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The Fairy Rebel
The Fairy Queen strictly forbids fairies from using their magic power on humans. But after Tiki accidentally meets Jan, a woman who is desperate for a baby daughter, she finds it impossible to resist fulfilling her wish. Now up against the dark and vicious power of evil, this fairy rebel must face the Queen’s fury with frightening and possibly fatal results.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
50 people are currently reading
2311 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Reid Banks
97 books403 followersLynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults. She has written forty books, including the best-selling children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard, which has sold over 10 million copies and been made into a film.
Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. She was evacuated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada during World War II but returned after the war was over. She attended St Teresa's School in Surrey. Prior to becoming a writer Banks was an actress, and also worked as a television journalist in Britain, one of the first women to do so. Her first novel, The L-Shaped Room, was published in 1960.
In 1962 Banks emigrated to Israel, where she taught for eight years on an Israeli kibbutz Yasur. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson, with whom she had three sons. Although the family returned to England in 1971 and Banks now lives in Dorset, the influence of her time in Israel can be seen in some of her books which are set partially or mainly on kibbutzim.
Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. She was evacuated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada during World War II but returned after the war was over. She attended St Teresa's School in Surrey. Prior to becoming a writer Banks was an actress, and also worked as a television journalist in Britain, one of the first women to do so. Her first novel, The L-Shaped Room, was published in 1960.
In 1962 Banks emigrated to Israel, where she taught for eight years on an Israeli kibbutz Yasur. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson, with whom she had three sons. Although the family returned to England in 1971 and Banks now lives in Dorset, the influence of her time in Israel can be seen in some of her books which are set partially or mainly on kibbutzim.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 311 reviews
April 4, 2009
This was one of my favorite books when I was a lass (…and Scottish, apparently…) and I recently, for reasons I no longer recall, became obsessed with tracking it down. Thanks to the invaluable Bookman in Orange County (truly the only reason to visit the entire area), I finally got my hands on it. And it was very nearly as wonderful as I remembered. Yay!
This is an incredibly quick read, about a rebellious denim-clad fairy named Tiki, and Jan, the lonely ex-actress she befriends. The length makes every scene seem essential and perfectly distilled, like a tale that’s been passed along and refined over generations, but at the same time, the story’s also wonderfully original and delightfully fresh. The only thing that bugged me, reading as a 25-year-old rather than a child of less than a decade, was how controlling—and even slightly condescending—Jan’s husband seemed, especially in early scenes. But it’s a minor thing—too tiny to waste more than an eyeroll on. There are delightful pink-haired fairies to enjoy!
This is an incredibly quick read, about a rebellious denim-clad fairy named Tiki, and Jan, the lonely ex-actress she befriends. The length makes every scene seem essential and perfectly distilled, like a tale that’s been passed along and refined over generations, but at the same time, the story’s also wonderfully original and delightfully fresh. The only thing that bugged me, reading as a 25-year-old rather than a child of less than a decade, was how controlling—and even slightly condescending—Jan’s husband seemed, especially in early scenes. But it’s a minor thing—too tiny to waste more than an eyeroll on. There are delightful pink-haired fairies to enjoy!
March 19, 2009
Jan is a human who desperately wants a child. Tiki is a peppy, punky fairy who's not particularly good at following rules. The fairy helps Jan have a daughter, but that's only the beginning of the story. Tiki is the best godmother EVER--every year, the daughter gets an incredible magical gift. Even fifteen years later, I still remember some of them. But this extraordinary state of affairs can't continue undetected forever, and Jan and her daughter have to go to war with the fairy kingdom to save Tiki from the repressive Fairy Queen.
This is the book that taught me the word "rebel" and probably began my love of oddly colored hair.
This is the book that taught me the word "rebel" and probably began my love of oddly colored hair.
November 17, 2018
Well it wasn't what I expected after reading the blurb. But I loved this short fairy tale :))
April 20, 2009
The one where a fairy befriends an injured former actress, grants her wish for a child, and gets in serious trouble with the tyrannical fairy queen.
