Freddy and Margewich
by Adena Trevor
Xlibris


"At last she came to a steep cliff. She was so angry, she threw the sack over the cliff, lost her balance and slipped over the cliff herself."

Margewich had had a terrible day. She had heard stories of Freddy and smelled his “delishomposhus” pancakes, and her desire to have some of the fluffy, golden brown marvels had become so overpowering that she had to have some. It should have been so easy to slip the boy in her sack, carry him back to her dark forest lair, and then force him to make as many pancakes as she wanted. But the lad was tricky, and with the help of some sympathetic do-gooders he had foiled her plans. Thoroughly beaten, she swore never to return, and so ended the story the author remembered from her childhood. Yet was that truly all of the tale? 

In her delightful retelling of Freddy’s adventure Trevor decides to dig deeper into the life of Margewich by including a sequel. Here we meet Margewich as a young orphan who is rescued by the native people of the woods. She learns their ways and how to use the plants of the forest for food and medicine. However, she is shunned by the people of the towns and villages, and when the ones who raised her eventually move on she is left all alone except for a small kitten which she adopts. Time passes and one day Margewich succumbs to her pancake temptation, but after briefly summarizing this incident Trevor brings the narrative to a much happier ending than in the original.

By taking the time to tell Margewich’s story the author converts her character into a much more sympathetic figure. Rather than remaining a simplistic vignette where a wicked witch gets what is coming to her, the tale is transformed into one of forgiveness and acceptance. Charmingly illustrated by the author’s granddaughter, Margewich’s adventures make for enjoyable, well-told reading.

RECOMMENDED by the US REVIEW

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