I have had this book for a long time read and was excited to finally read it. A while ago I read Crows and Cards by Helgerson and enjoyed it, that book prompted me to pick up this one. This was a cute and fun read about faerie magic along the Mississippi river.

Claire lives along an odd portion of the Mississippi river and is playing with her bossy bullying cousin Dane when he is cursed. Then his family is found turned to stone and Claire is determined to turn them back. Ends up Dane is keeping company with nasty rock trolls who are on a mission to find their fathers no matter what the cost. Claire infiltrates their group and with the help of a blue fairy works to turn the curse around.

I love that this book is set along the Mississippi river. The story has a very classic fairy tale feel to it with curses and trolls and people being turned to animals and stone.

The whole story is told in a very tongue and cheek tone that made it fun to read. I enjoyed Claire as a character and loved the setting and the quirky characters that surrounded Claire. There’s a lot of good discussion in here about the bad things that can happen to bullies too.

The illustration by Ceccoli throughout was beautiful and fit the whimsical tone of the story perfectly. I really enjoyed it.

Overall a very cute and whimsical story about the fae magic that drifts along the banks of the Mississippi. I really enjoyed the classic fairy tale feel to the story and enjoyed the beautiful illustration throughout. I would definitely recommend to readers middle grade and older who enjoy fairy tales with a bit of irony and humor in them. ( )

This middle-grade novel does things a little differently than the typical fairy-tale-style children's book. It feels more like a genuine folktale, with its river trolls and its wise old folks (who are secretly... oh, but I won't give it away). It features a young heroine who hasn't any special destiny or mark. What makes her special is a healthy measure of sense and a good dose of kindness.

The adventure undertaken is swift -- our heroine must save her bully of a cousin from a bad troll, as well as from his own worse nature -- but the imagination on display here is a pleasure, especially when the novel conjures up something magical, like a blue-wing fairy. The story is set along the Mississippi River, but up at its northern end rather than in the more frequented south. Unusual details like that abound here, and each small unexpected thing adds to the next to create a book that feels fresh even for the experienced reader. Overall, this was a quiet pleasure and a treat to read. ( )

One of the best kids fantasies that I've read in years! Unique, funny, silly, clever, and touching, with a very American form of magic, and a very American witch. ( )

This was a fun book for kids ages 11 or so and up, and a delightfully old-fashioned Mississippi River fable with all things "rivery." Claire is spending her day trying to elude her bullying cousin Duke. When they both end up in the river, strange things start happening -- Duke drops her off of a bridge, and her descent is slowed by an old woman in a rowboat who blows pixie dust on her, while Duke's nose grows longer and more horn-like with each act of bullying. Duke and Claire are joined by river and rock trolls, lying crickets, and fairies to solve a mystery, and restore humans who have been turned to stone by mischief-making trolls.

Curriculum: terrible things happen to bullies in this book that can only be reversed by the bully performing a genuine act of kindness. This would be a good book to use for discussions of bullying and responses to it. It is also an unusual fable, and would be a good book to use for comparison with more traditional titles when studying that genre.

Helgerson, J. (2006). Horns and wrinkles. New York: Houghton Millfin Books.

This is the story of Claire and her cousin Duke on this journey to finding the unknown and unthinkable thing that trolls and fairs and such really do live near their small town.
Duke is and always has bullied Claire and one day he gets a physical change for is effort his nose changes to a rhino horn
that grows every time he is rude or bulling. And so it starts.
I recommend this for most kids and teens to read alot of good morals in it ( )