I had to keep checking the publication date: 1989? really? because the book's attitudes toward women, childbearing, work, disability, and beauty seemed very early-sixties to me. There was waaaay too much talking about people's weight -- no, excuse me, only the weight of the female people; Jan's husband's appearance is never described. And why on earth would a bad limp prevent Jan from ever getting any kind of job?
There really was very little to any of the humans. Jan was soft, and wanted someone to love; her husband worried; Bindi was soft, and liked toys and sweets.
Tiki and Wijic, on the other hand, were complete and interesting, and I loved the little details of them, especially Wijic eating hard-boiled eggs!
I was just way too old to read this for the first time.
There are some children's books that are operating on a more sophisticated level than the children who read them are aware of (Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea comes to mind), but this is not one of them.
I had to keep checking the publication date: 1989? really? because the book's attitudes toward women, childbearing, work, disability, and beauty seemed very early-sixties to me. There was waaaay too much talking about people's weight -- no, excuse me, only the weight of the female people; Jan's husband's appearance is never described. And why on earth would a bad limp prevent Jan from ever getting any kind of job?
There really was very little to any of the humans. Jan was soft, and wanted someone to love; her husband worried; Bindi was soft, and liked toys and sweets.
Tiki and Wijic, on the other hand, were complete and interesting, and I loved the little details of them, especially Wijic eating hard-boiled eggs!
I was just way too old to read this for the first time.
There are some children's books that are operating on a more sophisticated level than the children who read them are aware of (Ursula LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea comes to mind), but this is not one of them.
July 27, 2017
This is the book that made me fall in love with books. My favorite teacher of all time, Ms. Gehm, read it aloud to my third grade class, and I promptly devoured every other book written by Lynn Reid Banks, followed by as many books in the fantasy genre as I could get my hands on. I imagined that rose fairies like Tiki inhabited not only the flowers in my backyard, but also the roses on the wallpaper in my bedroom. And I even told my neighbor that the hairs in my blond streak were actually pure gold; that they meant I was a fairy child; and that, if she swore to keep my secret, I would pluck one of said magical hairs and give it to her to keep.
I decided to read it again, nearly 20 years later, to see if it still holds the magic I remember so fondly. It does. And I can't wait to read it again in another decade or two...
I decided to read it again, nearly 20 years later, to see if it still holds the magic I remember so fondly. It does. And I can't wait to read it again in another decade or two...
October 21, 2017
“Only the Queen may give life. Or take it.”
Jan and Tiki are two unlikely friends.
Jan, a former actress with a limping leg, who longs for a child meets Tiki; a fairy living in fear of the tyrannical Fairy Queen who forbids contact with humans. When Tiki sees how dearly Jan wants a child, she decides to help despite knowing the risks. Years go by where Jan’s fairy child grows and enjoys magical gifts from her ‘fairy’ godmother until finally, the Fairy Queen decides to take action.
The first thing that comes to my mind about The Fairy Rebel is that it is unique. I love fantasy but a lot of the storylines are interchangeable. This tale, however, was something quite different.
Tiki is a very quirky character. She, along with the elf Wijic, probably has the most character traits. The book is fairly short and does not leave much space for character depth or development. It is a shame, really. Because I felt this book would greatly benefit from being lengthier and more detailed. The story was there and it was good – but it was extremely rushed.
The book is divided into two arcs. The first focuses on the meeting and friendship between Jan and Tiki while the second half is about the eight-year-old Bindi, Jan’s daughter. The first half of the book had a pretty good pace but Bindi’s half just rushed by. I can see how a younger reader can look past this but for me, there was much left to be desired. I think the story would have been more lovable and emotional if we would have had more time to get to know the characters and everything would have developed more slowly.
Jan is a rather generic character. I did not quite understand why a limp leg would cause her to be near ‘useless’. Before Bindi’s birth, she spends her time at home feeling bored. After Bindi’s birth, although no longer bored, she still spends all her time at home. By the sound of it, she can still walk and lead a perfectly normal life other than the fact that her walking is a bit slow. Her husband, on the other hand, seemed very overprotective and almost bossy. Nonetheless, I was surprised and quite liked that he was in on the fairy secret. I feel as though most stories would have kept him ignorant of what was going on.
