Sylva and the Fairy Ball

The Fairy Bell Sisters #1

by Margaret McNamara, Julia Denos (Illustrations)

With Sylva and the Fairy Ball, Margaret McNamara launches the Fairy Bell Sisters, an enchanting new chapter-book series. The books feature Tinker Bell’s little sisters and are a must-read for lovers of the Rainbow Fairies and Disney Fairies stories.

Clara Bell, Golden Bell, Rosy Bell, Sylva Bell, and baby Squeak are fairy sisters who live on Sheepskerry Island. Usually Sylva and her sisters get along just fine—until the week of the Fairy Ball. Sylva has her heart set on going—she’ll get to wear magical diamond wings and walk on beautiful satin ribbons under the stars! But fairies must be at least eight years old to attend, and poor Sylva’s birthday is the day after the ball. But before the night is over, Sylva’s big sisters will need her to come to their rescue.

Charming illustrations by Julia Denos bring the world of fairies to life.

Genres: Fantasy, Fairies, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Juvenile

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 23, 2013

About the author

Margaret McNamara is the Christopher Award–winning author of more than two dozen books for young readers, including the Robin Hill School series. The Fairy Bell Sisters series is inspired not only by her love of the classic sisterhood novel Little Women but by her own experiences growing up with older sisters (and a baby brother). Margaret and her family live in New York City, but they spend part of their summer on an island in Maine very much like Sheepskerry Island.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

*squee* Sooooo adorable and sweet! I love this type of fairy story. All the sparkle and magic -- and pretty flower petal dresses -- you'd expect plus girl power, too. Yesss! I was afraid this would be gimmicky with the Tinker Bell connection but it's surprisingly well written -- though some of the vocabulary may be a bit above the younger side of the emergent chapter book audience. The illustrations are charming, too. Two quibbles, though.

I wish the author had chosen something instead of a narwhal tusk to be the supreme magical object for the fairies. I know I'm reading way too much into it from my adult perspective, but it just made me uncomfortable with the connections to ivory and such -- it seems like something else could have been used just as well without any animal connections. Also it's just kind of odd to me that the fairies have detachable wings -- I don't see how that fits with the fairy lore and just seems like a plot contrivance here. However, overall I really enjoyed this and will seek out more in the series.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my three year old. We thought it was alright, until the trolls arrived. Then, it was EXCELLENT! http://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2...

Contrary to the statement in my formal review on my blog, kiddo decided we should read the second book the next day. Apparently, she wanted to know more about the sisters.

[Siena · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute, oddly harsh at times

[Kerstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I really liked the book because it was about fairies!”

- Audrey, 4 (my daughter)

[Linda Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book...it was a very fun enjoyable read. I highly recommend this Book to anybody that loves to read a really cute fun enjoyable book. It was a quick read. I read this on my Kindle. I give this Book 5/5 Stars.

Happy Reading.....

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn’t sure what to expect and Emily wasn’t that interested due to the cover, but I read the first few chapters out loud to her and they were super cute… and she finished the book that night, haha. I read it the next day and was happily surprised! The writing and dialogue reminds me a bit of Little Women, old-fashioned, which I liked. Biggest negative: I think it’s a bit confusing that young fairies are responsible for their baby sister…

[Janna Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly well-written book. I mean, a book about Tinker Bell’s little sisters? That just screams mediocre to me. But this was a GOOD book. With very clever writing and pretty decent character development. We did it as a read aloud and my daughters (5yo and 7yo) loved it and I enjoyed it quite a bit myself. We’ll definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. I actually like that the sisters aren't perfect. Mistakes are made, arguments are had, but of course all is well in the end. I didn't realize that this series is about Tinker Bell's little sisters.

[Brittany Wolffram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Fairy story. I actually enjoyed it more than the Rainbow Magic fairy stories. This story connects with Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. The book includes a recipe and fun song in the back too.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute girly book!

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars, almost 5 stars. I really like this book.

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great!

[Holly Letson · Rating 3 out of 5]

TinkerBell's little sister, Sylva Bell, is 7 years old. Her main goal in life is to attend the Fairy Ball, thrown by Queen Mab each year for 8+ year old fairies. But, her 8th birthday is the day after this year's Fairy Ball, so she cannot go. However, her older sisters can.
So, Sylva comes up with ideas to make each of sisters' dresses better. In her mind, everything that she sews onto the dresses or alters makes them more beautiful. But, her sisters fail to see things that way. They all feel like she has ruined their ballgowns out of jealousy, since she cannot attend the Fairy Ball herself.
Soon, the day of the Fairy Ball arrives, and Sylva is left at home baby-sitting their tiny sister, Squeak. She feels honored to have the job of watching sisters' wings. But, trouble soon strikes in the form of trolls, and only Sylva can save the day. So, she does.
Sylva chases the trolls into the Fairy Ball, and defeats them. In honor of this feat, Queen Mab lets her stay at the Fairy Ball. Queen Mab also removes the age requirement, so that--from next year on--everyone can attend the Fairy Ball. And, she sends Sylva a special necklace as well.
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I loved this. It was really cute and sweet. I never realized TinkerBell had so many sisters before this. I also liked that they did all work things out in the end, and that Sylva--who was cast out in the story--was the one that actually saved the day.
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This was presented to me as an eARC, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

------ I received this book from Edelweiss and the publisher for my honest review------

