Wishing Moon

Children's Literature

The genie from Aladdin's lamp has a new owner, and her wishes tax his demon magic like never before. The fortunes of Aminah, a young orphan barely surviving on the streets of the Arabian city Al-Kal'as are changed forever when a tarnished lamp lands with a painful thump on her head. But even after her life improves dramatically, Aminah cannot seem to find happiness until she discovers a way to help the suffering poor around her. With the three wishes allowed on each full moon, Aminah has an opportunity to make a difference to the downtrodden. Together with the jinn, she equips carefully- chosen individuals with supernatural powers to multiply their unselfish services to others. This clever continuation of the famed lamp's story is one that will appeal to the kindness in every reader. It is amusing, imaginative and full of charming adventure and somewhat familiar fantasy. "Standing before her was a fearsome man so wide his shoulders touched the walls on both sides of the alley and so tall he could peer above the buildings. He was wreathed in a throbbing purple light." This slave, although frightening, will be tamed with kindness—a surprising fact that takes both Jinni and Aminah on a journey of friendship, love and courage. At times silly, but never boring, the creative problem-solving ploys are satisfying and fun. This entertaining novel may well become a new classic for young readers. 2004, Dutton Children's Books, Ages 8 to 12.
—Francine Thomas

KLIATT

This book, set in the Moslem world, returns to the classic story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, to tell what might happen after Aladdin loses possession of the lamp. The main character is a young woman, Aminah, forced to live as a beggar on the streets after her parents die. She is desperate, so imagine how her life changes when by chance she comes into possession of the lamp with the genie trapped inside, the genie who must honor her three wishes each month as the full moon appears. Aladdin's princess knows she has lost the magic lamp to a beggar girl, and her merciless pursuit of Aminah is what provides the suspense of the story. Aminah must use her wits to hide her identity and her sudden wealth, trusting only a few to know her secret. How she purchases a home, horses, clothes, and loyal servants, and uses the magic lamp to help other beggars, provides the meat of the plot. A wonderfully realized sub-plot is Aminah's growing relationship with the genie, a grumpy, selfish being who slowly is won over by Aminah's goodness. The desert, the bazaars, the narrow streets are described vividly by Tunnell, to make an exotic story for YAs. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dutton, 266p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Claire Rosser

VOYA

Aminah is literally knocked over by Aladdin's lamp, and she has the moon-shaped scar on her forehead to prove it. Once she discovers the power that she now possesses, she bickers with her jinni (who is no Barbara Eden) and comes to the conclusion that she wants to use the three wishes given to her per moon cycle to help people. First she takes care of her monetary needs, and then she enlists the jinni's help in finding people who need her help. After assisting a tailor with his business, she sets her wishing abilities on a baker who feeds the poor with his bread, leaving virtually nothing to sell to make money. Soon Aminah has fallen in love with the baker, which causes her trouble with the people with whom she shares a house—people she has come to know as her family—and with her rather obstinate jinni. What will happen when the spoiled princess who threw the old lamp at Aminah finds her and takes the lamp back? Will all of Aminah's good deeds evaporate? Tunnell rewrites the Aladdin's lamp tale with a public service twist, making Aminah an Arabic Robin Hood. The interplay between her and her jinni adds a great deal of humor to the story, almost pushing it into the realm of Monty Python hilarity. There is the standard love story, the love of friends to create a family unit, and enough magic to fill everyone's money chest. Readers who enjoy rewritten tales will be drawn to this one, and Tunnell's humor will keep the reader laughing throughout Aminah's campaign to help those less fortunate. VOYA Codes 4Q 3P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004,Dutton, 272p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Lynn Evarts

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-In this expansion of a story from the "Arabian Nights," Tunnell tells how Aminah, who has been struggling to survive after the death of her parents, comes to be hit on the head by Aladdin's lamp. Near starvation, the 14-year-old goes to the Sultan's palace to ask his daughter, who is Aladdin's wife, for help. Annoyed at being approached by a beggar, Princess Badr throws the dented old lamp at Aminah without realizing its worth. Before long, the girl figures out how to summon the jinni and uses her newfound powers to improve her own lot and the world around her. Aminah is perspicacious enough to determine the rules of the jinni's magic and work them to her advantage, but her naivet causes her to miscalculate the impact her new riches will have on others. Moreover, Princess Badr has come to understand the lamp's value and is exerting her influence to get it back, which puts Aminah in constant peril. Add a love story and a jealous would-be lover to the mix and all the requirements of a satisfying fairy-tale elaboration are satisfied. While not as well written as, say, Robin McKinley's Beauty (HarperCollins, 1978) or Spindle's End (Putnam, 2000), this novel is fast-moving and suspenseful enough to hold readers' interest.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

starred review

In this captivating original sequel to Aladdin, the genie gets a real workout when its lamp falls into the hands of an orphaned street child. Fourteen-year-old Aminah's bleak future takes a wild turn for the better when an old lamp sails out of the palace window and hits her on the head. But rather than use her wishes to live in splendor or to punish enemies, Aminah flummoxes the genie by searching out decent-hearted people engaged in helping the poor and endowing them with magical abilities. Predictably, the petulant, mercurial genie-who tends to show anger by spitting snakes, or blowing up its own head-steals the show, but Aminah puts in a sturdy performance too, as an idealistic but not entirely naive do-gooder with a temper of her own, and plenty of gumption. Modern sounding dialogue-"I wish you'd settle down!"-and the genie's breezily cryptic references to pizza, New York, and other items from Aminah's future give the tale a contemporary tone without spoiling the Arabian Nights flavor. Tunnell adds suspense with a subplot involving the efforts of Aladdin's evil wife to recover the lamp, and closes with a perfectly executed twist. (Fiction. 11-15)