Despite the lack of detail, it is a nice and unique book with some good messages. I loved the ending as it shows an act of kindness on Bindi’s behalf which I did not see coming. I think this could be a wonderful book if read at the appropriate age.
October 27, 2020
I thought this book was super sweet and an adorable fairy book without being childish. This showed in ways how a mother feels when she cannot have her own child and the adventures we go on meeting Tiki and Wijit were wonderful. I recommend this book fully.
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August 20, 2021I used to be obsessed with this book when I was younger, so I picked it up again on a whim. Is sadly way more problematic then I remembered. Got a lot of fatphobic and ableist vibes from this one 😬
To be fair though it IS from the eighties. Leaving it unrated.
To be fair though it IS from the eighties. Leaving it unrated.
August 25, 2023
This story should be a part of every childhood.
“but just sometimes a fairy has to do what a fairy wants to do”.
“but just sometimes a fairy has to do what a fairy wants to do”.
December 30, 2024
My third grade elementary school teacher read this aloud to our class and it was wonderfully fun. Also read it again on my own not long after. Had no idea Lynne Reid Banks also wrote another of my childhood favorites, The Farthest-Away Mountain!
June 27, 2012
i like my book because its a fairy-tale and it felt like it was really happening while i was reading my book.on pages 85-88 it felt like i was buried in the toys with bindi and suffercating under all those toys to.if i was bindi i would of tryied to dig my way out.also on pages 39-49 i felt like i was also being attacked by wasps.i would of dodged the stings and escaped the wasps.
I would recomend this book to michael diaz because he likes fairy-tales as much as i do.also because he thinks the same way i do about fairy-tale books.me and him think fairy-tales are almost like real life but with werid/ magical things happening.its like me and him think books are alive.we can also already predict whats already going to happen next.
one challenge of this book was to figure out a way to stop the fairy queen from killing the fairy's.the reason why the queen was trying to kill the fairy's is because the fairy's were tyred of the queen being mean so the fairy's disobeyed her.this was taking place at the garden behind bindi's house.
I think the theme/lesson of my book was to get what you get and dont get upset.also i think the tyrant queen's lesson was not to be mean to your family and bindi's lesson was to dont get invovled in somebody elses buisness because bad things can happen to you. tiki's lesson was dont disobey your elders because bad things can happen to you.i think jan's lesson was also to dont get invovled in other people's buisness because bad things can anso happen to you.
I would recomend this book to michael diaz because he likes fairy-tales as much as i do.also because he thinks the same way i do about fairy-tale books.me and him think fairy-tales are almost like real life but with werid/ magical things happening.its like me and him think books are alive.we can also already predict whats already going to happen next.
one challenge of this book was to figure out a way to stop the fairy queen from killing the fairy's.the reason why the queen was trying to kill the fairy's is because the fairy's were tyred of the queen being mean so the fairy's disobeyed her.this was taking place at the garden behind bindi's house.
I think the theme/lesson of my book was to get what you get and dont get upset.also i think the tyrant queen's lesson was not to be mean to your family and bindi's lesson was to dont get invovled in somebody elses buisness because bad things can happen to you. tiki's lesson was dont disobey your elders because bad things can happen to you.i think jan's lesson was also to dont get invovled in other people's buisness because bad things can anso happen to you.
July 4, 2017
The only books of this author that I had read was of course the Indian In the Cupboard series. I had been fascinated with the books back then although I don't know how much they would fare if I re-read them at this point.
Anyway this was one of those books that had been sent to me while I was fascinated by the cover work and the summary on the back wasn't too weird. Needing just a book to read and not wanting to get into anything too big I grabbed this one up on the way out to work while I wasn't disappointed by it.
Similarities to the Indian In the Cupboard series: diminutive beings, magic and a simple charm that catches you up so that you want to keep flipping the pages.
Cute, quirky and with a simplistic plot this will also offer unexpected twists that will keep you wondering. At times slow it makes up for it, especially with the unforeseen ending....
Anyway this was one of those books that had been sent to me while I was fascinated by the cover work and the summary on the back wasn't too weird. Needing just a book to read and not wanting to get into anything too big I grabbed this one up on the way out to work while I wasn't disappointed by it.
