A Tale Magnolious

Book Name

A Tale Magnolious

Author

Suzanne Nelson

Book Description

Nitty Luce is an orphan and a thief. When she escapes her orphanage and gets into trouble for stealing some unusually bright green seeds, she finds out that a magnificent elephant by the name of Magnolious is to be hung in the same area from which she is trying to escape for supposedly killing her instructor. Nitty is a softhearted person and she doesn’t believe that Magnolious could have killed the instructor. So, she frees the elephant and together they escape to the town Fortune’s Bluff. Fortune’s Bluff is extremely rundown, and though the mayor of the town, Windle, says he has plans to better the town for good, Nitty seems skeptical. What is the mayor planning? Why is there continuously a loud ‘whumping’ sound from inside the Mayor’s house? Will Nitty and her detective friend Twitch be able to solve the mystery of Fortune’s Bluff and protect everyone from the dangerous ways of mayor Windle? And what do the bright green seeds grow into?

Age Rating

11+

I think that kids aged 11 and above can read the book. This is because there is a lot of difficult vocabulary in this book, as one of Nitty’s characteristics is that she enjoys using hard words. There is also a small amount of violence at the end, but not so much that it is unpleasant to read. There is also sadness that the characters go through, such as emotions at having no family, friends struggling with diseases, and more. Overall, it is a book packed with every element of a good story, but soft enough for kids 11+ to read.

Good Messages

8/10

Nitty and her elephant gain a very close bond, and that teaches the message of friendship. Nitty and her friend Twitch don’t stop trying to solve the mystery even though they encounter multiple obstacles, which teaches the lesson of not giving up. And even though Nitty has been taken down many times, she always keeps a small flicker of hope inside her, which teaches us the lesson of hope.

Violence

3/10

This book does contain some violence, but it is not the bloody, gory type. One of the characters does have a lung disease, and his discomfort and the symptoms he experiences are described in some detail, but it is not unpleasant to read. Towards the end of the book, there is a small ‘fight’ scene, in which Nitty, her elephant, and her friend Twitch try to escape the clutches of the mayor, but it is appropriate for 11 year olds to read.

Language

0/10

There are no bad words in this book.

Romance

0/10

There is no romance in this book, just a friendship that develops between Nitty and her friend Twitch, who is a boy.