The Last Fairy-Apple Tree

Fairy Realm #4

by Emily Rodda, Raoul Vitale (Illustrator)

Enter the Realm of Wonder...

Jessie's had amazing adventures in the magical Realm. She's flown with the flower fairies and swum with the mermaids!

Now Jessie's grandmother senses something wrong in the Realm. The gnomes that grow the fairy-apple trees in the Hidden Valley are in trouble, and not even the Queen can help them! Jessie and her friends must travel to the Hidden Valley to find out what's wrong and help the gnomes.

Along the way, they travel through secret passages to a wild part of the Realm -- and meet the storytelling furry bears of Brill.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Fairies, Middle Grade, Adventure, Fairy Tales, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Emily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.

Reviews

[✨Jinglemarco✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best in the series! A really cute tiny story. I love bears and the furrybears in this one weren't an exception, and I really like apples and pies! :)

[Dawnetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

My girls love these books. These a great beginner fantasy books, which I even enjoy reading. The plots are simple yet exciting and diverse. These are a good read.

[McKenzie Dygert · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book a lot. it's probably one of the best books in this series. it had some funny moments. only because of the dwarf.

[Gretchen Ingram · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it's funny how the problems of fairyland are most often solved by an application of common sense.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series seems to be in a groove now. There’s a problem introduced quickly, a nice plot, and a twist/mystery type ending. I’m happy to continue reading these to my kids who like them. 3 stars because the depth - in themes, setting, characters - were established in book 1, haven’t been expanded on, and these read as mini adventure-mysteries.

This one superficially tackles greed and the love of money, which is usually a pet peeve of mine (especially in children’s books), and it was a little annoying here but overall very “preachy light”.

I also found out that when this series was originally published, the books came with the bracelet charms Jessie receives in the book when visiting the Realm. I told this to my kids and they thought that was a cool idea… I think so too (maybe I need to find a modern series that does this now).

[Sarah Eagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compared to Emily Rodda's other series, between all the Deltora books and the Rowan of Rin books, these are incredibly juvenile. But moments of her brilliance shine through. The plot is usually tight, the way in which Jessie solves the conflict is always the same kind of cleverness each time, but the solution is never the same. The books don't feel like a cheap repeat of previous installments, at least so far.
I'm impressed with this little series.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fairy Realm series is so special! I’m reading it for the second time, this time with my youngest daughter after reading with my eldest several years ago. It’s full of fun, unexpected details, which makes it feel magical. They’re books my eight-year-old could read on her own, but it’s so fun reading them together and seeing her imagination spark as she takes it all in.

[Mikayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

re-read as an adult: still a cute story for kids! this series is a little predictable if I'm being honest, but I don't remember it being so when I was little. I think children ages 7-10 will find it interesting to see the small little ways Jessie will figure out the mystery and save the day with some common sense.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another adventure in this series sees more of the same but the question that is never answered is why the secret from the grandma who clearly knows what is going on anyway?
Well some mysteries remain unsolved.
for me this is Fairy Realm #3 of the 4 and Emily Rodda #35.

[vio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is really cute, I think it would have made a good miniseries...

[Bunyip · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books are so sweet, how can I not come back for them? They're candy.

[Mella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fairy Realm series are wholesome lighthearted reads featuring a secret fairy realm found through a doorway at the edge of the garden. There's magic and mythical creatures and miniature horses that talk (because what else would you find in a secret fairy realm? duh.) It's reminiscent of Shirley Barber's gorgeous picture books albeit with less impressive artwork (Shirley Barber is incredibly talented). It's a good series for tween girls. I loved this series as a kid, they were imaginative and magical and I loved every minute. I'm pretty sure this series is what started my love of charm bracelets too.

The Last Fairy-Apple Tree
Queen Jessica aka Granny has been having flashes of Hidden Valley - the home to the Realm's gnomes and delicious fairy-apple trees. She's worried but having abdicated the throne, is unwilling to step in. To get around this, she sends Jessie! But first, she takes Jessie to the only fairy-apple tree in the mortal world - right next door and there they find Bilbert the Brave - a trapped gnome. This is my favourite book so far. I love gnomes! I was amused at the idea of garden gnomes being Realm gnomes that stayed too long and got caught by moonlight - turning to stone and never going home unless someone with a bit of magic rubs their heads.

