Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede

Frontier Magic Book 1

Everyone outside her immediate family considers Eff bad luck. She's a thirteenth child. Unmercifully teased, Eff's life changes for the better when she's five and her family moved out West.

In Mill City, no one knows she's unlucky. No one teases her. But Eff always worries that she's cursed and may hurt someone if her magic goes awry. She and her twin brother Lan (a seventh son of a seventh son) grow up happily. They learn magic at school and hear about fantastic creatures that are across the Great Barrier.

When Eff is eighteen, the settlements are threatened by a new magical creature. Can Eff overcome the idea that she's bad luck and help save the settlements?

What I thought: How did I go so long without reading this book? Patricia C. Wrede is one of my favorite fantasy authors. I re-read her Enchanted Forest Chronicles series at least once a year. Thirteenth Child was fantastic. The world Wrede creates is magical yet believable. I like her alternate use of history to set the book in the 19th century West. It is also amazing that the book takes Eff from 5 to 18 years old (That's 13 years and I don't think it's a coincidence). Eff with her belief that she's cursed is a very likable character. I couldn't even wait a day before reading the 2nd book in the series, Across the Great Barrier.

(Scholastic, 2009)