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Wizard Children of Finn #1
The Wizard Children of Finn
Lured by a magical whistle, Fiona and Bran encounter a wizard-like person named Finn, who takes them on a fantasy journey across ancient Ireland and back to another time
214 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 21, 2008
This is not a book review but an amazing story about my relationship with this amazing book.
As a child, I was homeschooled due to a prolonged bout with pneumonia. Unfortunately, my poor mother had a difficult time keeping up with my reading (she could hardly afford to buy me a new book everyday, which was the rate at which I finished most). She started haunting Pic-n-Save's bargain bins for me and that is where she found this amazing book.
I read The Wizard Children of Finn over and over throughout my childhood and adolescence until I loaned my copy to an irrresponsible 9th grade English teacher who lost it. It was out of print and I was heartbroken.
Ten years later I discovered I was expecting a child of my own and started collecting books for him before I even bought a layette. The Wizard Children of Finn was high up on my list. I found it via the internet at a rare books shop across the United States. I placed my order, using my credit card that included my hyphenated last name.
Several days later I recieved a call from the dealer. When she was packaging my book she flipped it open and discovered a juvenile bookplate inside with my name carefully handwritten in shaky cursive in pencil. I had bought my own copy of the book!
The dealer had bought the book in an estate sale in Georgia but how my book got from Southern California to Georgia...we will never know.
As a child, I was homeschooled due to a prolonged bout with pneumonia. Unfortunately, my poor mother had a difficult time keeping up with my reading (she could hardly afford to buy me a new book everyday, which was the rate at which I finished most). She started haunting Pic-n-Save's bargain bins for me and that is where she found this amazing book.
I read The Wizard Children of Finn over and over throughout my childhood and adolescence until I loaned my copy to an irrresponsible 9th grade English teacher who lost it. It was out of print and I was heartbroken.
Ten years later I discovered I was expecting a child of my own and started collecting books for him before I even bought a layette. The Wizard Children of Finn was high up on my list. I found it via the internet at a rare books shop across the United States. I placed my order, using my credit card that included my hyphenated last name.
Several days later I recieved a call from the dealer. When she was packaging my book she flipped it open and discovered a juvenile bookplate inside with my name carefully handwritten in shaky cursive in pencil. I had bought my own copy of the book!
The dealer had bought the book in an estate sale in Georgia but how my book got from Southern California to Georgia...we will never know.
January 18, 2020
When at the beginning of Mary Tannen’s The Wizard Children of Finn 20th century Irish-American siblings Fiona and Bran McCool befriend a rather strange boy named Deimne in the vast and somewhat mysterious woods behind their family mansion, little do they expect that they will soon be transported back in time with said Deimne to ancient Ireland. However, while Deimne hails from that time and place, and for him therefore, he is returning home, for Fiona and Bran, ancient Ireland is at first strange, magical, and often uncanny and incomprehensible. And once in Ireland, the two children become Demise's steadfast companions on his journey to Temhair, to manhood, to claim his birthright. Because Deimne is none other than Finn, son of Cumhall and the fair, shining Muirne, and he is destined to become not only the leader of the Fianna, but also one of the greatest warriors and heroes of ancient Ireland.
Mary Tannen's engaging tale of Finn's many adventures (and trials, tests) on his journey to manhood (and his rightful destiny) is exciting, readable, albeit (and with a bit of a caveat here) also somewhat bloody and gory at times (but after all, battle and fighting scenes often if not even usually are thus). And Finn's boyhood adventures are not only experienced by two modern American children (Fiona and Bran), Deimne's (Finn's) companions from far away in time and space, they are also "orally recorded" by the two. For Fiona, a talented poet, creates epic verses of Finn's exploits, from his encounter with Conn and his gang of boys, his victory over a giant churl, his consumption of a legendary salmon of knowledge, the decapitation of Aillen, to Deimne finally claiming the leadership of the Fianna. And while Fiona creates the poems, it is her brother Brad with his amazing memory, who remembers her verses and then recites them. Thus while Finn might well be the hero, Fionna acts as the hero's loyal poet and Bran as his bard, his teller of tales. Highly recommended is The Wizard Children of Finn for anyone who enjoys children's fantasy stories, but especially for those readers who are interested in Irish folklore and mythology (however, it must be pointed out that The Wizard Children of Finn is long out of print and thus only available secondhand and pristine copies do tend to be expensive).
