Wellspring of Magic

Creative Girls Club Adventure #1

by Jan Fields, Ryan Durney (illustrator)

What happens when six ordinary girls accidentally open a secret door into another world? Ages 9-12

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Young Adult

120 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Liz Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, when it came in the mail with some random advertisement letter. I can't remember the details. But I opened the letter (even though it wasn't mine) and read it and I loved it. Being fifteen now, I highly doubt I would enjoy it as much if I read it again, so it just sits on my shelf, holding a special place in my memory. I read it as a young girl, and I want to remember it that way. So I'll rate it in my young girl's mind: 4 stars. And I won't read it again. Like, ever. Most likely. I might read it to my kids when I'm older or let my little sis read it, but I myself, will not read it again. It was magical at the time and I'll leave it at that.

[Beata Zwarycz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, just awful. Predictable and blah. One of those books that reads like a laundry list or a grocery list or something else equally dry and boring. But, this book is aimed at young girls and since I read it to a young girl, I decided to ask her for a review. So here it is:

"It was a good book. I really like how the author told the story and how the girl turned into a mermaid. And I really like how the mermaid can talk to the monster." She gave it five stars. Too bad she does not have her own goodreads account, and I do.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a promotional freebie, sent to my parents who then passed it on to my six-year-old daughter. Six eleven-year-old girls of diverse backgrounds and interests move to the same town at roughly the same time and become friends. One day they each recieve a mysterious little metal triangle engraved with an image, a different image for each girl. When put together, the pieces form a gateway into a Fantasy World Mark 1 (dragons, magical guardians, and native fairy folk edition). In this world, the six girls turn out to be princesses who are sent on a quest to restore magic to the land.

I should specify that my daughter loves this book. It has princesses and magic and a happy ending--it's made to appeal to her.

I don't love it.

It's got its redeeming features. The girls are saving the world and they do have to use their creativity and ingenuity to do it. They all have different talents, different interests, different personalities, different tolerances of the level of Total Weirdness they're going through, and it's never implied that any of them is any less important or admirable for her differences. It sets a lot of good social examples.

It's also poorly-plotted. The exposition is entirely transparent, no one seems too worried about when a spell gone wrong and causes a major delay despite the fact that this world is dying, like, any moment now, the only real antagonist is introduced in the eleventh hour but seems to have played a rather large role in the whole magic-disappearing issue, and the solution to the problem of restoring the Wellspring doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me. Then the whole thing is wrapped up in a way that worked for C.S. Lewis because he built up to it the right way and then handled the aftermath correctly, but felt more like handwaving away any potential complications here due to the lack of attention to any repercussions.

What really annoyed me, though, was the evident lack of simple proofreading. It's a novel, and that's long enough that there will be mistakes that get missed. I get that. I see typos in far better books than this and don't hold it against them, but... There were a lot here, enough that I don't feel like there's any excuse for it.

Good social examples. Bad literary examples. I've seen worse, but I'm not a fan.

[Hannah Young]

This book was very simple, but not boring. It is about six girls finding a door that leads to another world. The book is full of adventures and quests the girls have to complete together. When they complete all the quests they find out they are long-awaited princesses who have special powers they use to restore the magic of the secret world. My favorite part is the killer plants; it creates a creative image in my mind. I suggest this book to anyone looking for a quick read and adventure.

[RHTQ1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little book that's great for it's ideal audience. The magic elements are really sweet. Book two, The Emerald Dragon, is neat too; unfortunately, the other 4-books for an ideally 6-book series were never written. Certain mysteries are never solved, and we only hear the main stories of 2 of the six girls (one per book). Those who like this series will also enjoy the Princess Pirate series by Rose Lacey, which has a lot in common... but is unfortunately also incomplete.

[Heleena story · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was little 8-9 and it opened up the world of fantasy for me. I think about it often and in my mind is one of my favorite books, I am currently 20 and have not read the books in over 11 years. I’ve considered reading it again but there’s been books I’ve gone back to that just didn’t feel the same as it did the first time and I don’t wanna lose the magic and happiness I feel when I do think of this book, but as a little girl I loved it.