Maybelle, Patrice and Giff all make appearances and Maybelle leads the gang to the Hidden Valley (because stone gnomes forget their way back). And on the way they meet the furrybears. Okay the furrybears sound hysterical. They catch lone travelers that wander into their territory so that they'll be told stories. Lol. I cracked up at that one. Who doesn't love a good story? I felt sorry for the gnomes - having been so greedy for gold they accidentally forgot that they were supposed to leave the excess to regrow the fairy apple trees. But it was nice that Jessie thought of Bilbert's dirty beard having old seeds - even if it was bloody disgusting. And I loved that Jessie tells the best story the furrybears have ever heard. And she was right - who doesn't love a story that paints themselves as heroes? Jessie gets a little leaf charm for her charm bracelet and Rosemary (Jessie's mum) tells Granny off for spoiling her which was amusing. No, it's not from Granny mum, it's from my Great-Aunt Helena that you've never met and who's Queen of a magical realm you've never been to. Duh. 5 stars.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another in the Fairy Realm series. The story is more message-oriented than the others so far, though, as it concerns major topics like greed and damage to the ecology.

The gnomes have been selling the fairy-apples that grown in their valley, but they let their greed for gold get the best of them and, as a result, the fairy-apples all die off and their land ends up looking horrible.

One goes to the human world to try and find another tree, but is turned to stone. Jesse and her grandmother find him, and it's up to Jesse to return to the realm of the fairies, take the gnome with her so he can recover his memory, and try to find out what to do about the fairy-apple trees.

The solution to the problem is literally under their noses, and it's quite fascinating.

This is another really good book in the series.

[Edwina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well honestly, this was probably the only book I wanted to read as a child. Although I can't remember much what happened in the book, I loved exploring the world of fantasy along with the character; Jessie. I swear that this book probably changed my life in the process of be becoming a writer as I am now, and I love reading fantasy books because I get to expand my imagination as a reader and a writer. Honestly, I have been trying to find my copy of this book, at home which I had gotten as a young girl, but I can't seem to find it! :( So here I am, writing this review, hoping to only pour my utter feels of this amazing childhood read. Enjoy.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessie's grandmother sensed trouble in the realm. When she got there she went to the hidden valley. Soon she heard that the gnomes who worked there couldn't grow fairy apple trees and even the queen couldn't help them.

So Jessie tried to help them.
She got an idea because when she saw all the crumbs in a gnomes long beard she thought he could shake all the seeds and crumbs out of his beard and then fairy apple trees would grow. That's just what they did.

The queen was so very happy to hear this news because she was so sad when there where no fairy apple trees growing.

[Kathryn]

Aahhh! I read these when I was TINY!! I'd completely forgotten abut them but after reading the synopsis it's all coming back - the first book came with a charm-bracelet and each one after that had a charm

(when I was a bit older I read the Deltora Quest and Rowan of Rin series - didn't realise that they were by the same author!)

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was interesting how the fairy apple trees die and so the gnomes chopped down the trunks and forget to plant the seeds from the trees. So Jessie tells Bilbert to brush his beard because it is always dirty and seeds come tumbling out. Then trees grow from the seeds!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book (and the rest of the series) two or three stars. It is a really good book, for younger kids (7-9).
For me, I enjoyed it when I was younger, but now, it was.....interesting. Totally great series for young girls. Pretty easy read too.

[*Eva* · Rating 5 out of 5]

love it

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

goody!

[Makenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just a fun book to read and it was so funny it made me laugh!!

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

grrrrrrrrrrreat!!!!!!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was a little gross. Errr....Yuk.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are really cute. I might give in and buy them since Sam likes them so much and I have to put them on hold at the library (our library doesn't have all of them).

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as magical

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read. It was very thrilling.

[MJ]

i don't really remember, but i know i loved these when i was very young.

[Steven Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok.

[Shermaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is more suitable to girls 'cause this is a little bit about fairy.