Mary Tannen's engaging tale of Finn's many adventures (and trials, tests) on his journey to manhood (and his rightful destiny) is exciting, readable, albeit (and with a bit of a caveat here) also somewhat bloody and gory at times (but after all, battle and fighting scenes often if not even usually are thus). And Finn's boyhood adventures are not only experienced by two modern American children (Fiona and Bran), Deimne's (Finn's) companions from far away in time and space, they are also "orally recorded" by the two. For Fiona, a talented poet, creates epic verses of Finn's exploits, from his encounter with Conn and his gang of boys, his victory over a giant churl, his consumption of a legendary salmon of knowledge, the decapitation of Aillen, to Deimne finally claiming the leadership of the Fianna. And while Fiona creates the poems, it is her brother Brad with his amazing memory, who remembers her verses and then recites them. Thus while Finn might well be the hero, Fionna acts as the hero's loyal poet and Bran as his bard, his teller of tales. Highly recommended is The Wizard Children of Finn for anyone who enjoys children's fantasy stories, but especially for those readers who are interested in Irish folklore and mythology (however, it must be pointed out that The Wizard Children of Finn is long out of print and thus only available secondhand and pristine copies do tend to be expensive).
March 18, 2020
Fiona and Bran McCool, two young American children, are caught up in a powerful Druid spell and transported back in time to the Ireland of two thousand years ago. There they accompany their new friend Deimne on his journey of self-discovery. For he is none other than Finn, son of Cumhall and Muirne the fair, destined to become leader of the Fianna, and one of Ireland’s greatest heroes.
Inspired by Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men , Mary Tannen recreates the boyhood exploits of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, as seen through the eyes of two modern children. Here is the encounter with Conn and his gang of boys at Magh Life; the visit to the King of Carraighe, and how Finn defeated him at the game of ficheall; Finn’s defeat of a giant churl, and recapture of the Bag of Aoife that once belonged to his father; the conflict with the Sons of Morna; and Finn's consumption of the Salmon of Knowledge.
An exciting adventure-fantasy that should please young readers, whether or not they have any knowledge of Irish mythology, The Wizard Children of Finn was on the syllabus of the class I taught on children's fantasy literature at my college. Part of a unit entitled Fantasy as Folk Epic, we read it together with a selection from Dáithí Ó hÓgáin's Fionn mac Cumhaill: Images of the Gaelic Hero .
Inspired by Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men , Mary Tannen recreates the boyhood exploits of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, as seen through the eyes of two modern children. Here is the encounter with Conn and his gang of boys at Magh Life; the visit to the King of Carraighe, and how Finn defeated him at the game of ficheall; Finn’s defeat of a giant churl, and recapture of the Bag of Aoife that once belonged to his father; the conflict with the Sons of Morna; and Finn's consumption of the Salmon of Knowledge.
An exciting adventure-fantasy that should please young readers, whether or not they have any knowledge of Irish mythology, The Wizard Children of Finn was on the syllabus of the class I taught on children's fantasy literature at my college. Part of a unit entitled Fantasy as Folk Epic, we read it together with a selection from Dáithí Ó hÓgáin's Fionn mac Cumhaill: Images of the Gaelic Hero .
August 18, 2010
This is more a story of my life that no one will care about than a review. But what this book means to me is this story, not Tannen's plot. Actually, I keep forgetting large chunks of this book, which is saying something because it's actually rather short. Anyway:
When someone (usually an English teacher) asks me to discuss--because that's their favorite word--a book that changed my life, I typically just look at them funny. I can't pinpoint Epic Moments of Change in my own life. It seems I'm more of a gradual changer with little things piling atop little things so that I can't separate them.
The Wizard Children of Finn is different.
I never much liked reading as a kid. My mom used to take my sisters and me to the library in the hopes that we'd find The Book to Make Us Like Reading. This was mine. One day I thought of reading as that thing I had to do for school, and the next I needed to go back to the library because I'd finished the book I had.
If you asked me now, I couldn't tell you why this book appealed to me so much. I'm not sure I could have then (which would be back in the fourth grade). What I do know is that reading has since become one of the things I love most to do, and out of that grew my love of writing. Without the effect this book had on me, I wouldn't be recognizably me--especially since a lot of people know me as That Quiet Girl who Reads a Lot. Except the customers at my work who know me as The Waitress who Reads a Lot.
When someone (usually an English teacher) asks me to discuss--because that's their favorite word--a book that changed my life, I typically just look at them funny. I can't pinpoint Epic Moments of Change in my own life. It seems I'm more of a gradual changer with little things piling atop little things so that I can't separate them.
The Wizard Children of Finn is different.
I never much liked reading as a kid. My mom used to take my sisters and me to the library in the hopes that we'd find The Book to Make Us Like Reading. This was mine. One day I thought of reading as that thing I had to do for school, and the next I needed to go back to the library because I'd finished the book I had.
