The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas

The Seven Tales of Trinket Reviews

• 
  Kristina

  This lyrical, elegant, and unique story provided a wonderful journey over hills and along sea-coasts, encountering fortune-tellers, ghosts, pookahs, faeries, and even a wonderfully kind gravedigger! There were beautifully loyal friends and fallible heroes and I enjoyed every bit of the tale. Ultimately, the threaded folklore wove a colorful backdrop to the core theme of growing up and forgiveness. It was a lovely adventure.
• 
  Heidi

  Perfect for the young (or young at heart) who hold within them the love for a good story. Shelley Moore Thomas’ The Seven Tales of Trinket is the tale of a journey and the makings of a story lass. After the sad death of her mother, Trinket is set on striking out to find her father who disappeared from their lives years previously. Her father, James the Bard, was known throughout the land as a handsome and talented bard, who played the harp splendidly and had hundreds of tales for the telling to earn himself a living. Trinket knows not what fate befell him, and is unsure of what she hopes to find. She fears her father the victim of some terrible fate, or even death, because what else could keep a man from returning to the family he so loved?
  
  Trinket is a brave and determined girl, setting off with few supplies and her friend Thomas the pig boy, with only an old map of her father’s to guide them:
  
  
  
  Yay maps! Along it you can trace the path that Thomas and Trinket take to find her father’s fate, and possibly her own. Trinket has always harbored the secret desire to follow in her father’s footsteps, and is practically handed the means to do so throughout her journey. Encouraged to find and perfect tales, Trinket sets her mind to gathering seven so that she could stay in a village for a week, telling a different tale each night and earning her livelihood.
  
  I loved Shelley Moore Thomas’ breakdown of Celtic folklore in this book, utilizing gypsies, seers, selkies, banshees, the fey, ghosts, pookas, princes and dogs. Each tale that Trinket gathers and experiences was inspired by traditional lore, and crafted in such a way as to make it unique to Trinket’s experience. Trinket doesn’t tell the stories, she lives them, and as such becomes a stronger story teller.
  
  Unlike many folkloric tales, there doesn’t seem to be much to learn from Trinket’s experiences, which is okay. Sometimes a story is just a story, and sometimes the experience really is more valuable than the outcome. The Seven Tales of Trinket was rather predictable for me as an adult, but I do not feel it would be for the proper age range (recommended for children 8-12). In the manner of the story, I felt as if all of the journey and adventure was being recounted to me at a later time by someone who’d experienced it, rather than me feeling as if I were experiencing things at Trinket’s side. For me, this resulted in a somewhat disjointed feeling, as I feel like this book was attempting to marry those two experiences and fell short in doing so.
  
  Perfectly enjoyable, and an incredibly quick read (I realize it’s nearly 400 pages, but considering the amount of white space and the fact that this is an oddly shaped book–which I love!–it can be read in a couple of hours), but I didn’t completely fall for Trinket’s tale. I would certainly keep this book in mind to recommend to the right child, and if I don’t feel it was amazing, I did feel my time was well spent consuming it.
  
  Original review posted at
  Bunbury in the Stacks.
• 
  Jon

  
  Check out Scott Reads It! for reviews, giveaways, & more!
  
  Ever so often, I read a book that is absolutely wonderful; a book that makes me want to climb a mountain and shout at the top of my lungs how much I loved it! The Seven Tales Of Trinket is one of those books and it's truly a literary gem. It's no surprise it was Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2012.and that it received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Despite all of this book's accolades, I was surprised to see that this book has relatively few reviews on Goodreads and most of my friends. This book definitely deserves more hype because it is a perfect fantasy read for people of all ages.
  
  The Seven Tales Of Trinket is a wonderfully written anthem to the literary word and all those who cherish it. This book is absolutely perfect for bibliophiles whose urge to read is basically insurmountable. You know who you are! This may be a middle-grade title, but there is definitely cross-over appeal for this title. This is a book that parents can read to their children or enjoy on their own; it's nearly impossible not to fall in love with Trinket's journey.
  
  The Seven Tales Of Trinket delivers in all the right ways: providing the reader with laughs, heartfelt moments of joys, and tear jerking scenes. This is a tale that is deep and poignant, but at the same time, Trinket is loads of fun. Shelley Moore Thomas has crafted a tale that now holds a special place in my heart and I will cherish this story for years to come.
  
