The Quest for Quinnie
GENRE
CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION FANTASY FOLKTALE FUNNY
Core Theme
MADDIE LOVES SPENDING SUMMER WITH HER GRANDPARENTS IN WOODLAND AND MEETING HER BEST FRIEND SEAN. THIS SUMMER IS EXTRA SPECIAL BECAUSE THEY GET TO KNOW QUINNIE, A FANTASTIC CREATURE FROM THE RIVER.
TIME PERIOD
Contemporary,2000s,17th Century or Earlier,18th Century,Across Centuries
COMPARABLE TITLES
DORA THE EXPLORER
CHARACTER LIST
MADDIE. 9. PROTAGONIST. ADVENTUROUS, VULNERABLE, ADORABLE, LOVING AND KIND.
SEAN. 10. MADDIE'S BEST FRIEND. ADVENTUROUS, CARING, FUN.
GRAMPA. MADDIE'S GRANDFATHER. TRUSTWORTHY, SERENE, WISE, FUN.
GRAMMIE . MADDIE'S GRANDMOTHER. CARING, LOVING.
QUINNIE. MYSTERIOUS AND FRIENDLY CREATURE THAT LIVES IN THE RIVER AND APPEARS ONLY TO GOOD HEARTED PEOPLE.
RASCAL. DOG. ADVENTUROUS, FUN, CURIOUS.
Logline
Nine year old Maddie is visiting grandparents while her family is going through a separation. She with her friend Sean set off on a series of Connecticut River adventures. They learn of the river's stories, encounter dramas, and become important players for their new friend, Quinnie.
Target Audiences
Age: 7-12
Target Gender: Universal
Setting
Connecticut River, New Hampshire
Based on a True Story
No
Publishing Details
Status: Yes: self-published
Publisher: All Service, Charlestown, NH & Previous Hedgehog Publishing, Newport, NH
Year Published: 2001
Starting Description
Maddie feels at home in quiet Woodland, New Hampshire, visiting her grandparents every summer. This summer is different as her parents are separating. She and the neighborhood friend Sean go on a series of adventures searching for a creature Maddie encountered.
Ending Description
Maddie and Sean learned about the rich, deep, history of the river from Gramp and Quinnie. They are lucky to have survived a couple harrowing events. They are hoping to have more encounters with Quinnie but concerned as the ice covers the Connecticut River going into the winter season.
Group Specific
New England, River, Children, Grandparents, Crypto, Family Dynamics
Hard Copy Available
No
ISBN
0-9726876-0-2
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Plot - Other Elements
Other,Meaningful Message
Plot - Premise
Quest
Main Character Details
Name: Maddie
Age: 9
Gender: Female
Role: Logical
Key Traits: Adventurous,Charming,Empathetic,Outspoken,Engaging,Strong Moral Code
Additional Character Details
Name: Quinnie
Age: hundreds of years old
Gender: Female
Role: Logical
Key Traits: Aspiring,Faithful,Unapologetic
Additional Character Details
Name: Sean
Age: 10
Gender: Male
Role: skeptic
Key Traits: Adventurous,Lone Wolf,Sarcastic,Funny,Empathetic,Decisive,Blunt
Additional Character Details
Name: Gramp
Age: senior
Gender: Male
Role: mentor
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Masculine,Charming,Confident,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Outspoken,Skillful,Funny,Strong Moral Code,Honorable
Genre
FANTASY
Brief
Maddie is a 9 year-old going through difficult times in her life, as her parents are divorcing. But spending summer in her grandparents house with friend Sean will bring along many adventures and an unexpected friend: Quinnie!
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: GOOD
Franchise Potential: GOOD
Pace: GOOD
Premise: EXCELLENT
Structure: FAIR
Theme: EXCELLENT
Accuracy of Book Profile
Book profile reflects book accurately.
Draw of Story
Maddie is a candid character going through difficult times and trying to find a way to deal with changes in her life. Her innocence, vulnerability and love for her friends and family are endearing.
Possible Drawbacks
Nothing made me want to put the book down, however Quinnie's storyline could be developed more solidly.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES HEAVILY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
I would watch the movie because the way fantastic creatures may show up in the story to help Maddie deal with changes in her life and show the meaning of friendship and family in difficult times is a wonderful premise to a story.
