Biên Niên Sử Linh Thú Huyền Thoại - Tập 1 - Đụng Độ Thần Thú

First Aid for Fairies #1

by Lari Don, Hai Hạnh (Translator)

Chẳng hề muốn nối nghiệp mẹ làm bác sĩ thú y nhưng Helen bất đắc dĩ chữa trị vết thương trên vó ngựa, hay nói đúng hơn, trên vó một sinh vật nửa ngựa, nửa người - một chàng nhân mã. Thế là cô bé học trò sống ở Scotland thế kỉ 21 đột ngột bị cuốn vào cuộc phiêu lưu phi thường ngập tràn bùa phép, yêu thuật, sát cánh cùng rồng, nhân mã, hoa tiên và các linh thú huyền thoại khác…

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Science Fiction Fantasy

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I'm a children's writer based in Scotland, and most of my fiction is inspired by the Scottish landscape and local legends. I love writing fantasy adventures for 8-12 year olds, including the Fabled Beast Chronicles and the Spellchasers trilogy, but I also love creating stories for other age groups.
I've gone darker and more dangerous in my YA thriller MindBlind.
And I've worked with amazing illustrators on picture books, including a retelling of the Scottish tale of the kelpie, The Secret of the Kelpie, with gorgeous pictures by Philip Longson, and a new fable about Nessie, The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, with fabulous artwork by Nataša Ilinčić.
I've written collections of myths and legends, including heroine tales from all over the world in Girls Goddesses & Giants, and Scottish tales in Breaking the Spell and Viking saga tales in The Dragon's Hoard, both illustrated by the wonderful Cate James.
I'm passionate about sharing old stories, creating new ones, and inspiring new young readers and writers. And I'm writing more adventures and retelling more myths, right now!
But I'm also reading... I read a lot of non-fiction, because a lot of my fictional ideas are inspired by folklore and history. I also read a lot of children’s fiction, because kids get all the best stories! And sometimes I remember how old I am, and read books for adults.
I also love discussing books, and answering queries about my books and stories, so please do get in touch. You can chat to me here on Goodreads, or through my own website, http://www.laridon.co.uk, or find me on Twitter @LariDonWriter, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laridonwriter, or Instagram: laridonwriter Have fun reading!

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh so so good. Thrust upon me by my 8-year-old, and she was quite right to insist I read it. Perfect satisfaction to be found in world, characters and plot - I have read generations worth of fantasy aimed at this age group, and Don is up there with the best of 'em. Think Diana Wynne Jones or Joan Aiken, plus laugh-out-loud snarky jokes about thinly disguised Rainbow Magic fairies.

[Lindsey Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great debut novel drawing on traditional stories, set in Scotland, about a girl who becomes embroiled in a world inhabited by fabled beasts. The current jacket is SO much better than this one. This is NOT a pink book... Ideal for smart readers of 9+, and a great readaloud.

[Julie Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

From Goodreads: Without warning, Helen is thrust into an extraordinary world filled with magic rituals, fantastic creatures, and a dangerous, powerful beast known as the Master, who would destroy it all. Everything hinges on finding the lost Book of Wisdom before the Winter Solstice. Can Helen work out the riddles and help her new friends to make amends for a foolish prank?

Quote from book: "Yann continued, "If the Master of the Maze has all the answers and follows none of the rules, and if no one else can ask the Book for help, he will soon have unlimited power over the fabled beasts. And he will not stop there." Yann came closer to Helen, and spoke quietly. "Soon he will look at your world and start using questions and answers to get round your magic, too." Helen shook her head. "We don't have magic." "Yes, you do, you just call it science." Yann turned away and spoke into the emptiness of the cave. "The one question to which the Master craves the answer is: how can I rule this world?"

My Opinion: Wow! No pressure there, kids! Helen is visited by Yann, a centaur with a horrible gash on his leg, and even though she doesn't believe in fabled creatures, she agrees to sew him up (her mother, a veterinarian, would love this because she wants Helen to become a vet, also, but Helen only wants one thing: to be a musician), and thus begins her foray into the wonderful world of mythical beings. She goes on a quest with Yann, a selkie, a phoenix, a fairy and a dragon, in search of the Book of Wisdom.

I enjoyed this book very much, most of all because of the kids (human and fabled being alike). They were written very well, in that they actually acted like kids, albeit kids on a very dangerous quest. The setting, Scotland, was described in detail, and the world building was great.

I think this book would definitely appeal to readers aged 8 to 12, which is the target audience. The fantasy aspect will appeal to a lot of kids this age, and the story itself will keep them reading.

Highly recommend: 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairies, clear-headed protagonists, rainbow magic jokes, violin playing, Scotland... what more do I need!

best quote: "Or those old English fairies who were turning their backs on the old magic and wishing to work only with rainbows. The Book said they'd grow out of it, eventually."

So yeah great book! Similar to Fairy Dust but cleverer and better for slightly older kids.

[Jules B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and I'm looking forward to reading the others in the series. Being a children's book, it's easy to think of plot holes, but I found myself brushing them away in favour of the tale anyway. I actually imagine some elements being quite scary for kids to read such as the description of the Master but I'm not a kid so it's, of course, alright. I really loved that it was set in Scotland and that Edinburgh made an appearance.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

[ to review at a later date - perhaps even re-read and review at a later date as well, though not urgent ]

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is it bad to rate a book you didn’t finish? I tried to read it, but with a huge pile of to-read books sitting next to me, I couldn’t get past chapter 2. The writing just isn’t very good. I’ve read plenty of children’s books with good writing. Just because a book is for kids, it doesn’t mean the writing can be crappy. Basically, it didn’t engage me, and when the description of a scene led me to believe the characters were traveling along relatively flat open land and suddenly there is a cliff that appears out of nowhere right in front of them (by way of poor descriptive writing, not some supernatural force), I almost stopped. I pushed a little further, then gave up because I didn’t want to waste my time. Who knows, maybe the story gets better, but I doubt the writing does. It’s probably a lot more tolerable for readers who don’t care about writing quality.