If you asked me now, I couldn't tell you why this book appealed to me so much. I'm not sure I could have then (which would be back in the fourth grade). What I do know is that reading has since become one of the things I love most to do, and out of that grew my love of writing. Without the effect this book had on me, I wouldn't be recognizably me--especially since a lot of people know me as That Quiet Girl who Reads a Lot. Except the customers at my work who know me as The Waitress who Reads a Lot.
November 12, 2012
this was my very favorite book as a kid and then it seemed to be banned from the market. a few years ago I bought it online (cost like $50!) and reread it and loved it all over again! I'm not sure if this book is now available on kindle or ebooks etc but if you like fantasy (ala the lion the witch and the wardrobe) you must read this book!
March 10, 2014
For young children (under 10), this might be an interesting introduction to Irish legend and history. I read it on Kindle: it was full of annoying typos and bad formatting, which may have colored my impression. I also read it after reading the original legends upon which it was based, and I thought it much less interesting. Basically my conclusion is "meh!"
January 7, 2014
As a young child of 6 I read this book again and again until it litterally fell apart in my hands. There is no greater praise I can give this book than that. This was one of the books that created my love of reading.
March 12, 2014
Favorite book/author as a child!
September 5, 2013
My favorite book from childhood.
July 20, 2021
With apologies to the author and to any fans, I did not enjoy this much, which is why it took me so long to finish this short and easy book. To be fair, the Kindle edition is full of typos and bad formatting (no chapter or paragraph breaks!) which didn’t help. But I couldn’t get behind the characters and the whistle stop tour through Irish legend was fine but not particularly magical or memorable. I’m glad to have checked it out but I’m not interested in the sequel, unfortunately.
January 3, 2024
À re-read from my childhood, I can where where the average kid who grew up in the 80s might have gotten their penchant for time travel. Good kid stuff, but glosses over stuff like emotions at times. Also, weirdly satisfying that the PC days of the 90s hadn’t happened yet and there are some beheadings.
April 28, 2009
I have a huge collection of books on Celtic history and fiction. My husband asked me awhile ago what got me interested it all that and without thinking I said, "A book called "The Wizard Children of Finn" that I had when I was in elementary school." I remember getting this book in a Scholastic book order around 1981-82, and I completely fell in love with it...I read it until I had the cover taped and each of the pages dog-eared. Then I lent it to someone in high school and never got it back. This past year for my 37th birthday, my husband presented me with a copy of Wizard Children of Finn he found on-line! I have now shared it with my 13 year old son who did a book report on it, my 11 year old son who is completely in love with it, and my 8 year old son who can't wait to settle down in bed each night and read a chapter with me. It is dated, but the story is excellent and is a great way to introduce kids to Celtic lore. Ms. Tannen, if you ever read these...Thank you for introducing me to a new world of history! :-)
March 18, 2008
I first read this book when I was 11 or 12, and it made such an impression on me then that I had to find it again. It's a quick read, and quite fun--nowhere near the level of Harry Potter, but definitely an interesting mixture of children's story and Irish legend. The basic plot line of the story is about 2 children, Fiona and Bran, who are staying at their Uncle's house for the summer, stumble upon a mysterious book and a boy living in the woods...and are transported back to prehistoric Ireland. The boy they are traveling with turns out to be Finn McCool, ancient Irish hero and leader of the Fianna--as such, Fiona and Bran are involved in several adventures along the way as they wait to be transported back to their home. Recommended for kids who have an interest in Irish history.
April 18, 2017
I read this a number of years ago, and remember little about it except that I really, really enjoyed it. Sadly, the copy I used to own got peed on by one of my cats, and I had to throw it out. I never found out which cat did the dastardly deed! My local library system no longer has the book, alas. I have yet to read the sequel, The Lost Legend of Finn, which, fortunately, is available at a library near me.
August 10, 2014
This time-travel epic YA novel will be perfect for any pre-teen girl (with a little brother she is both annoyed by and protective of) who has longed to journey to ancient times and places. It felt very timely in the early eighties, but despite feeling very dated has wonderful humor, interweaving of mythology and a time travel plot.
March 30, 2011
I read this when i was a kid, my first venture into Celtic mythology. I loved it. i found a copy and purchased it. :) its a fun quick read.
May 14, 2021
Just a heads up this review is more from nostalgia than what the book actually is like.
My mom read me and my siblings a chapter of this book every night before bed when I was 10 years old. It was thrilling and fantastical and inspired me to play pretend that I was like Fiona, being swept away on an adventure writing my story down to be remembered for decades to come. I saw myself in her. A little girl who's moved far away from her friends, who loved stories and loved her little brother just as much as he annoyed her. I am almost positive this book is what spawned my absolute adoration of time travel, modern characters thrown into fantasy worlds and asperation to write my own stories.
