Wishing Moon facts for kids
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| Author | Michael O. Tunnell |
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| Cover artist | Jo Tronc |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Dutton Children's Books |
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Publication date
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3 June 2004 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 266 pp |
| ISBN | 0-525-47193-6 |
Wishing Moon is an exciting fantasy book for kids by Michael O. Tunnell. It's like a modern take on classic Arabian tales, full of magic and adventure! The story was published in New York in 2004 by Dutton Children's Books. There's even a sequel called Moon Without Magic if you enjoy this one!
Contents
What's the Story About?
Wishing Moon tells the story of Aminah Barnes. She's an orphan who lives on the streets. One day, a princess accidentally throws Aladdin's magical lamp to her. This happens after Aladdin has married the princess.
Aminah finds the lamp and discovers a powerful genie inside. She starts to learn how to use the lamp's magic. At the same time, she begins her own journey of growing up. She also tries to stay hidden from the spoiled Princess Badr Al-Budur. The princess wants her lost lamp back very badly.
After Aminah becomes a bit richer, she decides to help others. But she only helps people who are also kind and helpful themselves. Soon, her good deeds get noticed. This draws the unwanted attention of Princess Badr Al-Budur.
Meet the Characters
Aminah Barnes
Aminah is the main character. She is an orphaned beggar in the city of Al-Kal'as. She hopes to get help from the princess. Instead, she gets hit on the head with the genie's lamp!
Aminah grew up in a comfortable family before she became an orphan. Because of this, she treats the genie with kindness. This makes the genie start to like her. With some money, she buys a house. She hires Idris as a helper and Barra as a cook.
Aminah wishes for the power to travel through time and space. This helps her fulfill a dream she shared with her father. She wants to help the poor. But she learns that giving too much can cause problems. So, she gets a special orb. This orb helps her find the best people to help.
She uses her powers to help a tailor named Ahab. He is a foster father to thirteen children. She also helps a kind baker named Hassan. Eventually, she has to rescue Hassan from the princess's prison. She then plans to escape Al-Kal'as. During the book, she uses different names. She is even revealed to be Cinderella's fairy godmother!
Princess Badr Al-Budur
Princess Badr Al-Budur is the Sultan's spoiled daughter. Her name means 'full moon of full moons' because she is very beautiful. She is also very ambitious.
She plans with her guard captain, Saladin, to get rid of Aladdin. She wants to use the genie to take over the kingdom. But she has trouble finding Aminah. This is because she thinks Aminah is just a simple beggar girl.
Jinni (The Genie)
The Jinni is the genie from Aladdin's bottle. At first, he doesn't like Aminah or humans at all. But he starts to soften towards Aminah. She does things no other master has done. For example, she accepts his rules for wishing. She even offers him food.
To play chess with Aminah, he takes on a human form. He calls himself Uncle Omar. He looks a lot like Aminah's father. Over time, he becomes like a father figure to Aminah. He even warns Hassan not to hurt Aminah.
With Aminah's help, Jinni learns he was once a human named Gindar. He was a tough landlord who only loved his sister. Aminah offers to go back in time to stop him from becoming a genie. But he says no. He worries about changing the past and causing problems. Even though he's like a father to Aminah, he likes to confuse her. He often talks about future things like pizza or New York City!
Hassan
Hassan is a handsome orphan. He is the son of a merchant. Aminah first meets him outside the city. He is traveling with a group to pay off his father's debt. Aminah doesn't see him again until she uses her orb. She finds him in his bakery.
Hassan used his small amount of money to open a bakery. But instead of selling bread, he gives it all away to beggars. This makes him very poor. Aminah uses wishes to help him. She gives him jars that fill with ingredients. She also gives him the power to heat ovens instantly. She even gives him baking knowledge from the future! With this, he makes new treats like angel food cake.
Aminah always trusts Hassan. They start to meet secretly at the bakery after dark. Everyone in Aminah's house soon finds out about them. Hassan's old travel friend, Rashid, tells the princess about him. Hassan is captured and questioned harshly. But he doesn't tell them anything about Aminah. After Aminah rescues him, Jinni sends him to Tyre inside his special pots.
Idris
Aminah first meets Idris in a marketplace. She uses him to trick the palace guards. Idris offers to help her, but she says no. She meets him again at a horse market. At first, she keeps him around so she doesn't look like she's alone. But he is very good at finding things to sell.
Idris starts to have feelings for Aminah. But she doesn't feel the same way. He then starts to stay away from the house. He also stays behind when the others move to Tyre. It is suggested that he becomes a traveling storyteller later.
Barra
Barra comes to Aminah's house to be her cook. Aminah always trusts Barra. Barra becomes like a mother figure to Aminah. She is attracted to Jinni. But she doesn't want anything to do with magic or demons. Aminah wishes for Barra to live long enough to see her great-grandchildren. This saves Barra's life when a guard tries to hurt her.
How Magic Works
The genie and magic objects have some special rules. Especially when they are used in new ways. When Jinni uses his magic for good, unselfish reasons, he often needs to rest for days. But he gets better faster over time.
The orb Aminah uses first gives her a headache and a rash. But these also get less severe the more she uses it. The Jinni also has a set of rules he must follow. Here are some of the important ones:
- The person with the lamp can make three wishes after each full moon. They can make these wishes anytime until the next full moon. Then, the wishes reset.
- A maximum of three people can own the lamp each month. Each new owner gets three wishes.
- Genies cannot change the whole world. But they can change specific events, things, or people. This can be in the past, present, or future.
- The lamp's owner cannot wish for more wishes. They also cannot wish to never lose the lamp. They cannot make wishes for the genie himself.
- A genie can move a group of similar people or things with one wish. But a genie cannot move a mixed group of different objects. However, he can move the contents of a container along with the container.
- This is why Hassan had to be inside one of the magic pots to be moved with them.
