Mara the Meerkat Fairy

The Animal Rescue Fairies #3

by Daisy Meadows, Georgie Ripper (Illustrator)

Mara the Meerkat Fairy is in terrible trouble. Jack Frost has stolen her magical keyring, which helps her protect all meerkats. Mara goes to find Rachel Walker and Kirsty Tate at the Wild Woods Nature Reserve, where they're spending a week as junior rangers. She desperately needs their help.

Can the girls help their fairy friend outwit the Ice Lord, find the magic keyring and save the baby meerkat captured by the goblins?

Join Rachel and Kirsty and meet a new fairy friend and gorgeous baby animal in each magical adventure!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Animals, Fairies

85 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2013

About the author

Daisy Meadows is the pseudonym used for the four writers of the Rainbow Magic children's series: Narinder Dhami, Sue Bentley, Linda Chapman, and Sue Mongredien. Rainbow Magic features differing groups of fairies as main characters, including the Jewel fairies, Weather fairies, Pet fairies, Petal fairies, and Sporty fairies.

Narinder Dhami was born in Wolverhampton, England on November 15, 1958. She received a degree in English from Birmingham University in 1980. After having taught in primary and secondary schools for several years she began to write full-time. Dhami has published many retellings of popular Disney stories and wrote the Animal Stars and Babes series, the latter about young British girls of Asian origin. She lives in Cambridge, England with her husband and cats.

Sue Bentley was born in Northampton, England. She worked in a library after completing her education and began writing for children once her own began school. Bentley is the author of the Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, and S Club series and lives in Northamptonshire.

Linda Chapman has written over 50 children's fiction books, including the following series: My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, Not Quite a Mermaid, and Unicorn School. She lives in Leicestershire with her husband and daughters.

Sue Mongredien was born in 1970 and grew up in Nottingham, England. She has published over 100 children's books, including the following series: The Adventures of Captain Pugwash, The Magic Key, Frightful Families, and Oliver Moon. She has also contributed many titles to the Sleepover Club series and written picture books. Mongredien created the Royal Ballet School Diaries under the pen name Alexandra Moss. She lives with her family in Bath, England.

Reviews

[Diya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The amount of joy I got from this book, because every other book has been so awful, but also because Narinder Dhami chose to make this a comedy and you can’t convince me otherwise. (I’m just saying, if some of the other books had gags like the girls tumbling down a sand dune, I would’ve had more fun.) Also, this: Mara, in response to Rachel saying that she doesn’t see any meerkats, “Just use your eyes!”
This book would’ve been perfect if Mara were a murder fairy; any of them would’ve zapped that goblin’s feet and then left him to rot in the desert, but alas, Mara is not a murder fairy as she only tickled his feet and actually gave him water and shade.
Also, Mara has the best/least offensive fairy design of this series. (For real though, I love her dress!) Even the girls’ outfits were cute; I’m obsessed with Kirsty’s top!

Let’s talk about the best part of the book though. Missy (short for Mischief) the baby meerkat is one of the most iconic animal characters of the entire Rainbow Magic series (at least to me). I couldn’t even tell what was cuter - the girls saying hello to Missy or Missy herself. I also lost it when Missy popped out of her burrow at the exact time that she shouldn’t have; between the girls trying to get her to get back down and that one goblin who saw her, I was dying. On top of that, they had Missy steal the keychain because the goblins were too busy arguing to notice, she’s my favourite. Even in general, the meerkats are genuinely so funny to me because what do you mean all they’ve done is walk around in the hot sun and that’s all it took for the meerkats to be like, ‘that’s suspicious… that’s weird’.

I also adored that sub-plot with the rabbits! Rachel and Kirsty trying and failing miserably at counting rabbits had no right to be as funny as it was. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn’t even be mad that it took over so much of the main plot. (I can’t believe it took the final page for them to just ask the rabbits to line up so they can count them properly.)

Things I Have to Mention Because They Are Relevant to Me:
-“Your job for today is to count rabbits!” - me as a counsellor, but for nefarious reasons; see, I fully believe that Becky’s doing this to teach them something, but I would make them essentially do my job if I ever needed to tire them out
-I love that little detail in the illustration of one of the goblins having the magic keychain in his pocket, with sparkles and everything. This is the kind of thing that’s so fun to use when you’re reading to/with kids, for excitement on their faces alone.
-You know what, I don’t blame the girls for getting duped by the goblins because they’ve usually kept their word when the girls have bartered with them in the past. However, I would simply never recover if I got played by Jack Frost’s goblins.
-Should’ve let them keep the ability to talk to animals.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisy Meadows and her fairies are my childhood. I collected so many in my youth, knowing all the fairies and their importance, and sticking with the two special girls who go to be a part of the magic.
Years ago I had to give my beautiful collection away, now still part of my childhood school where little girls are picking their favourite fairies and playing pretend. It's fun to hear stories from my old teachers telling me how over the years so many students have grabbed these books and fallen in love with the tales of two girls, Jack Frost and the fabulous glittering magic that is the fairies.
On Christmas last year, my sister surprised me with a boxset of these books, but cause you cannot collect these darlings as easily anymore. I was over the moon!
If anyone has a little one who needs a little magic in their life, wants to read and needs a big creation to be hooked on...it is Daisy Meadows!

[Vienna Labianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought it's really fun. i love how they start by counting bunnies but then go to rescuing a magical keychains from goblins. i love how mischief, the baby meerkat, gets the keychain and then gets stuck, and then the fairies have to rescue her and the keychain. i also love how the two main characters, rachel and kirsty tell the goblins there's no meerkats in the desert and trick them. i think that part's really exciting!

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting how this series has two plotlines per book. I enjoyed both of them in this one. The action was fairly unpredictable, and the "real world" story was cute. This one definitely plays up the baby animal's characteristics and the silly trouble they can cause. A good continuation of the series.

[XIS Grade 3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it because the book is full of magic. (May)

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this and Missy is so cute!

[Charlotte Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book for a child's book. Had to read it while i was babysitting

[Alexis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This one had extra lying in it. I'm saddened that anyone would think this is an okay thing to teach children. Would not recommend to my kids.

[Somara Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was good because Maria went in the Woods and she got to talk to animals

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it!
One of my favorites!

[Rommel Sison]

6-year-old daughter: 5 stars