The Wizard Children of Finn

By Mary Tannen

Eleven year old Fiona and her younger brother Bran are carried back two thousand years to ancient Ireland, where they help young Finn McCool battle his way into legend.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Tannen
• Release date: Feb 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301828968

Mary Tannen

Born June 2 1943 as Mary Gaffney in New London, Connecticut, where my mother and two-year-old brother, Matt, had followed my father, who had enlisted in the Navy at the start of World War II. I remember nothing of World War II, except being taunted by Matt for not having been taken to see our father's ship, as he had. But this must have been later. After the war, we moved to LeRoy New York, where my father was superintendent of the public schools and my sisters, Kathleen and Margaret, twins, were born. Later we moved to Tarrytown New York. I graduated from Sleepy Hollow High School in 1961. I attended William Smith College in Geneva, New York, and graduated from Barnard College in 1965. Michael Tannen and I married in 1965 and I took a job as a "Girl Friday" at Men's Wear Magazine. Eventually I worked as a copy writer for Avon Products until we left New York for Los Angeles in 1969 so Michael could set up a West Coast branch for his law firm, Orenstein, Arrow, Laurie, and Silverman. Our daughter, Catherine, was born in 1970. We moved back to New York City a year later and our son, Noah, was born in 1973. These children have married and moved on to Chicago and Seattle and have three children between them. Michael and I have lived in the same apartment since 1976. I have gone from writing childrens' books, to adult novels, to magazine articles to plays. I sit on no boards and attend no meetings, aside from my environmental book club monthly meetings, which are more like gatherings. I like to bike, hike, swim, bird, prowl the galleries and museums, go to plays, opera, movies, dance, and other performances. Michael and I travel -- often to see the grandchildren, who are growing up at a much faster rate than our own children did.

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Reviews for The Wizard Children of Finn

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fiona and Bran McCool, two young American children, are caught up in a powerful Druid spell and transported back in time to the Ireland of two thousand years ago. There they accompany their new friend Deimne on his journey of self-discovery. For he is none other than Finn, son of Cumhall and Muirne the fair, destined to become leader of the Fianna, and one of Ireland’s greatest heroes.Inspired by Lady Gregory's Gods and Fighting Men, Mary Tannen recreates the boyhood exploits of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, as seen through the eyes of two modern children. Here is the encounter with Conn and his gang of boys at Magh Life; the visit to the King of Carraighe, and how Finn defeated him at the game of ficheall; Finn’s defeat of a giant churl, and recapture of the Bag of Aoife that once belonged to his father; the conflict with the Sons of Morna; and Finn's consumption of the Salmon of Knowledge.An exciting adventure-fantasy that should please young readers, whether or not they have any knowledge of Irish mythology, The Wizard Children of Finn was on the syllabus of the class I taught on children's fantasy literature at my college. Part of a unit entitled Fantasy as Folk Epic, we read it together with a selection from Dáithí Ó hÓgáin's Fionn mac Cumhaill: Images of the Gaelic Hero.

[satyridae · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun adventure which illuminates some Irish legends along the way. I would have loved it when I was 9, but found it a little heavy-handed and stilted now. The "modern" passages are inescapably dated, but the exploits of the children are delightful.

[gundulabaehre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Fiona and Bran McCool befriend a strange boy named Deimne in the woods behind their family mansion, little do they expect that they will soon be transported back in time with Deimne to ancient Ireland (Deimne hails from that time/place, so for him, he is returning home, for Fiona and Bran though, ancient Ireland is a strange, magical, uncanny place). Once in Ireland, the two children become Deimne's companions on his journey to Temhair, to manhood, to claim his birthright. Because Deimne is, in fact, Finn, the son of Cumhall and the fair, shining Muirne, and he is destined to become not only the leader of the Fianna, but also one of the greatest warriors and heroes of ancient Ireland.

Mary Tannen's tale of Finn's adventures on his journey to manhood is exciting, readable, albeit a bit gory at times (but after all, battle and fighting scenes often are thus). Finn's boyhood adventures are not only experienced by two modern American children (Fiona and Bran), Deimne's (Finn's) companions from far away in time and space, they are also "orally recorded" by the two. Fiona, a talented poet, creates epic verses of Finn's exploits, from his encounter with Conn and his gang of boys, his victory over a giant churl, his consumption of a legendary salmon of knowledge, the decapitation of Aillen, to Finn finally claiming the leadership of the Fianna. And while Fiona creates the poems, it is Brad with his amazing memory, who remembers her verses and recites them. Finn is the hero, while Fionna acts as the hero's poet and Bran as his bard, his teller of tales. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys children's fantasy stories, but especially those individuals who are interested in Irish folklore and mythology.

[shabacus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is most effective where it presents Irish folklore in a modern narrative style. It is less effective where it attempts to show realistic characters in the modern world. The hero and heroine aren't completely vapid and lacking in personality, but they were clearly the sort of audience surrogates designed to let young readers project themselves into the story. Though not a bad technique in itself, the author seems to be writing about children from the 1950s, not the 1980s (when the book was written).There's nothing awfully bad about this book, nor anything awfully good either. As an adult reader it failed to capture me, but I would be happy to give it to my kids if they expressed an interest in Ireland.