[Heididoodle · Rating 4 out of 5]

very, very ,very...

GOOD!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book all the time when I was a kid, and then I lost the book, but I found it just the other day, original cover and completely intact! I reread it, and I am so happy that I did! It is just as fun as it was when I was a kid, and I highly recommend this series!

[Julia Witmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was under 11. A friend had it, and when I saw what the story was about, I just had to read it.

Fast forward 10+ years later, and I had been searching tirelessly for this book (despite being unable to remember the title, book cover, characters names, or plot) since the day I moved overseas and decided to get rid of it at a yard sale (the worst mistake my 11-year-old self ever made). This day 10+ years later I went into a local used bookstore, headed to the children's section as I always do, and halfheartedly scanned the shelf for the book.

I gasped. Could that be it? That tiny spine hidden away among hundreds of others?

I removed it from the shelf, and all my lifelong dreams came true. It was the book! The famed book that inspired my writing career so heavily at the age of 8!

Obviously, I had to purchase it. I read it over the course of a few days (too many, but life is busy) and I can safely say I completely understand why little me was so obsessed with it.

Princesses? Magic powers? Sea serpents? Bears? IT'S EVERYTHING I COULD EVER DREAM OF.

8-year-old me gives this book a 10 out of 5 stars. Nothing can compare to the glory that is this book.

But what about 21-year-old me?

I have to admit, it's not the best book ever written. There are quite a few typos, the story is pretty "basic" from a plot perspective, and there's not a lot of super intense world building or anything, and the characters are fairly simple to make it easier to keep track of them.

But this is not The Lord of the Rings. This is a children's book.

It has some redeeming qualities. I think the basic concept (world is losing magic, girls must come restore it) is a cool concept. I think the author handles the large cast of characters fairly well considering how short the book is. And I think there's just a little bit of fairy dust sprinkled throughout the pages, perfectly hidden from the eyes of adults and impossible to miss in the eyes of young girls (or at least, young me).

This particular children's book happened to inspire my entire journey as a writer. While I was re-reading this I realized just how much I stole from this book as a child (don't worry; I no longer plagiarize, I promise).

The main character in the book I wrote right after reading this? Alison. One of the main characters of this book? Alysa. Both of their nicknames? Aly.

Character introductions at the beginning of 8-year-old-me's plagiarized story? Check! Writing style basically just this book, copy and pasted? Check!

I could go on. I mean, I knew I stole from The Secrets of Droon books, but this is just getting out of hand.

The fact of the matter is, this book is not made for grownups. Grownups cannot possibly grasp the magic that can be found within these pages. I know because I no longer grasp it the way that I did when I was little. How much of a tragedy is that?

The point of this long rant is this: will you, an adult, enjoy this book if you read it now? No. Will your daughter, probably around the age of 8-10, who loves fantasy stories, enjoy this book if you read it out loud to her or if she reads it herself? I think so. I certainly did.

I give this book 4/5 stars, because 8-year-old me gave it 10/5 and 21-year-old me gives it a 3/5, so that seems to be the best happy medium. If you stayed for this rant, bless you. I had a lot of fun writing it!

[Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

The wellspring of magic is about six girls Aly,Rachel,Rissa,Kaida,Shaylee,and Marshal who find a mysterious hole in there ancient clubhouse.They soon find out that there are millions of people who live down there.When the girls (accidentally)fall in the hole they meet an intelligent girl named Eithermous who claims that the only way for the girls to get back home is to fix the wellspring of magic(a very sacred fountain)!Will the girls make it home in time,and complete there mission,find out in the Wellspring of magic!

My opinion is that this book was absolutly HORRIBLE!I was completly lost in almost every single page it was 'HORRIFYING!'