This is a great book, especially for younger girls (in the 6-8 year old range). Even though Sylva kept trying to help her older sister, nothing ever turned out how she expected them to. Everything always seemed to get messed up, and her sister just seemed to be annoyed with her. I know I've seen this even with my 17 year old son, he's tried to help out but doesn't understand what needs to be done and just ends up getting in the way and making more of a mess or even hurting his sister. He's not trying to be a pain, but that's just what happens. I like the fact that Sylva doesn't give up, she keeps trying to do the right things and help out. Even the disappointment about not being old enough to attend a special party, not old enough by 1 day how horrible can that be. But when trouble strikes she doesn't just put her head in the sand she takes a stand and uses her head to figure out what she can do, and then just does it. She shows intelligence, bravery and tenacity all good traits (though ones that can be exasperating at times) and goes to help save the day. I love that this shows younger kids, especially girls that they can make a difference if they try. Also to keep trying and not to let disappointments stop them. All very good messages for younger kids.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a smart, fun chapter book for fans of Tinker Bell. It's the first in a series of books about Tinker Bell's younger sisters. Our heroine Sylva Bell (heehee!) is excited to go to the Fairy Ball (petting zoo! magical diamond wings!), but she won't be 8 years old until the day after the ball - and you have to be 8 to attend. That night, her older sisters leave her at home with baby Squeak, when she realizes trolls might be mounting an attack on the ball. Will she have the courage to take a risk and save the day?

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful too - I felt like a little girl obsessed with Peter Pan again. I also love the note at the start of the book that reads, "In the spirit of J.M. Barrie, who created Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, the author has donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book to the Great Ormond Street Hospital." Just a feel-good experience all around!

The narration has a sort of wink that I love:

"There are no sheep on Sheepskerry anymore, which is a good thing, as sheep are enormous monsters of preposterous size, as everyone knows."

[Margaret Skodon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely cute... I was a bit wary of a book series about fairies, but we all enjoyed the book.

[Sujatha Sankaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book to my daughter, age 4 years 9 months. I didn't want to feed into the pink fairy princess obsession that is ubiquitous in her age group but she was eager to read it, so we did. I was pleasantly surprised--the fairy protagonists were strong, independent, fierce magical girls who like sparkly jewels but also are sensitive, smart, and tough and my daughter loved them and seemed to identify with them. The plot was simple and occasionally humorous. My only criticism was that I felt the language was a little too simple and didn't challenge young readers enough with new or higher-level words. But overall, it was a great read for an almost-five year old.

[Julieann Wielga · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I am looking for a substitute for the series of Fairy books that all first grade students want to read by Daisy Meadows. I do not like the word selections in them, it feels too old for the kids who read them and I do not like the characters or the plots.

Sylva is a dear and I like how her sisters treat her and how she does save the day. It is a little long for first graders. The ball idea is a little hachneyed, but teh total tone works for me.

Besides there is glitter on the cover.

[Rochelle Sondae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is nice shared story. Some of the words would be too difficult for a six year old to tackle on their own. I don't think lingonberry, sultanas, etc are familiar enough for the recommended age group of 6-10 year olds. I liked that's the sisters were referred to as confident, smart, and courageous however I didn't like that the confident one was also snobbish and condescending to her little sister. Overall I thought it was a step in the right direction and a good read.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My children loved this adorable story. THis was the first book we've read with some read action in it, and it was amazing to see how into the story they were. I had to keep reading, and keep reading. Their little legs kicking back and forth during the Troll battle. It was fabulous to see them so into a book. Can't wait for the next one!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very nicely written book. I liked the author's direct relationship with the reader. But I just couldn't accept the detachable wings concept. No longer were fairies magical creatures; they were just little people with magic. It was a contrivance, plain and simple, to give the protagonist a chance to shine. And it spoiled an otherwise lovely book.

[Randomfish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five Year Old enjoyed this one. She was particularly fond of the dresses, and she enjoyed the ending. The middle parts were a bit more stressful than her preferred level-of-scariness.

She enjoyed the narrative voice, and the way it was talking to the reader very much, and liked the pictures. :)

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 7 year old daughter liked this book, but didn't want to check out the other books in the series. She is interested more in animals than fairies. My 10 year old loved this when she was younger. I think it was a fun book for beginning chapter book readers, it just depends on the readers interest.

[Halli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, adventurous story about Tinker Bell's little sisters. Adorable cover art and illustrations! I'd recommend this to young fans of fairy books, or to parents who want their kids to read something besides the Rainbow Magic series!

[Alfreda Morrissey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my 2 girls when they were 4 and 6. It held their attention in the car, of while waiting for something. It did not really grab their imagination or excite them that much. They did not beg me for more, they did not ask for the next in the series.

[Vicki Jaeger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another take on Tinkerbell and fairies, the J.M. Barrie version. It was a bit precious and sweet for me personally, would be appealing to the girliest girls. Feels younger than the Never Girls (In A Blink) series, though it appears to be the same font size & age range.

[Leslie Inglis · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 5 year old adores Tinkerbell, we were quite excited to find this series which expands upon Tinkerbell's world in a delightful spin off. The writing is very well done I love the narrative's voice & the use of traditional fairy lore.

[Kimberly Souza · Rating 4 out of 5]

So cute! Great for girls of all ages.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

49 months - This was a huge hit with O. She and her Dad read this one together.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story but very nicely written.