"Verdigris n. a blue-green rust ..... - Rated 
...that tarnishes ageing and forgotten copper coins, altering them entirely...."
Throwing coins in a wishing well
And making a wish
It seems so simple
But have you ever spared a thought
For the coins?
Lying for eternity under the water
Among the slime and leaves
Forgotten by all but the verdigris
And of course the Well Witch
`Cos she's real
Three children find out the hard way
Short on bus fare
They dare to disturb the rusty rest
Of the coins, and naturally
The Well Witch
A price must be paid for their crime
He who takes the coin
Must grant the wish
Like verdigris, they become
Altered entirely
But, the tricky thing about wishes
Is that you can't just
Take them at face value
Because people don't always wish for what
They REALLY want
This book works at many levels
The characters
So cleverly developed
The plot so fiendishly crafted
I have goosebumps
Before introducing your child
To Stephen King
Lead them to
The murky waters and rotting wishes
Of the well
(Recommended for kids from 12 yrs to 99 yrs)
See also: Fly by Night by the same author
Amanda Richards
Easy to Read with Much to Ponder - Rated 
Like all good books the premise of Verdigris Deep is simple:Be careful what you wish for.
Three misfits disturb an old wishing well, awakening a long asleep witch. They then have to placate the spirit by completing the well's unfulfilled wishes. The adventure part of the novel is fast paced and exciting; new revelations come along regularly, building up the tension as the book comes to its apocolyptic climax.
The strength of this book though lies in its second layer. In essence this book is about self-worth; nearly all the characters wish, in someway, to be different. Hardinge shows that growing up is far from easy without laying it on with a trowel. With a deft touch she shows that nearly everybody doubts themselves in someway and to do so is perfectly normal. The characters find that wishing their problems away never quite works out how they expected and are forced to find the solutions to their woes within themselves.
With Verdigris Deep, Frances Hardinge has managed incorporate a strong and valuable message within a cracking supernatural adventure story; I had great trouble putting it down and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Really awful! - Rated 
I finished "the black book of secrets" a few weeks ago and loved every page of it, I then thought to myself that children's literature isn't half bad, so I purchased verdigris deep by frances hardinge- I was shocked! Firstly I let my partner read it, but he gave up after a few days, he couldn't bare it anymore as he couldn't quite understand what he was reading, he felt that the language used in the book and hardinge's used of sentence's where really confusing, it angered him as he felt conversations between the young characters should not have been so intensely confusing, but more readable. So I gave it ago, and I completely agreed. I felt so frustrated when I had to read the sentences over and over again just to make sense of what the author was trying to say. I felt aggravated by the characters, no longer could I see them as naive children- I kept thinking of the authors poor attempt of creating these children and how badly created they where. I tried to read further but the more I read the more the characters meant nothing and the more the language frustrated me. After reading the reviews on this page I am genuinely shocked that people loved this book, I gave it a real go but I have to name this book as one of the worst I have ever read, I have such a wild imagination that most book are readable to me & after finishing a "Macmillan Children's Books" previously I thought I would enjoy this, but no luck!
Wish carefully, because it may come true - Rated
After reading really good reviews for this book, I decided I had to see if they were justified. Having now just frinished the book, I can happily say that every positive review this book gets is fully deserved.
The story is about 3 children; Ryan, Josh and Chelle. One evening they miss their buss home. Without any money for another fare, they go to extreme lengths, stealing money from an old wishing well. It is then not long afterwards that strange things start happening - Ryan has unusual growths on his hands; Josh seems to make lightbulbs explode whenever he is near; and Chelle cannot stop barrages of words from spilling out of her mouth, even though the words do not belong to her. The Ryan is visited by the Well Witch, a weird lady who has water gushing from her eyes and hides the words she speaks. From a mixture of guesswork and luck, the kids are able to help Ryan in establishing what she was after - she wants them to grant the wishes that they have taken from her well. Sounds simple enough in some ways, but unfortunately they soon learn that wishes are complex things, you never quite know what may be hidden behind the words - after all, the people that made them are complex, with different motives and desires urging them on. Soon, the business of granting wishes becomes more like a curse for the youngsters, but how do they get out of the debt of a Well Witch?
Although I am in my late twenties, I do enjoy literature for young adults and children. This, the first book I have read by Hardinge, was a breath of fresh air. Although there is a magical element it is quite different to what you will have encountered in the favourites such as Harry Potter. The three main characters are well developed - I particularly liked Chelle, who develops as the novel progresses. Each of the characters had their own problems or issues, and how these benefit the main story is very well done. There is comedy, friendship, betrayal, the darker side of humans and what they wish for and the consequences that this will then bring.
This is a highly recommended book, for both young and old.
Compulsive reading! - Rated
Perhaps a little put off by the 'blurb' on this book, I gave it a try after I read a decent review and was amazed.
This book is utterly compelling: a real un-put-downable masterpiece that is unlike any other fantasy book for young people that I have ever read.
The characters have real depth, the situation is original and the pace is breathtaking.
If you want to buy a book that you can't put down, that doesn't talk down to the reader and that tells a really gripping story, then this book is for you!
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