Fanbase Potential
It could have a large fanbase if adapted because of Quinnie's charisma. Also, the friendship and adventurous personality of Maddie and Sean can be highly relatable for children.
Awards Potential
It could have awards potential if adapted because story requires great effects, especially regarding the characterisation of Quinnie. Story could also become a work of animation.
Envisioned Budget
MEDIUM BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
DORA THE EXPLORER
What’s New About the Story
The most original and endearing thing about this story is how Maddie resources to her friendship with Sean, love for grandparents and her imagination to deal with a difficult subject such as the divorce of her parents. Story could be developed in a way that makes it clearer how the existence of Quinnie relates to Maddie's character journey. Currently, the development of Quinnie's story doesn't happen during the narrative and unrolls all of a sudden, leaving it difficult, especially for children, to understand its more profound lesson.
Lead Characters
Maddie is a character going through changes. Changes are, in itself, difficult, and may be even more for a 9 year-old-child. However, Maddie is able to offer a nice coping mechanism for kids going through similar situations: friendship, family and imagination.
Uniqueness of Story
This is a beautiful story, however it could be improved in order to develop Quinnie's story arc in order to make it more consistent with the storyline itself. The passage in which there is an identification between Quinnie and Maddie's loneliness is endearing and could be more explored.
Possible Formats
Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming
Analyst Recommendation
CONSIDER
Justification
This story should be considered because protagonist is charismatic and adventurous, and narrative may comfort children regarding problems they may find hard to cope with.
Brief
The story of young Maddie, a nine-year-old girl spending summer with her grandparents, looking for adventures and meeting the marvelous creature Quinnie while trying to cope with changes that came with the divorce of her parents.
What We Liked
The most appealing thing about this story is how Maddie, the protagonist, may help children deal with matters that would affect any child, such as changing city, school and parents divorcing.
She finds solace in the midst of changes in her friendship with Sean, in the love of her grandparents and the adventures that lead them to meet Quinnie, a marvellous and lonely creature living in the river. The two characters bring a universal subject that is key to the souls of children and also adults: loneliness, especially in the midst of changes.
Film: It would be also a great adaptation for Film because the chore theme being dealt with behind the original narrative of adventures and fantasy is involving and relatable: changes and loneliness in childhood.
TV: It would be a great adaptation for TV because the story structure that involves both Quinnie and Maddie may be fruitful for several plots, dealing with matters regarding childhood and involving children in adventures that bring along a deeper meaning.
Key points: Relatable protagonist; adventurous passages; fantastic river creature; deeper meaning behind narrative; children solving mysteries throughout the narrative.
Synopsis
Maddie is excited to spend another summer with her grandparents in Woodland, New Hampshire - but this summer feels different, because her parents are getting a divorce and many things are changing for Maddie; city, school and friends. Some things never change, and one of them is her friendship with Sean. They meet every summer and go looking for new adventures.
Arriving at her grandparents' house, Maddie sees something in the river - she thinks it's a rock, but she also sees a tail.
When she tells Sean, who is focused on his games, he doesn't take her seriously. That night, they go fishing with Grampa, but there are no fishes in the water, what he considers 'mighty strange'.
During the overnight camping, more strange things happen: the fish they took disappeared the day after. As Sean continues to make fun of Maddie for believing in the mysterious creature, she feels alone and cries tears of sadness - this is when she Quinnie introduces itself, the creature from the river, who is also feeling lonely for being apart from its family. Sean meets Quinnie and he finally believes Maddie.
After they go fishing again, Sean falls into the river and is saved by Quinnie, and Grampa tells the story of Jeremiah and Mesatawe, in which a sea creature - the Great Lizard - also saved Jaremiah from drowning.
Maddie's mom visit Sean's mom and everyone has a good time. Maddie blames herself for her parents divorce and gets sad, but her dad arrives, and they have a good time separately as well.
Summer is over, and Maddie needs to face the changes that will happen, which end up not being too bad. Back to Woodland for Thanksgiving, the river begins to freeze and Sean falls into the river again. Trying to save him, Sean, Grampa and Maddie all go underground and meet Quinnie's family, which she managed to find due to Sean and Maddie's friendship breaking the spell that made Quinnie lonely. They get back in time for Christmas!