going to love this fantastic book, this big kid certainly did!

Prune, along with her mum and brother have moved to a different area with new schools and new challenges. Prune misses her old best friend, and is getting bullied. But one day she makes the most magical of discoveries about herself and her own powers, that help her with the problems she faces.

With gorgeous imagery, a strong voice, and a magical main character, this is a story about a young girl whose creativity helps her cope with the difficult things in her life and discovering herself and who she is. This is a heart warming read that will stay with me long after reading and I highly recommend it

At its core, the story is about the incredible healing power of art and creativity. Prune’s drawing skills help her cope with difficult life events and discover who she is. It's a heart warming and empowering story of self-discovery and family. A brilliant and highly recommended read!

[Lucy Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful middle grade tale about an ordinary girl with an extraordinary superpower is sure to be a hit.

Prune, her mum and brother have moved to a different area of town with new schools and new challenges. But some of the old problems have followed them, including her brother’s troublesome friends. To make matters worse, Prune is also getting bullied and misses her own best friend. But one day she makes a wondrous discovery while she is sketching that helps her overcome her problems.

At its core, the story is about the incredible healing power of art and creativity. Prune’s drawing skills help her cope with difficult life events and discover who she is. It's a heart warming and highly recommended read.

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a serendipitous twist, I ended up reading this book after another book about a young child with magic and thankfully both were just as good as each other.
Prune moves with her mum and brother into a new house in a new part of town, moves to a new school where children aren't very nice to her and her brother is still being pulled into a shady world with old friends.
Until, Prune discovers she has a super power and then things turn for the better or worse depending on how you look at it.
This was a fun book about learning responsibility for powers and how and when to use them. I loved the fact that Prunes mum was present and involved in the story, it made it more believable somehow.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it was well written with a good narrative, well developed charcaters that I loved and a great storyline with an intriguing premise. I really liked that this book can help children deal with and overcome bullying. There was nothing about this book that I disliked. it is a really good book.

[Vonprice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm hearted story of an ordinary girl with an extraordinary gift! You can read my full review here: https://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home...

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly magical story of a little girl and her older brother settling into a new town and school. If only they knew about the Delmere magic and what would happen to them.

[Helen Swinyard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version via my local library, and the narrator felt like she was rushing to cram the story into a shorter timeframe - but the concept and characters are great!

[Lucie Hettler]

exciting and enjoyable. a book to read again

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Some great moments. Tough topics. A little bit of magic added in!! A good combination overall!

[Kate Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word immediately comes to mind after reading this book, and that's cute! It's truly the cutest. Prune has the cutest voice, her superpower is about as cute (and brilliant) as a superpower could be, and the whole story moves along at a calm pace that makes you feel warm and cosy. It does deal with big old topics as well, but not in a way that takes over from Prune and her journey. They're all part of her growth and development but add a solid foundation to the plot. Overall, a delightful book that will make all young readers want a superpower like Prune's!

[Tracey Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wondrous Prune fascinated me and was highly original. Prune was a wonderful Main Character and I learnt a lot about her and her relationships especially with her brother Jess and her Mum. Prune loves hard and this can clearly be seen but not only that she had quite a few different emotions which was portrayed in such a way that kept me captivated.

I also love how Ellie handled the topics of bullying and peer pressure

For all the above reasons The Wondrous Prune receives 4 stars