A book with a murderer, a thief and a tragic romance brought together by a magical person who is the only one to fix this couples problems. ( )

children's fiction (adventure, friendship, magical realism; set in the summertime, in a small town in Florida), 3rd-6th grade. ( )

When the red moon rises over the heart of the Okefenokee swamp, legend says that the mysterious golden gator Munch will grant good luck to the poor soul foolish enough to face him. But in 1817, when TWO fools reach him at the same time, the night’s fate is split. With disastrous consequences for both . . . and their descendants. Half of the descendants have great fates, and the other half have terrible ones. Now, Tumble Wilson and Blue Montgomery are determined to fix their ancestors’ mistakes and banish the bad luck that’s followed them around for all of their lives. They’re going to face Munch the gator themselves, and they’re going to reclaim their destinies.
But what if the legend of Munch is nothing but a legend, after all?

In a world of winners, losers, cheaters, and 'fate', what can a curse or a blessing do? A lot. It can utterly alter lives and change fates. Blue wants nothing more than to change his fate, and Tumble doesn't know she needs hers changed as well.

A riveting middle-schooler book that shoots high and succeeds. This book's quite a twist and very delightful. I can't quite word how it makes me feel, but there's definitely an open-ended charm to it. Nothing really stood out to me as weird or wrong, definitely a favorite.

Especially given the cover art itself is eye-catching and creative. Inside, outside, it's all beautiful and magical. ( )

Unique concept, nicely set in contemporary setting while still having a nice old fashioned cozy fantasy feel. I did start to skim toward the end, so perhaps the pacing was a little slow in spots. Did not blow me away like Circus Mirandus. ( )