Review: Such a fun and beautifully written book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2013
I honestly cannot begin to tell you how in love I was with this book.  After reading it, I felt compelled to immediately go out and find everything else that Danyelle Leafty has ever written because I was enraptured by her whimsical and flowing writing style.  She told Bettony's story with such wit and yet with incredibly beautiful language.  I found myself constantly thinking, "How does she come up with this stuff?"  It's like she's a creative genius.  I know I'm gushing, but this is honestly how I felt while reading the book.  I just got so caught up in the lush language and fun metaphors that I couldn't put it down!  Here's just one example:"Sometimes magic is all beautiful sparkles and breathtaking views. Other times, its something simpler, easier to understand, and far closer to home . But if you could peel away all the wonder and awe, all the pretty colors and inviting views, you would see magic as it is at its most basic: a wish. A wanting. A need."Okay, so on to talking about the actual story.  The Trouble with Toads was a really adorable story about the trouble that can be caused by dissatisfaction - especially with oneself.  Bettony is sure that all of her problems would go away if she were beautiful, so she goes to her grandmother (who happens to be a witch) and asks her for a spell.  Despite her grandmother's warnings that magic always has a price, Bettony is sure that beauty will outweigh any price she might have to pay.  Unfortunately, it turns out that she is not the one who has to pay the price.  Bettony unwittingly turns her sister into a toad!  Realizing the depth of her mistake, Bettony tries to go to her grandmother to reverse the spell.  But Bettony's grandmother tells her that only Bettony can fix the problem she has created.  So Bettony, her sister Cadmilla (now a toad) and her far too perfect step-sister, Desire go off on a quest to try and turn Cadmilla back into a human.  Along the way, Bettony learns a lot about herself and about her two sisters.My one and only complaint about this book (and the only reason I didn't give it a full five stars) is that it ends mid-story.  I was looking for some sort of resolution at the end of the book and there really wasn't any.  We will need to wait until the next book to find out what happens with our trio of sisters.  Our family will definitely be reading the next installment when it comes out!! (I should mention that both of my kids loved this book as well, although my son said that he wasn't too crazy about the flowery musings about magic.  He's a 10-year-old boy - he just wanted to get to the action).  4.5/5 stars  (This review was originally written for my blog at http://bestkidsreads.blogspot.com)