In A Blink by Kiki Thorpe

Disney Fairies Never Girls book 1

My rating: 3 stars
Boo's rating: 5 stars

Cute, but I get tired of the "rules are boring so I'm not going to listen... oh no I should have listened!" storylines.

Totally realistic I know... maybe that's why they bug me.  I get too much of it as a mom, lol.

Boo really loved it, though, and is looking forward to the next book.

Recommended for the elementary school crowd, but probably won't interest the boys.

Fairies and the Quest for Neverland by Gail Carson Levine

5 stars
JF
Disney Fairies

So you had to know we couldn't get through Once Upon A Week without a Disney fairy book!

This is the latest from Gail Carson Levine, whose books I love and adore.  I wish desperately that Disney had done the movies based on her beautiful books, but whatever.

This one is lots of fun because we have a Clumsy (human) who's a descendant of Wendy.  Her perspective gives a new twist to these stories.

Very cute, definitely recommended.  You don't have to read the other two first, but it's helpful, since there are a few references you'll miss otherwise.

And I LOVE the references at the end, when Gwendolyn is telling stories to the lost boys, because I'm pretty sure some of them refer to other books by Levine.  Too funny.

Of course, David Christiana's illustrations are GORGEOUS too.

HIGHLY recommended!!

(Counts for the Support Your Local Library challenge.)

One More Fairy Post

I know, I'm inflicting my obsession on you.

:D

So, it's Friday and the end of our Fairy Week. And I have a list of fun, fabulous little chapter books for you!

Now, I haven't tried these with Boo yet, but I think she'd do okay with their length, but they're really probably meant to be 1st-3rd grade chapter books. They're labeled "stepping stone books".

Dulcie's Taste of Magic
Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse*
Fawn and the Mysterious Trickster*
The Trouble with Tink
Beck and the Great Berry Battle
Vidia and the Fairy Crown
Lily's Pesky Plant
Fira and the Full Moon
Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon
A Masterpiece for Bess
Prilla and the Butterfly Lie
Tink North of Neverland
Beck Beyond the Sea
Iridessa Lost at Sea
Rosetta's Daring Day*
Queen Clarion's Secret


*Apparently there is at least a slight connection between the books and the movies. Fawn, Rosetta and Silvermist are movie characters.

I've read most of them. I own half of them. (I told you, obsession.)

They're all cute. And most of them have a good message. (Others are just fun!) Prilla learns what happens when you lie, Silvermist learns that if you think you have bad luck you definitely will.

They also have cute pictures, and though they're all about 100 pages, the type is big and they're easily finished.

I think these are a really good choice for girls that are ready to move up to chapter books. Sorry, none so far focused on the sparrow men. Why is that?

And you can get them in these cute boxed sets! Who is your favorite fairy?? (I can't decide between Rani and Fira!)

In the Realm of the Never Fairies by Monique Peterson

This book is gorgeous.

Really, there's just no other way to describe it.

A sort of behind-the-scenes look at the wonderful world of Tinkerbell and all her friends.

With AMAZING pictures.

I got this book for my birthday a while ago and it is just an absolute must-have for a fairy fan.


Are you a fairy fan? (Or just suffering through Fairy Week? lol)

What is it about fairies? It's not just Disney, fairies are EVERYWHERE! I have lately seen (on blogs and such) more fairy-related books than I would have believed possible! What is it about them that captivates us?

Or is it just children who are captivated? Here I am reviewing a bunch of fairy books-- all written for children. Fairies seem to have taken the YA world by storm, too. Have we outgrown them as adults?

(For that matter, what's up with vampires? They're everywhere too! Is there a correlation, do you think? When we grow out of fairies do we turn to vampires? Or is it all just Stephanie Meyer's fault?)

Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand by Gail Carson Levine

And then there's the fabulous sequel! (That's right, it is really a different book from yesterday, I promise.)


Wands are dangerous things, but the fairies are back and they must find one or face the wrath of the mermaid Soop. (You should never mess with mermaids.)

This is another excellent installment from Gail Carson Levine-- again with amazing illustrations!

Between the two, Levine's Disney Fairy books really set up the world for all of the little books that have been written (by other authors) about each individual fairy.

Have you noticed, though, that the Disney movie Tinkerbell threw a lot of it out the window?

Okay, technically I haven't seen the whole thing and I guess maybe they can mesh them, but when you've had an author like Levine give you such a marvelous world, why not use it?! Drives me nuts.

Why do you suppose that is? I mean, Disney's got their logo on the books, right? They had to have at least approved them. Why would they create a different tone and world and even different characters for the movies?

Somebody, anybody, explain this to me!

Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg by Gail Carson Levine

Welcome to Fairy Week! (Yeah, I know, it's Tuesday.)

I have a tiny little obsession with the Disney Fairy books. Okay, maybe it's a big huge obsession.

Anyway.

Here it is, the book that started it all.

I LOVE Gail Carson Levine. I really do. And her writing plus Disney must equal fantastic!

This is the book that really gives life to Tinkerbell and her friends and the world of Pixie Hollow. We're introduced to Rani- a water-talent fairy, and Vidia- a fast-flying (and not always nice) fairy, Lily- plant-talent, Terrence- a sparrowman (boy fairy), Beck and Bess (painting and animals respectively... no wait, reverse that) and the brand new Prilla, who doesn't seem to have a talent at all.

This has never happened before and no one is quite sure what to make of it. But Prilla, it turns out, just has a talent no one has seen before, and it's needed when Mother Dove's egg breaks.

Mother Dove's egg is the source of magic in Neverland. So off the fairies go, on a quest to make it all right again.

This is a great story with absolutely wonderful illustrations!

Buying Books!

Inspired by Amy's Challenge and Cari's post, and armed with gift cards, I went shopping over the weekend!
Yep, I bought myself books for my birthday. (Or were the gift cards from Christmas? No, definitely birthday.)
Gotta love browsing the bookstore!

I got The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! because the library only lets you renew things so many times.... Same with Magic Lost, Trouble Found, and I popped my SIGNED BOOKPLATE from Lisa Shearin in it! I had to have them order Armed and Magical, but I should get that next week!

Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Sanctuary was the only one of hers they had, but I do have a used copy of Silent in the Grave, so that works. For now.

And they didn't have Tasha Alexander's Fatal Waltz, so I could only get And Only to Deceive and Poisoned Season. But hey, it's all good.

And I LOVE the paperback copy of Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg, so I'm waiting for the paperback to get Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Wand too. Gotta love Gail Carson Levine!

:D:D

I love buying books!