I recomend this book to people with a sense of humor,negativity,and people who love simple horrible books.I think boys would be grossed out or uninterested in this book.

[Liana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super juvenile that may annoy even kids, but I see a lot of potential in this fantasy series. Hopefully the other books are blossoming with more creativity! ;)


EDIT:
WHAT?!?! They never published other books for this series?!?! You've got to be joking. They quit right here? I didn't think the book was THAT bad.

Hey, kiddos at home. Don't publish a series unless you actually make a series, and if your publisher gives you a hard time about your work, just self publish. :P

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When six neighbourhood girls open a door into a world beyond theirs, they are more than a little surprised to discover that, in this other world, they are all princesses, and they all possess remarkable powers. As they journey to heal the Wellspring of Magic, each girl unlocks her power, and discovers the talents they have that can mend this new found world.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written book for its target age range.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wellspring of Magic is one of those kids books that doesn’t try to be anything more than it is… which is admirable, but not very interesting. In this first installment to the Creative Girls Club series, Jan Fields provides some fun characters and positive messages for young girls looking to channel their creativity, but the book suffers from a thin plot, generic worldbuilding, and heavy-handed exposition. It’s a bland, run-of-the-mill magical-girl fantasy book, but it’s full of pretty visuals that little girls will like.

Six ordinary girls, each with unique talents and creativities, launch a special club in their new neighborhood’s park in Portal, Connecticut, but their normal crafting activities are interrupted when each girl receives a mysterious token in the mail. These tokens end up opening a portal in their clubhouse leading to a magical world where each of the six girls is a princess with a unique magic power. The girls are called upon to restore the Wellspring, which supplies the necessary magic to power the entire realm, and they set off on a journey to find the Wellspring and restore magic, as well as their portal home. Their journey is barred by constant obstacles and fearsome dangers, however, and the girls must call upon their innate creative powers to find their way to the Wellspring.

I randomly received Wellspring of Magic in the mail when I was twelve as part of a promotional magazine thing, and even though it never made it to the ranks of my favorite books, I always enjoyed the six girls’ interactions and their fun magical powers. It’s reminiscent of media like the Barbie movies and The Baby-Sitters Club book series, in that it features a club of girls (in Connecticut, too!), each with a distinct personality, who discover a magical alternate world where they are like magic princesses who have to save the world. I like the central idea: that creativity can open a door to a whole new world for young girls; this kind of transportive fantasy is always a metaphor, and in this case it’s a sweet, empowering tale for little girls to enjoy. It’s clear that this is a personal passion project for Fields herself, as she names the main character after her own daughter Rachel and includes a nice note of encouragement for girls who read the series.

Rachel Cohen is arguably the protagonist of this book (ideally this would have been a six-book series, with one story for each girl), an outdoorsy, animal-loving girl who learns that she is the Princess of the Guarded Forest but honestly doesn’t do much beyond that. Her twin sister Alysa (Aly) is obsessed with gardens, plants, and painting, which makes her a natural fit for her role as the Princess of the Earth, capable of communicating with and maneuvering plants. Marisol Marquez, who is obsessed with jewelry and swimming, revels in her new identity as the Princess of the Living Waters, and her adventures as a mermaid with a pet river dragon are among the more remarkable in this book. Sporty Kaida Jordan is one of the leaders of the group and the second-most outspoken girl, able as the Princess of the Bright Sky to channel light, fire, and heat. Shaylee Ballard, the youngest of the six girls, is a hyper-girlish ballerina who discovers that she is the Princess of the Folk, while color-obsessed Larissa “Rissa” Delany (by far the most memorable and outspoken girl in the group) struggles with mastering her abilities as the Princess of Spellcraft. A few unremarkable side characters appear here and there — Eidermoss, Stripe, Spindlethorne, and Hearth — and the bear-like Guardians are also present.