Similarities to the Indian In the Cupboard series: diminutive beings, magic and a simple charm that catches you up so that you want to keep flipping the pages.
Cute, quirky and with a simplistic plot this will also offer unexpected twists that will keep you wondering. At times slow it makes up for it, especially with the unforeseen ending....
February 11, 2022
I haven't read this book since I was probably ten or so. The story is just as magical and beautiful as I remember--it didn't lose anything. Sometimes an author can write well and sometimes an author is a great storyteller. The Fairy Rebel by Lynn Reid Banks shows us both. Bindi, Tiki, and Wijic felt just like old familiar friends.
April 15, 2008
My favorite book EVER!
May 16, 2021
I read this when I was a kid and loved it. Now that I have kids of my own, I thought this might keep their interest, and I was not disappointed. Just long enough for the tale it had to tell.
June 9, 2024
alors j’aurais pu mettre plus parce que ct trop chouette mais y’avait des idées bizarres et surtout cette obsession avec le poids et ne pas trop manger sinon tu deviens gros ? pas nécessaire pitié quoi
June 22, 2022
5 out of 5 fairy stars 🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻🧚🏼♂️🧚🏻♀️🧚🏻
January 30, 2021
I remember loving this book as a kid, and picked it up at the library the other day for my girls. I still liked it! Magical, and fun descriptions and ideas about fairies.
January 8, 2026
it's been a long time since I read this. I forgot the fat shaming, but the rest of the book was still just as magical.
June 10, 2015
So The Fairy Rebel was one of the first books my teacher read to the class in my first year of Junior School and I remembered really, really liking it at the time. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why I liked it so much, because twenty-odd years down the line all I could remember about it was that one of the characters was called "Bindi" and she had magical blue hair. Thank you, Google, for being my best friend and finding the book almost intermediately. Whenceupon I realised it was written by the same woman who wrote The Indian in the Cupboard and I assumed maybe I'd just liked it because it was really well written. And it is, but the real reason adult me found the book such a joy to read, was the characters.
First of all we have Jan. She's both overweight and disabled, but while the latter is occasionally a plot-point (she can't really walk) neither or them are her defining characteristics. She's still considered beautiful, she has a loving husband and is never chastised for being either one, or for being...well she clearly has depression but this is a kiddie book so let's just say she's never chastised for being sad.
Then we have Bindi, who is Jan's daughter, who's also kind of a chunk but again the only person who seems at all concerned by this is the bullying, thieving Keith.
Finally there's Tiki, who I think is the reason I identified with this book so much as a kid, she's a chubby, brightly-hair coloured fairy with a penchant for wearing denim and getting herself into awkward situations. Fie upon this book's obscurity that there's no way I could successfully cos-play her!
But honestly, name me another children's book in which the three main characters are all a) girls and b) chubby girls. NAME ME ONE! Also the book passes the Bechdel test in about five seconds, not so much passing it as spinning round on its hand in a pink-ballet dress shouting "hair, hair, hair!", something which it manages to accomplish is just over one-hundred pages and yet many TV shows and films seem completely unable to comprehend.
Speaking of length, the book is incredibly slight, but frankly it works very well as an exercise in concise story-telling. There isn't a wasted moment in there. My only real complaint, as so often happens in children's books where the adults are the main characters rather than supporting ones, Jan and Charlie don't really feel very mature. But that's a minor wee quibbly-wibble. If you want a book about fairies that isn't all princesses and castles and waiting for a bloke to come along and save the day this is it. Just don't mess with the Fairy Queen. We LOVE her....
First of all we have Jan. She's both overweight and disabled, but while the latter is occasionally a plot-point (she can't really walk) neither or them are her defining characteristics. She's still considered beautiful, she has a loving husband and is never chastised for being either one, or for being...well she clearly has depression but this is a kiddie book so let's just say she's never chastised for being sad.
Then we have Bindi, who is Jan's daughter, who's also kind of a chunk but again the only person who seems at all concerned by this is the bullying, thieving Keith.
