Eden's Wish (Eden of the Lamp Series)

by M. Tara Crowl

Overview

All twelve years of Eden's life have been spent in an antique oil lamp. She lives like a princess inside her tiny, luxurious home, but to Eden, the lamp is nothing but a prison. She hates being a genie. All she wants, more than anything, is freedom. When Eden finds a gateway to Earth inside the lamp, she takes her chance. In a moment, she's entered the world she loves. And this time, she won't be sent back after three wishes. Posing as the new kid at a California middle school, Eden revels in all of Earth's pleasures—but quickly learns that this world isn't as perfect as she always thought it was. Eden soon finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old conflict between powerful immortals. A ruthless organization run by a former genie will stop at nothing to acquire the lamp and its power—including hurting Tyler and Sasha, the mortal friends who have given Eden a home. To save her friends—and protect the magic of the lamp—Eden will have to decide once and for all where she belongs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484719558
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Series:	Eden of the Lamp Series
Sold by:	DISNEY PUBLISHING WORLDWIDE -EBKS
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

M. Tara Crowl grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She studied Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, then received an MA in Creative Writing at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"Crowl's imaginative storyline rings with both perception and humor."—Kirkus Reviews

"Middle grade readers will enjoy the children's autonomy and Eden's humorous difficulties in grasping how school works...Hand this to readers who like their magical fantasy combined with middle school drama."—School Library Journal

"An imaginative romp with a smart, snarky protagonist and a humorous interpretation of the world as we know it...[Eden] is also just plain entertaining, with a sassy attitude and a clever wit that saves her on more than one occasion."—BCCB

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
Gr 4–6—Eden lives an idyllic existence as a genie, instructed in the ways of Earth by the masters of her lamp. Genies must grant 999 wishes before gaining freedom, which makes Eden feel trapped. When she escapes to California, she meets Tyler and Sasha on the beach. Claiming that her mother will be joining her from Sweden, she stays with her new friends and enrolls in their school, where she encounters cliques, mean girls, and romance. She also finds that the genie alumnae, whom she has studied and idolized, are actively targeting her in hopes of getting control of the power of her lamp. Torn between staying on Earth and returning to the safety of her lamp and its masters, Eden must decide how to fulfill her destiny while remaining true to herself. Middle grade readers will enjoy the children's autonomy and Eden's humorous difficulties in grasping how school works. The California setting, as well as the sweet relationship between Eden and Tyler, will appeal to fans of gentle romance. The division among and diversity of the alumnae is cleverly depicted, and their power struggles, as well as their insistent attempts to capture Eden, add adventure and intrigue to the story. With more school drama than Peter Speakman and Michael Galvin's Rebels of the Lamp (Disney-Hyperion, 2015) and P.B. Kerr's The Akhenaten Adventure (Scholastic, 2004) and a less traditional mythology than that of Amber Lough's Fire Wish (Random, 2014), Eden's Wish is an accessible introduction to the world of genie fiction. VERDICT Hand this to readers who like their magical fantasy combined with middle school drama.—Karen Yingling, Blendon Middle School

School Library Journal

2015-06-29
A 12-year-old genie longs to live outside her lamp. Eden, the latest heir in a centuries-old succession of genies, lives in a small gold lamp with her two guardians and is allowed to leave only temporarily to grant three wishes to the human who finds the lamp. Genie rules specify that after a genie has granted 999 wishes, she is free to live on Earth, but Eden doesn't want to wait that long. In a defiant moment, Eden escapes the lamp and surfaces in California. Her escape sets in motion the Electric—a cabal of power-hungry former genies who wish to possess the lamp for their own purposes. Crowl's imaginative storyline rings with both perception and humor as Eden makes her way on Earth (telling new friends she is from Sweden) and puts a twist on major events in history (it turns out that most were the result of wishes granted by genies). Crowl's female-empowerment tone—all the genies are female, and the president of the United States is a former genie herself—is, however, subtly undermined by her frequent descriptions of the Hollywood-like stereotypical beauty of the genies. Eden eventually does the right thing, even if it isn't what she wants, but then, in an ending that comes off too pat, she gets what she wants, too. Imaginative but uneven. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews