P. R. Morrison

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

On the night before his tenth birthday, Archie Stringweed notices something a little strange. The wind seems to be talking to him. Is that possible? Archie thinks it can't be, so he doesn't say anything to anyone about it. But that's just the beginning of the odd occurrences. There's the present from his Uncle Rufus, that he obviously wasn't supposed to get, from the dirty look she keeps seeing his mother give the box. Archie doesn't see what the big deal is; it's just a harmless coin. Until he overhears his parents talking about all the presents Rufus has sent that have been hidden. That seems like a pretty big deal. Then there's his normally intelligent father suddenly becoming extremely forgetful. There's the snowstorm that only seems to be occurring over the Stringweeds' house, the giant bird that flies through his window carrying a coin that's a lot like the one he got from Uncle Rufus,and the glowing green ball that shows up every so often when Archie is alone. Then suddenly Rufus himself miraculously reappears after years and years of travelling. Archie is having a very eventful tenth birthday.

According to Uncle Rufus, that's not surprising. He tells Archie that there is a curse on all of the firstborn Stringweed children; on their tenth birthday, or shortly after, they will completely lose any courage they have. Not that they won't want to do things, they will just talk themselves out of it. Even simple things like flying in a plane, or going on the train, or taking a vacation. This of course seems crazy to Archie. How can someone lose all of their courage? But when he thinks about his dad, it seems like it might be possible. And horrible.

Rufus claims that Archie can break the curse, with the help of some family heirlooms and clues that Rufus has sent. The heirlooms would be all of the presents that Rufus has sent that Archie has never gotten, and the cards that came with them. Finding these things is only one of many obstacles Archie will have to overcome. Not the least of which is the wind. It really is talking to Archie, and it's not about to let him break the curse. In fact, it's coming for him.

Archie is confused, scared, unsure, and not even close to prepared. But if he can break the curse he not only gets to keep his own courage, but give his dad and grandfather theirs back. That seems like a pretty big deal.

A good adventure that teaches a great lesson: Courage is continuing in the face of fear. A lesson worth learning and remembering at any age. And this is a decidedly fun way to learn it.… (mere)

Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Archie Stringweed is now an official curse breaker -- he even has the medal from I.C.E. (International Curse Exterminators) to prove it. After defeating Huigor, Archie has the utmost confidence in himself. Unfortunately, his family is still treating him like a child. Archie is getting understandably frustrated with them, and it's making him behave a little bit recklessly. Especially now that strange things seem to be happening around Westervoe and Windy Edge. Again.

Archie hears the sound of an army marching over the sea, but how can an army march on water? Then there are the hypnotic eyes in the sea that keep trying to bring him closer, and the crazy sea gull that attacks him and his friends, the weird shadow in the classroom closet, and more icegulls. Archie knows there is a curse afoot, but no one seems to be willing to tell him anything at all. Archie is determined to help, whether they want him to or not.

This time, though, the curse might just be too much for all of them. This could be the curse to end all curses. Or, more accurately, the curse to bring back all curses, broken or not. All of I.C.E. and the entire Stringweed family is about to be put to the test, and Archie may be more necessary than anyone is prepared for.

There is a lot of information in this book. It still has all of the exciting elements of WIND TAMER as well as the characters that we got to know in that story. There are also a bunch of new characters, new monsters, and a whole host of new information about curse breaking. The story itself almost gets lost in the barrage of new information. I have a feeling, though, that this may turn out to be useful information. So pay attention because the end of the book makes it pretty clear that we haven't seen the end of Archie Stringweed.… (mere)

This is a book that will probably appeal to readers younger than my usual preference - so maybe 8+. Archie Stringweed's family is under a curse that will afflict him when a tornado strikes 48 hours after his 10th birthday. With the help of an uncle who has researched the curse, and a set of birthday presents that have been hidden away over the years by his mother, as well as a flock of birds, Archie must fight to avoid the curse afflicting his generation.

This is actually a very good story. It contains themes about perseverance and judgementalism as well as bravery and bullying. I would not recommend it for older readers, but it would be an excellent story for younger readers. Unfortunately I cannot give it star ratings by age, so I will go with how I found the story - readable but not great. But again - for younger readers, this is one to look out for.… (mere)