Finally there's Tiki, who I think is the reason I identified with this book so much as a kid, she's a chubby, brightly-hair coloured fairy with a penchant for wearing denim and getting herself into awkward situations. Fie upon this book's obscurity that there's no way I could successfully cos-play her!
But honestly, name me another children's book in which the three main characters are all a) girls and b) chubby girls. NAME ME ONE! Also the book passes the Bechdel test in about five seconds, not so much passing it as spinning round on its hand in a pink-ballet dress shouting "hair, hair, hair!", something which it manages to accomplish is just over one-hundred pages and yet many TV shows and films seem completely unable to comprehend.
Speaking of length, the book is incredibly slight, but frankly it works very well as an exercise in concise story-telling. There isn't a wasted moment in there. My only real complaint, as so often happens in children's books where the adults are the main characters rather than supporting ones, Jan and Charlie don't really feel very mature. But that's a minor wee quibbly-wibble. If you want a book about fairies that isn't all princesses and castles and waiting for a bloke to come along and save the day this is it. Just don't mess with the Fairy Queen. We LOVE her....
March 7, 2024
I've always loved this book, since my mom read it to me as a child. Revisiting it felt like coming home ❤️
January 7, 2008
This book is a fantastic fantasy that will make you devour it in a sitting. It is a very low reading level book, and I would not expect more than a bit of fun from it.
Reading this book nearly got myself and my best friend in trouble in 5th grade. We were supposed to read books and write a review of every chapter. We were so far above the reading level of this book it was ridiculous... but we wanted to read it. So we picked it... read it in an hour or something, and then realized we had to write chapter reviews.. so we tried to go back and do them - after knowing the whole book. Our teacher (one of the best elementary school teachers I've had) caught us and gave us such a reaming! Why was she so mad? She told us - read whatever you want! You don't have to pick them to be your assigned books. Even if it's part of the "reading library" we could borrow them to read normally. That's when I learned that something isn't what you always think it is. Kids are very literal - say that it's a "reading assignment book" and they don't realize that it can be anything other than that. I hope it taught our teacher too - that kids, even advanced ones, are still kids!
Reading this book nearly got myself and my best friend in trouble in 5th grade. We were supposed to read books and write a review of every chapter. We were so far above the reading level of this book it was ridiculous... but we wanted to read it. So we picked it... read it in an hour or something, and then realized we had to write chapter reviews.. so we tried to go back and do them - after knowing the whole book. Our teacher (one of the best elementary school teachers I've had) caught us and gave us such a reaming! Why was she so mad? She told us - read whatever you want! You don't have to pick them to be your assigned books. Even if it's part of the "reading library" we could borrow them to read normally. That's when I learned that something isn't what you always think it is. Kids are very literal - say that it's a "reading assignment book" and they don't realize that it can be anything other than that. I hope it taught our teacher too - that kids, even advanced ones, are still kids!
January 29, 2026
I noticed that this wasn't in my collection a while ago so I had to go re-buy it and I finally got around to re-reading it today.
It's short... very short... but sweet. It was definitely written for children but clearly in a time when things for children had some elegance to them.
I don't know if I quite appreciated this before, but I love how the mom is the main character, and her husband is her partner in the fairy business, like, basically from the start. In most things, telling the dad would be an absolute no-no until maybe MAYBE the end when there's absolutely no other choice. But not in this! The very day jan meets the fairy, she just tells him. It takes him a little bit to come around, but the fact that she felt comfortable confiding such a secret in him is awesome.
Like obviously I understand the whole "you can't tell parent/parents/partner about the magic" thing. Some people WILL have you institutionalized if you tell them you saw a fairy. I'm just saying it was really extra nice that they were a team about it.
It's short... very short... but sweet. It was definitely written for children but clearly in a time when things for children had some elegance to them.
I don't know if I quite appreciated this before, but I love how the mom is the main character, and her husband is her partner in the fairy business, like, basically from the start. In most things, telling the dad would be an absolute no-no until maybe MAYBE the end when there's absolutely no other choice. But not in this! The very day jan meets the fairy, she just tells him. It takes him a little bit to come around, but the fact that she felt comfortable confiding such a secret in him is awesome.