Once the girls get into the magical realm, there are plenty of obstacles for them to face, some of which are life-threatening. They are escorted through a dark forest, blocked from entering the Garden of the Wellspring, and accidentally deposited in a mud bog by Rissa’s spell gone wrong. They get a brief chapter of respite in the village of the Mud Shapers Folk, who give them the quintessential pretty dresses and present each girl with a specially-crafted bead (I always loved those descriptions). Their escapades on the raging river, facing off with a curious river dragon, are entertaining but have little to do with the plot (though it does highlight another potentially dangerous magic power, since Marisol nearly drowns the rest of the girls in her enthusiasm to join the mermaids). The sequence in the Guarded Forest featuring hostile, parasitic vegetation under the influence of dark magic is equally interesting. The final faceoff happens in the Garden of the Wellspring, which has been purposely covered in webs spun by talking, shapeshifting spiders (giant yikes) who are later revealed to be Spellmasters in disguise ushering in a new era of dark magic (not a bad touch).

Obviously, Wellspring of Magic is not the Citizen Kane of childhood literature, but it’s cute and fun and sparkly and all the things a kids chosen-one storyline should be. Fields introduces us to each of the six girls (who range from ten to twelve years old) via a reusable first-person bio page for each before launching into a third-person narrative. The dialogue is honestly not bad at all for this kind of book: the girls’ constant bickering gets a little annoying, but it’s funny in places and never mean-spirited. It’s a 120-page book, so of course there’s not much room for plot or character development, but Fields does the best she can with what she has. The girls struggle with frustration, homesickness, and self-doubt but get encouragement and kindness from most of the people they meet. It’s nice that each of the six girls is equally important in attaining their goal and gets pretty much equal attention from the author, and it’s nice that when each girl gets her special bead, she gets a unique blessing and warning concerning her magic powers.

Wellspring of Magic also has some… not great aspects as well. Ryan Durney’s black-and-white illustrations (which seem vaguely computer rendered) are really weird. While the emphasis on personal creativity is nice, Fields doesn’t incorporate any other themes or depth, so the storyline is pretty bland. The worldbuilding is super generic and sloppy, and a lot of things are left conveniently ambiguous by the characters and the author herself. The final solution to the problem — with each girl channeling her unique magic to free the Wellspring from its binding — is ridiculously easy and just not logical. There’s also a weird subplot featuring Rachel being able to telepathically communicate with the Guardians in bear form, and after Rachel spends the entire book riding around on Fleet, the leader of the Guardians, he turns out to be a cute guy her age who was just trapped in bear form and who has a crush on her. It’s awkward.

Unfortunately, since The Emerald Dragon is the only other book in the Creative Girls Club series, we never get any answers to some of the questions Wellspring of Magic leaves open, such as where the magic tokens came from, why the girls’ families were compelled to move to the neighborhood, and their relationship with the other realm (Fields makes it clear that these things are not just coincidences). Fields implies that there is more of the realm to be explored in later books — we meet the Meadow Folk and the Mud Shapers Folk, but we only hear about the Sea-goers and the Spellmasters. It’s nice that the girls have more unique powers than just “plants” and “water,” as each seems to be specifically tied to an important place or facet of this magical realm (which is never given a name). The book ends with the girls being allowed to travel back and forth between worlds anytime they want, which presumably is how the rest of their adventures would have begun.

Jan Fields never completed this series, so we’ll never know the rest. Wellspring of Magic is as generic and silly as you might expect, but it’s also good-hearted, entertaining, and full of stuff that little girls will find relatable and fun. You can’t go wrong with a magical realm and six girls who each have their own color-coded gowns and magic powers.

[Braylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when six ordinary girls accidentally open a secret door into another world? It doesn't take long for adventure--and danger--to find them. Their quest brings them face-to-face with gigantic grizzly bears claiming to be guardians and protectors, green-skinned folks offering magic and help, a scaly river dragon, killer plants and monster-sized spiders--things none of the girls expected to face in their summer adventures! And to top it off, they are supposedly the long-awaited princesses who have to use their special powers to restore the magic in order to get home. Will they master their new powers in time to turn back the dark forces that want to trap them forever?