It has been 15 years sense I have read this book. It has taken me so long to remember the title of it. Even still I feel like I remember every scene of this story so crystal clear. Fiona and her little brother Bran. Finn and the story of the fisher king. The friends and enemies they met along the way. The end of the book, while not unexpected is perfectly placed in my mind.
I have actually managed to find a copy of this book that wasnt 50-80 bucks! So I will be rereading it in a few weeks when it arrives at my house. Who knows, maybe it wont live up to my memories. I am positive it is a book aimed at very young children. But I still think this story must be good, for me to remember the characters and the story and all the emotions it made me feel so clearly 15 years later.
My mom read me and my siblings a chapter of this book every night before bed when I was 10 years old. It was thrilling and fantastical and inspired me to play pretend that I was like Fiona, being swept away on an adventure writing my story down to be remembered for decades to come. I saw myself in her. A little girl who's moved far away from her friends, who loved stories and loved her little brother just as much as he annoyed her. I am almost positive this book is what spawned my absolute adoration of time travel, modern characters thrown into fantasy worlds and asperation to write my own stories.
It has been 15 years sense I have read this book. It has taken me so long to remember the title of it. Even still I feel like I remember every scene of this story so crystal clear. Fiona and her little brother Bran. Finn and the story of the fisher king. The friends and enemies they met along the way. The end of the book, while not unexpected is perfectly placed in my mind.
I have actually managed to find a copy of this book that wasnt 50-80 bucks! So I will be rereading it in a few weeks when it arrives at my house. Who knows, maybe it wont live up to my memories. I am positive it is a book aimed at very young children. But I still think this story must be good, for me to remember the characters and the story and all the emotions it made me feel so clearly 15 years later.
September 28, 2023
In this short kids' isekai story, our young protagonists - after being left babysat by time-traveling druids - get isekai'd back with them to an ancient Ireland where the myths are real. Together with young Finn, they have to hike across ancient Ireland and face both mundane and magical foes.
It's a fun story if you don't mind a kids' book, and the difference in perspective between the ancient and modern characters is very well-handled. My dad, who knows something about Irish mythology, endorses it as handling the myths fairly well.
It's a fun story if you don't mind a kids' book, and the difference in perspective between the ancient and modern characters is very well-handled. My dad, who knows something about Irish mythology, endorses it as handling the myths fairly well.
November 23, 2017
First fantasy book I have ever read, which my mother probably bought. And well, I fell in love with both this book and the genre. My original copy fell apart, so I had to buy another one. Got into Irish mythology because of this book too.
My only wish is that Tannen actually wrote the poem of their journey.
My only wish is that Tannen actually wrote the poem of their journey.
April 12, 2020
Like so many others, I read this book in elementary school and it captured me heart and soul! I am reading it to and with my second daughter now, and we adore it. My eldest dressed as Finn for Living Literature Day last year!
May 19, 2022
A trip down memory lane...I remember reading this book and it's sequel several times when I was younger. I enjoyed it more back then, but it was good to reunite with Fiona, Bran, and Finn; I'll get around to revisiting the sequel one day soon(ish).
March 8, 2020
Magical!
Starts off slowly but delivers a wonderful tale — a bit like a “Magic Tree House” with some lovely insights on ancient Ireland.
Starts off slowly but delivers a wonderful tale — a bit like a “Magic Tree House” with some lovely insights on ancient Ireland.
August 13, 2023
Very fun book, looking forward to reading the next one.
January 13, 2014
I enjoyed the re-imagining of the Fionn mac Cumhaill story placing time-travelling descendants of the McCools in the story, making them the poets who observe, versify, and tell the story of the boyhood exploits of Finn. The character development of the modern children, Fiona and Bran McCool, and their realistic squabbling were fun to read.
The heroic story elements are a good intro (I hope) to the more 'original' re-tellings of the tale that I'll soon encounter in a Celtic Myth credit course at Mythgard Institute.
The heroic story elements are a good intro (I hope) to the more 'original' re-tellings of the tale that I'll soon encounter in a Celtic Myth credit course at Mythgard Institute.
September 29, 2008
A fun adventure which illuminates some Irish legends along the way. I would have loved it when I was 9, but found it a little heavy-handed and stilted now. The "modern" passages are inescapably dated, but the exploits of the children are delightful.
May 28, 2007
Don't exactly remember when I read this, but I remember how awesome it was and it was a page-turner. There are a few kid-heroes and a wizard or two.
October 29, 2008
This was one of my very favorite books as a young adolescent. I would love to get my hands on a copy of it today and reread it.
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January 28, 2013Read this as a child in the early 1980s... Only vaguely remember it.
June 1, 2015
Good read for 8-10 year-olds.
September 15, 2016
Irish Myth.. Coolness.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews