The Fairy Rebel

Rating:
Summary: hmmmm....childish.....a disappointment
Review: -THE FAIRY REBEL
Bindi looks pretty ordinary, but she definitely isn't. She was born a fairy child, with a tuft of turquoise hair that's hidden behind her beautiful locks of brown. These magical hairs were used by fairy rebels, Wijic and Tiki to defeat their tyrant fairy queen.

Although it is long for a picture book with 118 pages, its story is for children below my level. I have long outgrown fairy tales. But, of course, if you are a first grader who enjoys stories with "pretty fairies" and "mean queens," then sure, read this book!

The Fairy Rebel has many gripping parts, but these portions of the book are things I have heard in Disney movies and picture books I've read in the past. Three fourths of the book is what I would consider a cliche.

In conclusion, I think that The Fairy Rebel is a huge disappointment. I think that is one of the worse ones of Lynne Reid Banks' career, and if you want something to read, and you have outgrown fairy tales just as I, don't waste good reading time.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: As a child, any story with the word 'fairies' in it caught my attention. My older sister first read me bits and piece of this book when I was 4 or 5, as that she was reading it for a book review. I was fascinated by the way the fairies could change their clothes, their sweet tears, and allthe other magical things about the book. When I was older, I read the book, and I fell in love with fairies all over again. This book is fantastic for anyone of any age. I still own my copy and read it from time to time, and I am now 16! I definitely recommend this book to teachers as story time reading, or as a class read for 5th or 6th graders. To me, this is just as much of a classic as Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind or Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Rating:
Summary: it will leave a smile on your face
Review: Don't be fooled by the slim length and simple, straightforward telling of this story-- this is a treat for adults as well as for children. The simplicity of the storytelling reminds me of the Mary Poppins books-- there's more here than meets the eye.

I especially love that the story begins by telling us that if we go to school in London we might meet a little girl called Bindi, with an unusual history. That immediately makes this world of magic "real!"

Unusually for a children's book, the story begins by having us empathize with Jan, a sad bride and former child actress whose career was cut short by a leg injury, and who wants more than anything else to have a child. She is out in the garden weeping over her loneliness when she is startled by Tiki, a fairy who has been "earthed" (i.e., touched a human) when she couldn't follow her friend Wiljic through Jan's toes. Wiljic is mischievous and knew that Tiki was too fat to get through!

Tiki is wearing jeans under her frilly fairy skirt, although it's forbidden by the fairy queen-- "we love her"-- Tiki says loudly-- and fascinated by Jan's loneliness and tears. The lovely insouciance of all of the fairies-- when we eventually meet Wiljic it's too discover he longs for savory foods like boiled egg and is sick of nectar and nasturtium-- is just one of the many details that lend reality to this story. We also know right away that there is trouble in fairyland if the queen makes her subjects so nervous.

Tiki arranges for Jan to have a fairy baby (start a pregancy with a little help) and gets herself and Wiljic in trouble. Meanwhile, Bindi is a nearly perfect human child, with just a small tuft of blue hair... but the fairy queen has not forgotten the disobediance that led to her birth!

This story has all the elements of classic fairy tales but is set in a recognizable modern world. Characters are drawn quickly but have enormous personality-- in the chapter where Bindi wears a wasp necklace sent by the fairy queen which influences her to misbehave, we quickly get a feeling for her school companions, too. That kind of clear, sharp writing reminds me a bit of Lewis and the Narnian chronicles.

My only complaint about this book is that it isn't longer-- although it's just the length it needs to be!

A must-read for anyone needing a smile and a flash of delight.

Rating:
Summary: Charming, simple, a la Mary Poppins--it will make you smile!
Review: Don't be fooled by the slim length and simple, straightforward telling of this story-- this is a treat for adults as well as for children. The simplicity of the storytelling reminds me of the Mary Poppins books-- there's more here than meets the eye.

I especially love that the story begins by telling us that if we go to school in London we might meet a little girl called Bindi, with an unusual history. That immediately makes this world of magic "real!"

Unusually for a children's book, the story begins by having us empathize with Jan, a sad bride and former child actress whose career was cut short by a leg injury, and who wants more than anything else to have a child. She is out in the garden weeping over her loneliness when she is startled by Tiki, a fairy who has been "earthed" (i.e., touched a human) when she couldn't follow her friend Wiljic through Jan's toes. Wiljic is mischievous and knew that Tiki was too fat to get through!

Tiki is wearing jeans under her frilly fairy skirt, although it's forbidden by the fairy queen-- "we love her"-- Tiki says loudly-- and fascinated by Jan's loneliness and tears. The lovely insouciance of all of the fairies-- when we eventually meet Wiljic it's too discover he longs for savory foods like boiled egg and is sick of nectar and nasturtium-- is just one of the many details that lend reality to this story. We also know right away that there is trouble in fairyland if the queen makes her subjects so nervous.

Tiki arranges for Jan to have a fairy baby (start a pregancy with a little help) and gets herself and Wiljic in trouble. Meanwhile, Bindi is a nearly perfect human child, with just a small tuft of blue hair... but the fairy queen has not forgotten the disobediance that led to her birth!

This story has all the elements of classic fairy tales but is set in a recognizable modern world. Characters are drawn quickly but have enormous personality-- in the chapter where Bindi wears a wasp necklace sent by the fairy queen which influences her to misbehave, we quickly get a feeling for her school companions, too. That kind of clear, sharp writing reminds me a bit of Lewis and the Narnian chronicles.

My only complaint about this book is that it isn't longer-- although it's just the length it needs to be!

A must-read for anyone needing a smile and a flash of delight.

Rating:
Summary: From someone who read it years ago...
Review: I first read tis book years ago- literally! I was in a school library in Australia and I picked it up, and loved it at the age of 8. I never re-read it although I thought about it a few times when I got a litle older, and I actually tried to look for the book but had forgotten the name... Now that i've re-found it, let me tell all the potential readers out there that this is one of the most imaginative childrens books out there. Even if you don't believe in fairies, the story of Jan and Charlie who want a child- a wish granted by a jeans wearing rebelious fairy- is one that will entertain and amuse even an older audience. If you're 8 or 16, it's a book that should be read by children of all ages who need the spark of magic in their lives to flare up.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I have Read In Months: The Fairy Rebel!
Review: This book is a wonderful book about a woman who cannot bear birth to a child. She discovers this small, chubby fairy (Tiki) who is "earthed" on her foot.The fairy then grants a wish of bearing a child, which she could get in trouble for doing favors for humans by the Fairy Queen. The woman soon meets Tiki's friendWijik, who is an elf and who also caused Tiki to be "earthed". Later in the story, Wijik finds Tiki missing and tells the woman and her husband. The presumptions of Tiki's disappearance ran high in their minds while looking for her. This book is a MUST READ. I give it a ***** in the Story line, ***** in the Interest Line, ***** in the Character line, and ***** overall. Buy it -- you won't be sorry!! - Sarah Klaren

Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: When I was about 5 or 6 my mom picked this book up for me. It was the basis of my childhood fantasies. I am now 17 and I was led back to this book through the guidence of the faeries themselves. Dont think I'm crazy. This book was the beginning of the most beautiful journey I have taken and the journey I continue to take. Stay true to light, and stay true to love. Peace out! Love, Tamara