I really liked this book. The charachters in the book were fantastic, and they had alot of obsicals to face, and thats what makes this book so interesting and fun. I would recommend this book to someone who loves a good mystery book or a good fantacy book.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This was a really, really bad book! Don't get me wrong. I was reading it to check content appropriate for my little niece, and she may end up liking it just fine, but as an adult reader, I found this horrid. Badly written, with flat-as-a-pancake, stereotypical characters and a plot that uses a whole lot of words to go absolutely nowhere logical, this was a painful read. But at least it was short. And the content was appropriate for younger readers, so there's that. I'll send it on to my niece and hope she enjoys it. Certainly isn't as good as the Deltora books, though...

Content Advisory: magic, scary situations, mention of divorce in a character bio, really, REALLY bad writing...oh, wait. That's the advisory for the adult readers...

[Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was extremely interesting and made me keep turning the page to find out what was going to happen next. The only thing that I wish would have changed was that I wanted was for Shaylee to have a bigger part in the book and for all of the girls get to meet the people they rule. That would have been cool. Other than that the book was perfect.

[Lace · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been years since I read this book. I’m pretty sure I was about 8/9/10 when I first read it but I remember how much I adored it. Now, I probably wouldn’t be as into it, but I can’t tell you how much joy and happiness this book brought me when I first read it. So, definitely one for the bookshelf for nostalgia.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes me wonder if we do a disservice to young readers by saying, as an adult I didn't like it at all, but it's probably good for young readers. Don't do it! I started reading the Newbery winners as an adult and found them quite engaging. Not this book, which needed to be longer with a bit of character development and some real consequences for making mistakes.

[Carmen Crisler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was sent to my family in the mail when I was little and I remember reading it until the pages fell out and acting it out in my grandparents' backyard. So it's obviously not a good book and was clearly written as a promotion for a craft store, but it was fun to remember how much I used to love it.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my six year old. She loved it and the five star rating comes from her. I'd go with more of a three. Predictable, but engaging and kept moving along. I enjoyed reading it to her. I agree with another reviewer that the girls aren't "princesses," they're really witches!

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much better than the Rainbow Magic Fairy books my 8 year old has loved for years. I can definitely see why she loved this book so much, and I wish there were lots more for her. *Maybe* I can talk her into trying Fablehaven or Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic books...

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I wasn't a fan, but the kids enjoyed it. The concept was wonderful, but a lot of the follow-through didn't make sense. There were also a lot of spelling and grammatical errors. However, the story definitely had potential.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely loved this book as a kid. I like groups of kids going on adventures, especially when they all have some special things. Like the tokens and their princess roles. The writing wasn’t fabulous and the girls were kind of cliche, but the plot was quite good!

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book about 8 or 9 years ago so I don’t really remember much but all I know is that I did like it a lot and the fantasy and friendship aspects of it were great,, I would give higher stars if I remembered more of the book because I’m sure it deserves it but I don’t remember !!

[Madeleine Cerone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book as a kid and I have been waiting indefinitely for the next one! Lol! I think this book would have made it big if some big publishing company had produced it. I’m sorry Jan fields.

[Reet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this (as an adult) even though it is a children's book. The girls and their one new friend have fabulously detailed characteristics and each person is unique. There are lots of interesting lessons hidden within the adventures they experience. Good writing!

[Clover · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about these girls that get a mysterious package at each and every one of there door steps that leads to a whole new world.

I really like how it stops at a to be continued part at every chapter it just makes you want to keep reading and reading and reading until the end of the book.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. With all the fairies. Then bears that turned out to be guardian's. It's definitely a book for creative minds. It does remind me of the Magic Tree House series. But the fact that each girl has to bring there own stone to the club house in order to go on an Adventure.

[Lindsay Antikainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

harper asked me to read this one because it is a special book for her. cute story, great message about using individual strengths to work together as a team.