  The Seven Tales Of Trinket has a genuine ole fashioned feel it, yet it was such a refreshing and original read. Right from the first few chapters, I was hooked and completely immersed. In so few pages, Thomas accomplishes so much what many authors never manages to do. Thomas creates such likeable, faulted characters that the reader can't help but love. These characters are extremely realistic; Trinket and Thomas are the types of characters that reader will be able to empathize and connect with.
  
  Shelley Moore Thomas's Middle-Grade debut deserves an incalculable amount of praise. This book quickly became one of all-time favorite middle-grade books and I definitely could imagine myself re-reading this one day to my kids. I can't praise and gloat over this book enough. The Seven Tales Of Trinket is one of the best books I've read this year, I really wish I had picked it up sooner!
• 
  Ilana Waters

  Definitely a unique and original book that combines old-world storytelling with a modern heroine's gumption. I'm a big fan of the sly humor, and the sparse (yet elegant) prose. I also loved the way the author broke up certain paragraphs by putting them on a single line--very impactful. The interactions with Thomas the Pig Boy provided the perfect amount of comic relief. The continuity of themes, motifs, and certain characters was masterful.
  
  But the constant scene breaks seemed to make the prose unnecessarily choppy. And although there were a few laugh-out-loud moments, many parts of the book were very dark and sad. But that's the way middle-grade fiction seems to trend these days.
  
  I'd say this is for the mature middle-grader, since, at times, Trinket's voice seems much older than her years. And though ending drags a bit, it's definitely worth it to read to the last page!
  
• 
  Sophia

  I really liked this book. I got it from the library not really knowing what to expect. After reading the first few pages I got pulled into the story, it was almost like watching a movie. You could see the pictures in your head.
• 
  Emily Masters

  I would have given this one five stars if it hadn’t been for the oh-so-predictable ending. I do love a good cliche and happy ending but this one was just a little too much.
• 
  Morgan

  I think I may have fallen in love with The Seven Tales of Trinket, something I did not expect to do! The language throughout the seven tales is lovely, and it's easy, throughout the start and end of the book, to get caught up in the magical happenings.
  
  I followed Trinket as she journeyed away from her life as a semi-orphaned lonely soul with only the company of a Pig Boy, to a Story Lass with the confidance to enthrall an audience with her harp and recognizes family in her companion, Thomas.
  
  Above all, the folklore that this book presents is fun and fantastic. I enjoyed the author's notes about the legends behind the tales, and how she was able to put her own twist on each one.
  
  At this point, nothing would make me happier than to see this book end up being considered for the Newbery. It's worthy of the debate and discussion, more so than some of the other titles I've encountered this year.
• 
  Nilsson

  The most interesting character was surely the father. Anyone who can tell a good story is usually a person to be credited.
  
  Fairies are tricky, and I'm glad they were successfully evaded.
  
  There's a lot of things to be remembered in this book, that might be useful if you run into some of the situations. It might be good to keep as a handbook, or somewhere close like on your mantle if you've got one. Good job I've got a copy, I've finally just recollected the pages of this book that were thrown around the woods behind my house. I'm tired of my brothers ripping up my books! To that end, I'm glad to finally say a few words on it!
  
• 
  Stephanie Thornton

  The Seven Tales of Trinket is a truly magical story of seven fairy tales, told through the eyes of young Trinket as she searches for her father. My daughter loved Trinket and I got a kick out of Thomas the Pig Boy. The tales were wonderfully woven together and really made me look forward to reading to my daughter at bedtime. She loved this book so much I'm pretty sure she'll end up re-reading it to herself very soon!
• 
  Cinnamon OP

  Mi niña interior lo disfrutó con alegría, cuando lo leía senti calma y mi imaginación se desbordó. Es una historia bonita y conmovedora, con lecciones distintas entrecruzadas que la convierten en un libro encantador que deja una huella de fantasía en tu mente, te recuerda que la imaginación es indispensable para una mente sana. No menciono nada de la trama, porque mencionar arruina el encanto, así como describir un lugar que fuera secreto. Ampliamente recomendado
• 
  Emily

  I like the obvious Celtic Folktale research.
• 
  Tess Hilmo

  This has been in my TBR pile for too long - and I don't know why it took me so long to get to it but I adored it. A really wonderful middle grade read.
• 
  Liss Carmody

  Pretty good middle-elementary novel drawing heavily on Celtic folklore. Like a lot of folklore-inspired stories, I felt that the plot elements were stronger than the characterization, but the plots were involved enough to be interesting and touched on important life lessons, like that one should absolutely never trust the fae. It captured my fourth-grader's attention and interest better than many of the books we've read.
  