Like obviously I understand the whole "you can't tell parent/parents/partner about the magic" thing. Some people WILL have you institutionalized if you tell them you saw a fairy. I'm just saying it was really extra nice that they were a team about it.
January 8, 2013
I was spellbound by this book as a tween, so I recently re-read it on my new Kindle to see if it still held the same magic ...
...it does, and it doesn't. The story itself is imaginative and fun (a fairy who wears jeans, an elf who loves eggs, and the tyrannical fairy queen who rules with fear and an army of wasps) and I ripped through the story in one sitting.
But the writing is so-so, and the characters are pretty two-dimensional. The females (our human protagonist and the fairy she meets in her garden) are silly, vain and insecure, even if they do show flashes of bravery at times. The males are condescending to their little women.
Still, I felt the same prickling sense of fear when they faced off against the fairy queen, and there's no harm in girls (or the young at heart) giving this story a go. "The Indian in the Cupboard" by the same author, however, is a much better read.
...it does, and it doesn't. The story itself is imaginative and fun (a fairy who wears jeans, an elf who loves eggs, and the tyrannical fairy queen who rules with fear and an army of wasps) and I ripped through the story in one sitting.
But the writing is so-so, and the characters are pretty two-dimensional. The females (our human protagonist and the fairy she meets in her garden) are silly, vain and insecure, even if they do show flashes of bravery at times. The males are condescending to their little women.
Still, I felt the same prickling sense of fear when they faced off against the fairy queen, and there's no harm in girls (or the young at heart) giving this story a go. "The Indian in the Cupboard" by the same author, however, is a much better read.
June 4, 2013
Jan was once an actress, but an accident left her with a limp. Now she's married to Charlie, who she loves very much, but she's not happy. They can't have a child.
And one day, while sitting in her garden, a fairy touches her by accident and Jan is able to see the fairy. Jan could hardly believe it. A real fairy! She finds out the fairy's name is Tiki and eventually tells Tiki of her problem, that she can't have a baby.
Soon thanks to the help of Tiki, Jan and Charlie are blessed with a beautiful baby girl they name Bindi. But now they have to worry about the fairy Queen because all of her fairies must love and obey her or else.
This is not a very long book, but it sure is fun! I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Sure, it's not a deep story, but I think it teaches you to stand up when someone is doing something wrong. It's a nice little fantasy book that I think people of all ages would enjoy.
And one day, while sitting in her garden, a fairy touches her by accident and Jan is able to see the fairy. Jan could hardly believe it. A real fairy! She finds out the fairy's name is Tiki and eventually tells Tiki of her problem, that she can't have a baby.
Soon thanks to the help of Tiki, Jan and Charlie are blessed with a beautiful baby girl they name Bindi. But now they have to worry about the fairy Queen because all of her fairies must love and obey her or else.
This is not a very long book, but it sure is fun! I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Sure, it's not a deep story, but I think it teaches you to stand up when someone is doing something wrong. It's a nice little fantasy book that I think people of all ages would enjoy.
August 14, 2012
Jan and Charlie have always wanted a baby girl. So when Tiki, a fairy, gets earthed on Jan's foot, Jan tells her that she wants a baby and that the baby should have rose petal skin, chubby feet, bird feather brown hair, and hazel eyes. Tiki says she will grant Jan's wish, but only if she names the baby Bindi. When Bindi appears in the couple's bedroom, they look her over to make sure she looks perfectly normal. She does, except for twenty blue hairs on her head. Tiki was not supposed to do this, though. Now she is in trouble with the fairy queen! Nine years later, Bindi and her parents go and save Tiki from the evil fairy queen. Now the fairy queen has lost her wasps and her power.
I did not really like the Indian in the Cupboard series (written by the same author), but this book was one of the best. I recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy.
I did not really like the Indian in the Cupboard series (written by the same author), but this book was one of the best. I recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2015
My daughter has just hit the age where I can start sharing the bulk of my childhood favorites with her. I haven't read this since elementary school, but I still had my copy held over from then. Nothing is ever the same as an adult, but this was interesting in that I don't think I realized as a child that the book is primarily about the adults and the fairies, and only a little about Bindi. It clearly works, as it wasn't something that was visible to me in childhood.
