BAD Reads
Okay, GOOD Fairy Books
Okay, having slammed the "Fairy Chronicles" (and BTW,I've noticed that somehow all the negative reviews on "Marigold" is saw on Amazon.com have magically disappeared. Fairy magic?) I guess I need to give you some examples of GOOD fairy books.
And there are certainly some good ones out there. I'll start with an old favorite of mine that should be much better known than it is:
Rich Mrs Vancourt is thrilled to find a miniature dog (3 inches tall) with a gold collar on her terrace on day. Gloria readily agrees to live with her--but there's one catch. She is looking for a home for 3 year old Annabel Tippens as well.
But Annabel is no ordinary girl, she is half-fairy. And Gloria is more than just a 3 inch high talking dog who can do 377 tricks. When Annabel learns the truth about herself, she discovers she must decide what will truly make her happy--fairy powers, or the chance to have a real family.
This is a wonderful read aloud or read by yourself book. There is magic, suspense and a wonderful happy ending for everyone. I still cherish my copy of this book, and if you look on the reviews at Amazon, you'll see I'm not the only person to love this book!
Want a series? Want a series that is well written, with real characters, a plot and a heroine to cheer for? Emily Rodda's "Fairy Realm" series fits the bill. (She is also the author of the award winning "Rowan of Rin" series and a lot of other good kids novels). Jessie and her mother have come to visit her very ill grandmother at her wonderful house Blue Moon. But Gran is confused, trying to remember something she needed to do on her 70th birthday. And her prized charm bracelet is missing. When Jessie sets out to find the bracelet, she finds herself traveling into a magical world with talking cats,elves, magic spells and the discovery that her grandmother is not whom she appears to be. There's suspense, an evil fairy queen,humor, and a happy ending that promises more adventures to come. This is easy enough for a good young reader to try on her own, but would also make a good read aloud for younger fairy fans.
Yes, it's "Disney Fairies". And yes, I don't have much use for Disney and what it does to classic children's stories. But it's also written by Gail Carson Levine, author of "Ella Enchanted" and other reimaginations of classic fairy tales. Prilla, a newborn fairy (fairies are born when a child laughs) arrives in Neverland. Every fairy has a special talent (Tinkerbell or "Tink" is a tinker fairy) but Prilla seems to have no talent. How will she fit in in Neverland? But when the source of fairy magic is stolen, it is up to Prilla to join in the quest to recover Mother Dove's magic egg. This is beautifully illustrated, but even without the fancy pictures, it would be a wonderful choice for a read aloud, and of course older girls will enjoy reading it themselves.
Lynne Reid Banks is best known for the much loved "Indian In the Cupboard " series. Here she turns to the classic tale of a childless couple who receive their dearest wish with fairy magic. But Tiki is no ordinary fairy--if any fairy can be called "ordinary"! She wears jeans under her fluffy fairy skirt and she breaks the rules to grant Jan and Charles a daughter, Bindi. But when the evil fairy queen learns of Tiki's mischief, she locks her in a hornet's nest and threatens Bindi and her family. It will take fairies and humans united to defeat the Queen and save both fairyland and Bindi's family.
This is probably not ideal for younger listeners--there are some scary elements. And it's written so well the scary elements ARE scary! I'd read through it before using it as a read aloud if your child is at all sensitive. But for kids who like action and adventure with their fairies, this will be ideal, and older girls will enjoy it on their own.
So there's some good choices for the early elementary set--and possibly their older sisters as well. Want picture books? Books for young adults? I've got some ideas on that coming up.
And if you have any titles to add to these, please do!
