Thrump-O-Moto

An Australian girl, Patricia, who was sick when she was a child and can't walk, meets Thrump-O-moto, a wizard-in-training from Japan. He takes her with him to his mother, Ka-chan. Patricia starts to use a walking stick instead of her crutches. They visit Grandfather Ten, who suggests that the way to cure Patricia permanently is for her to have Essence of Sunset Primroses, only available in England. Thrump-O-moto and Patricia there meet a leprechaun-like wizard who helps them, but they also battle Muldoona, Hag Queen of the Forest, and prevail. Patricia returns to Australia; because of the special timespan of the wizards' world, she's back by tea-time. Her father thinks she's been dreaming, until she gets up and walks. This is a well-intentioned but disappointing tale from the master storyteller. It's overlong and lacking in originality. Characters speak stiffly, forget spells when they need them and then conveniently remember them moments later. While readers may enjoy the elaborate pictures, filled with exotic details, the spreads are occasionally out-of-sync with the facts in the story. (All ages)