Another thing that I didn't recall was that Bindi turns eight in the book. My daughter turned eight last month, so it was very, very easy to put herself into Bindi's shoes, which was both good and bad, as the story is, in parts, quite scary--Bindi squeezes wasps instead of toothpaste out of her toothpaste tube, for instance. Besides the scary bits, the book is magical and sweet, and I think we both enjoyed reading it.
Another thing that I didn't recall was that Bindi turns eight in the book. My daughter turned eight last month, so it was very, very easy to put herself into Bindi's shoes, which was both good and bad, as the story is, in parts, quite scary--Bindi squeezes wasps instead of toothpaste out of her toothpaste tube, for instance. Besides the scary bits, the book is magical and sweet, and I think we both enjoyed reading it.
January 9, 2019
Brings back an inordinate amount of childhood memories. My mind was in this book and books like it for the the first decade of my reading life. I certainly wanted to be Bindi. Certainly was always hoping some hair would just turn blue.
Tender, romantic, silly, the concept of the rose-gifts, there were odd moments of genius in this fantastic trifle.
Weird to say, but I'd love to see a film of this with a darker version of some of elements here - the horror of the Fairy Queen, the invisible universe of the supernatural creatures, rife with the pain of their unfeeling leader, Jan's infertility, Charlie struggling with a wife who he had to think was daffy at first. Tiki and Wijic not entirely as comic creatures, but ambassadors to a world that humans never see. It just felt like something more is in this little story! Maybe just the writer in me.
Tender, romantic, silly, the concept of the rose-gifts, there were odd moments of genius in this fantastic trifle.
Weird to say, but I'd love to see a film of this with a darker version of some of elements here - the horror of the Fairy Queen, the invisible universe of the supernatural creatures, rife with the pain of their unfeeling leader, Jan's infertility, Charlie struggling with a wife who he had to think was daffy at first. Tiki and Wijic not entirely as comic creatures, but ambassadors to a world that humans never see. It just felt like something more is in this little story! Maybe just the writer in me.
July 8, 2022
July 7, 2022 Review - 3 Stars
Content: Clean
This is why redoing favorites can be hard. I LOVED this book as a kid. It had a big, big impact on me. Then I spent over a decade trying to track down a copy. It holds so much meaning for me. It's been on my favorites shelf forever. My niece read it and enjoyed it. But I've been scared to redo it. It wasn't as great as I remembered. BUT it is very much written for a younger audience. Let's be clear: there's nothing wrong with it. It's a cute kids fairy story, just didn't hit the same way as when I was a kid. But, I do think young readers should give it a go.
Review from 2008, though read more like 2004 in Elem - 5 Stars
I randomly checked this book out and enjoyed it very much. It's one of my favorites.
Content: Clean
This is why redoing favorites can be hard. I LOVED this book as a kid. It had a big, big impact on me. Then I spent over a decade trying to track down a copy. It holds so much meaning for me. It's been on my favorites shelf forever. My niece read it and enjoyed it. But I've been scared to redo it. It wasn't as great as I remembered. BUT it is very much written for a younger audience. Let's be clear: there's nothing wrong with it. It's a cute kids fairy story, just didn't hit the same way as when I was a kid. But, I do think young readers should give it a go.
Review from 2008, though read more like 2004 in Elem - 5 Stars
I randomly checked this book out and enjoyed it very much. It's one of my favorites.
Read
January 17, 20223rd grade Kylie (when her teacher read it out loud to the class) absolutely loved this book. Prior to re-reading, I couldn’t remember the story. The plot is entertaining for fantasy-loving kids, and the length is digestible. Re-reading was fun because it made me feel a closeness with a younger, wide-eyed, fantastical version of myself — the little girl who wrote books about fairies herself, and had a vivid imagination. I still found the characters charming and whimsical, if very one dimensional. A sentimental little read that made me smile.
The only thing I *hated* were the many fat-phobic lines throughout. Those have no place in a children’s book (or any book really). Those lines could be skipped over in a read-aloud.
The only thing I *hated* were the many fat-phobic lines throughout. Those have no place in a children’s book (or any book really). Those lines could be skipped over in a read-aloud.
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