Published in 1983, The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree is a children’s fantasy novel by American author Bill Brittain. The book, which received a Newbery Honor in 1984, is the second of four standalone stories set in the fictional New England village of Coven Tree, where stories of witches and magic are part of the town’s identity. The story begins when a mysterious man named Thaddeus Blinn arrives at the annual Church Social and sells wish-granting cards to three children, each hoping to solve a different problem through magic. When their desires for popularity, romance, and an end to hardship are granted in unexpected yet literal ways, the children must grapple with the unforeseen consequences of their actions.

The novel is a cautionary tale built around the idea that wishes granted exactly as requested can have unexpected consequences. The three interconnected stories explore Kindness as a Measure of Character, The Difference Between What People Want and What They Need, and The Power of Helping Others as Polly, Rowena, and Adam learn that magic can’t solve their problems in the ways they expect. Each wish forces the children to confront the gap between their expectations and reality, leading them to better understand themselves and the people around them. The novel concludes by showing that compassion, friendship, and selfless action help overcome the problems created by the wishes. Brittain’s story keeps its focus on Coven Tree’s small-town life while allowing strange magical events to interrupt ordinary routines.

This guide refers to the 2019 revised paperback edition published by HarperCollins Publishers.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of death, graphic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and bullying.

Plot Summary

In the New England village of Coven Tree, a village with a long tradition of stories about witches and magic, the annual Church Social brings a mysterious visitor. The narrator, Stewart “Stew Meat” Meade, who owns the Coven Tree General Store, comes across a ragged tent run by a man in a white suit named Thaddeus Blinn. Blinn’s sign promises that he can give people whatever they ask for, for only 50 cents. Inside, Stew Meat joins three local youths: 11-year-old Polly Kemp, known for her blunt remarks; 15-year-old Rowena Jervis, who’s infatuated with a traveling salesman; and 16-year-old Adam Fiske, whose family struggles to survive on the driest farm in the county. Blinn sells each of the four a white card marked with a red spot and instructs them that to make a single wish come true, they must press a thumb to the spot and speak their desire aloud. After collecting their money, Blinn disappears, leaving Stew Meat skeptical of the entire affair. He puts his own white card in his cash register as a souvenir.

Polly, feeling ostracized after a spat with her friends, the Wickstaff twins, and a public humiliation by the popular Agatha Benthorn, decides to use her card. Desperate to be liked, she wishes for people to pay attention to her and for Agatha to invite her to her house for tea. The wish comes true with an unexpected twist: Whenever Polly tries to say something unkind, the only sound she can make is the croak of a bullfrog. This curse brings her unwanted attention and laughter at school, but she learns that she can speak normally as long as her words are kind. Agatha, plotting with her friend Eunice Ingersoll, invites Polly for tea, hoping to mock her. However, Polly remains polite, which frustrates the other girls. During their awkward tea party, Polly realizes how shallow they are and that she values her friendships with the Wickstaff twins more. After leaving, she yells insults into a hollow tree to vent her frustration, which causes the croaking to return. Later, after realizing that the curse hasn’t been broken, she runs to Stew Meat’s store in search of help.

Meanwhile, Rowena is distraught that her crush, the charming salesman Henry Piper, will soon be leaving town. Using her card, she wishes that Henry will put down roots in Coven Tree and never leave. She soon finds Henry in a grove behind her house; his feet are literally rooted to the ground. Over the next few days, he gradually begins to change into a tree. Bark creeps up his legs, his limbs stiffen, and his voice fades to a whisper. Trapped and helpless, Henry’s charming appearance crumbles, revealing that he only pretended to care about Rowena to sell farm machinery to her father. The Jervis family’s hired boy, Sam Waxman, discovers the situation and investigates Henry’s claims. After speaking with his company and Henry’s aunt and finding travel magazines among Henry’s belongings, Sam discovers that Henry has never visited the exotic places he claimed to know. By the time Rowena accepts the truth, Henry has almost completely turned into a sycamore tree, with only his face still visible in the trunk. Realizing the consequences of her wish, Rowena goes to Stew Meat, hoping his unused wish card can undo the spell.

Adam, tired of the daily toil of hauling water from Spider Crick to his family’s parched farm, makes a wish of his own. After the local dowser, Uncle Poot, fails to find any water on their land, Adam uses his card, wishing for water to cover the farm with plenty to spare. The next day, he discovers that he possesses the dowsing gift himself when Uncle Poot’s forked stick twists violently toward the ground wherever he walks. Soon after, geysers of water erupt from the post holes that Adam digs, and water begins to spout from any spot where the earth is broken. The initial joy turns to disaster as the water continues flowing without stopping. The farm floods, the barn is submerged, and the house roof begins to leak from the constant spray of the geysers. The family is forced to abandon their home, rafting their possessions to high ground before the house floods completely. Huddled on a hill overlooking their new lake, Adam confesses to his father, who understands why Adam made the wish and comforts him. Upon seeing the lights of other farms, Adam remembers the others who received wish cards and runs to town after realizing that Stew Meat may still be able to help.

Polly, Rowena, and Adam converge on Stew Meat’s store as he’s closing for the night. After they recount their magical problems, they each beg him to use his wish to reverse what has happened to them. Recognizing that he’s their only hope, Stew Meat retrieves his own card from the cash register. He carefully uses his wish to cancel all three wishes at once without causing any further harm. The card grows hot in his hand, and at that moment, the spells break. Polly can speak without croaking, Henry returns to human form and runs from the Jervis property, and the geysers on the Fiske farm cease at once.

In the aftermath, each character has been changed by the experience. Having learned a hard lesson, Polly becomes kinder and more thoughtful, gaining more genuine friends. Rowena, free of her infatuation with Henry, begins a relationship with Sam. Although the Fiske farm is ruined, Adam discovers his talent as a dowser and works with Uncle Poot, earning enough money to buy his family a better farm. Stew Meat concludes his tale with a warning that Blinn is still out there and that people should think carefully before paying 50 cents for a wish.