Short review (Positives): Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy by Daisy Meadows is one of a series of 70 or so fairy books. Abby and Caroline love these books. They are (mercifully) short and easy chapter books with ink illustrations and are a good introduction to non-picture books. The plots are age appropriate and, unlike Junie B. Jones, the grammar and spelling are conventional. The two main characters are a pair of polite and helpful lasses who just happen to be friends with the fairies.
Short review (Negatives): Mom and Dad cringe inwardly at the very mention of reading this series. The stories are repetitive, inane, and once you get started there are endless books in this series to read, yet they all seem exactly the same. Spoiler alert -- Rachel and Kirsty will be able to retrieve whatever magical object Jack Frost has stolen by outsmarting his dim-witted goblins. I have personally read about 50 of these aloud to Abby, and now I am forced to start over the series with Caroline. I could cry. I know that reading time is critical for children, and I will do my fairy duty....probably every single night for the next year or so....sob. I have limited fairy reading to two chapters per night, so that we might enjoy some of the other wonderful picture books available.
History: This whole fairy thing is my own fault. It all started back in 2008 with a seemingly harmless book I bought from the Scholastic Book Order Form, Abigail the Breeze Fairy. It was one of the first "chapter" books I read to Abby and I figured she would like it because: 1) the fairy shared her name, and 2) the book was about fairies. Well, like it she did.
Little did I realize that Abigail the Breeze Fairy was one of a series of 7 Weather Fairy books. Then, Abby was ecstatic to learn that there is also a series of 7 Jewel Fairies and 7 Sports Fairies and 7 Pet Fairies and 7 Day Fairies and 7 Rainbow Fairies and 7 Dancing Fairies, and who knows what else. I've blocked it out except for the fact they are available at the local library. There are also about 10 "Special" Fairy books (each of which is really 3 stories in one), including Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy. So much fairy fun for you to read, so little time....
Your young daughter will love this series. You probably will not. But, this series was one of the things that got Abby hooked on reading, and for that I'm very grateful. Abby now reads these to herself and I can read her some other classics. I am also very grateful that my third child is a boy. Hopefully we'll get hooked on some inane series for boys, like Pokemon or something.
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