  Others have mentioned and I completely agree that it's disappointing to see a children's book of such modern provenance still using the slur 'Gypsy' uncritically. This is something I expect to encounter in literature and film from before 2000, but this book was published in 2012 and it's disheartening to find that apparently we're still casually racializing and glamourizing the Roma people. My kid and I read this book together as part of her Torchlight curriculum work and we used the opportunity to discuss Roma culture and the history of the slur 'gypsy' as well as why it's not an appropriate word to use, but this certainly seems like something the author should have been aware of as well.
• 
  SBC

  This young adult fantasy (on the lower end of the age range) is a light, pleasant read. The structure, based around key events in Trinket's journey to find her father and gather interesting tales, is episodic, and consequently, I found myself losing the interest and the impetus to read on at certain points, even though the characters are interesting and the writing sound.
  
  The story begins with Trinket's mother on her deathbed, wishing she knew what became of her handsome love, James the Bard, who left one day intending to return, but never did. Trinket has inherited her father's love of storytelling and music, and follows in his footsteps, searching for him, and exploring the possibility of becoming a story lass herself. Thomas the Pig Boy, her good friend and pseudo-brother since childhood, accompanies her on this journey, and together they have adventures, which Trinket will work into tales and songs for her storytelling career.
  
  Expect to meet fortune-telling gypsies, selkies, the faery queen, banshees, ghosts, and pooka, and learn with Trinket what became of her father.
• 
  Baran

  This is entirely my own fault because I knew the book had racial slurs in it from the beginning. It's right there in the synopsis on the cover. But the plot sounded interesting and I thought maybe the racial slurs wouldn't be too much. I was wrong.
  
  The first tale of the book is just strewn with racial slurs. It is also heavy with very negative stereotypes about the Romani people. I thought if I could get through the first tale, it would be ok, but it still peppered the racial slurs in randomly.
  
  On top of having racial slurs and stereotypes, the book just wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be. It was pretty serious all the way through and then the last tale reframed all the previous tales in a way that made them even more grim. Even though it did end on a note of hope, it wasn't enough to overcome the rest of the darkness for me, personally.
  
  I probably would have still thought it was ok, because it was at least interesting, if not for all the racial slurs.
• 
  Iris

  This lovely, whimsical book is a must read for any fan of Celtic lore. A lifelong fan of folk & fairy tales, I’ve always found Irish stories to be the most enchanting. In this book you’ll meet with selkies, fairies, a banshee, and a pooka — all classic favorites with interesting new features. Trinket herself is a wonderful character full of moxie and the other female characters are determined, brave, and independent — in other words, no belittling of women here! My daughter & I were both swept away by the magic of this book. A real treasure!
• 
  Julie

  An endearing coming of age tale about a girl and her best friend on a quest to find out what happened to her father. After her mother dies, Trinket decides to follow a map her father made to find him, or the truth about what happened when he disappeared 5 years ago. She ends up finding so much more with the help of her loyal friend, Thomas the pig boy.
• 
  Ben

  This is a very nice, successful derivation of some classic characters from Celtic lore. I didn't want the Old Burned Man to have a connection to Trinket, but the way the author brought it about was well done. The character of Feather was a good way to start off the series of tales, and set the tone for what was to follow. Finn was another favorite canine character.
• 
  dot ♡

  I read this book a few years ago (about 4 or 5) , and I want to read it again soon. This book has stayed in my mind for quite a few years, something not every book can do. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads children's literature, likes fantasy and mythology, and a touch of magic.
• 
  Susan

  This was my book I saw someone reading in public. It would be an excellent book for my Granddaughters to read or have read to them. I enjoyed her adventures.
• 
  Timbra

  Such a well crafted, heartfelt series of adventures.
• 
  Shirin Stara

  It is very amazing.I think this is a good book for the young and adventurous souls.It is fantasy and adventure i had to rate it 5 stars👍👍👍
• 
  Rebecca

  I liked the story telling aspect of this one, and how the short stories all tie together. My kids aren't super interested, yet.
• 
  Twyla

  My favorite part was when Trinket's father had been found. My least favorite part was when Thomas almost died because of a wolf.
• 
  T

  One of the very best books I have ever read.
  I'm considering in getting a copy.
  Totally recommend this to everyone.
  :)
• 
  Ruiqi Reed

  This book was so fun! Very fun, distinctly Irish adventure.
• 
  Shelly

  My daughter's absolute favorite book. Keeps her wanting to read!