[Nguyen Anh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nếu cho nội dung 7/10 thì nhất định phải tặng 9/10 cho cách kể chuyện và các chi tiết nhỏ đẹp tuyệt vời của Lari Don. Helen và nhóm bạn của mình đã có một cuộc phiêu lưu nghẹt thở để tìm về Quyển Sách Nắm Giữ Mọi Câu Trả Lời bằng cách giải đáp các câu hỏi gợi ý manh mối trong khi chiến đấu chống lại Chủ Nhân của mê cung và đồng bọn. Chỉ trong vẻn vẹn 3 ngày nhưng Helen đã trải qua vô số điều mà trí tưởng tượng của cô bé cũng không với tới: chữa thương cho nhân mã, cứu sống một nàng tiên, cưỡi rồng, hoà tấu vĩ cầm cùng hải cẩu... và tham gia buổi tiệc Đông Chí cùng Linh thú.
Khác các cô bé trong những câu chuyện khác, Helen có tham vọng của riêng mình, nguyên tắc riêng của bản thân là không bao giờ nói dối và cố gắng giữ lời hứa (không nói dối nhưng nói tránh và từ chối trả lời thì được nha). Cô bé còn phải lật đi lật lại vấn đề những người bạn mình mới quen có thật sự là người tốt? Cô có theo đúng phe hay không chứ không đơn thuần nhắm mắt đi theo như những câu chuyện khác. Và ý định ban đầu của cô cũng rất đơn giản: được tham dự vào cuộc phiêu lưu chứ không phải giải cứu thế giới gì cả.
Điểm trừ là các nhân vật khác ngoài Helen khá ít đất diễn nên không bộc lộ được tính cách nhiều nhất là rồng và phượng hoàng dường như chỉ xuất hiện để tăng ấn tượng chứ không có tác dụng gì nhiều.

[joe 🦇🔮 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was one of my favourites growing up and it started my love for folklore and mythology — it’s a children’s book so it’s obviously not that advanced but it’s still a good, imaginative story and was full of nostalgia. i love their wee friend group with my whole heart and rona’s still my favourite to this day <3

[Tassilo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly started reading this book because i had it at home and no one out of my family ever read it.
For around 12 year olds it is a good and short fantasy story but for me it was just a random book I read and learnt some Scottish slang with.
Apart from that it had some plot holes but for a children’s book it is totally alright and quite cute 🧚‍♀️

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enjoyable adventure this book is. As the author was raised in the town where I work, I just had to give one of her series a go. I look forward to reading the next in this series and indeed her others

[Philip Kowalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

yann yann Yann

[Wilde Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young girl treats a mythical creature and ends up fighting evil.

The basic idea for this book was good, but I found the writing a bit stodgy.

Reading time around three hours.

[LISA JACKLING · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5☆

[Nusaybah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love fantastical stories then this is the book for you. When an injured centaur turns up at Helen's house she is pulled into a world of friendship and magic...

[Denise Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute adventure story for young person who believes in the fabled beast.

[A.C. Bradburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a wonderful series. We're half way through - kind of don't want the series to finish though!

[Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

An oldie but a goodie.i read this years agoand have since read it 16 more times it's SO GOOD, but not that well known. Lari don, this is book slays FR!

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic start to a series. I loved that it just went straight in to the adventure. I enjoyed meeting all the magical characters. Roll on book two.

[Isabella Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

have it signed 😉

[Martha MeGo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved this book! Since Narnia that I don’t read about so many magical creatures fighting for the common good of their world; there are centaurs, selkies, mermaids, dragons, fairies, fenix, etc.
The story takes place in UK again, this time in a little town at the south of Edinburg (I really wanna live there), with a 12 year old girl as our lead character. The backgrounds are still woods and some famous places from the country (like The Ring of Brodgar), which gives to the story some magic and mystery, since every adventure of the characters takes place at night.
Everything begins the night Helen heals Yann, a centaur, and the next day he tells her the story of his wound and what’s happening in the magical world… the younger of the magical creatures have lost the Book of Wisdom, which have all the questions and the answers you can imagine (seriously, all of them) and they should find it before the Winter Solstice following the leads that the book had left, and they must find it before The Master (here’s a hint, the full name of the master is The Master of the Labyrinth… do you know what creature is?)

The story has action (I want to fly in a dragon too), friendship and bravery… what you are not going to find is romance, since is a book for children (but I have a few ideas of who might end up together)

And at last, there are the characters… all of them have their own way of act and be, even Helen, no matter that she doesn’t want to become a vet, her medical skills saved her friends in more that one way.

Is a very good book, and I can’t wait to read the sequel!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main reason that I was drawn to the book at first was because of the cover. There's just something about it that caught my eye. The second thing that drew me to the book was the title. I love mythological beings and I love the way that children's book authors weave their stories with so much magic and make things come alive.
I really enjoyed the book over all and I believe that it would be a great book for older kids 10+ to read, but I also think that it would be a good read aloud book perfect for bedtime. I found Helen to be a likeable young girl but I wish we knew a wee bit more about her like her age and what she looked like just so I could get a better picture of her in my head, but perhaps the author will have included that information in the next book that chonicles Helen's adventures with fabled beasts.
I liked the sense of adventure and I love how the author wove scottish folklore into the story and made it accessable for younger readers/listeners as well as adding vivid desriptions of the other characters like Yann the centaur, Sapphire the dragon, Lavender the fairy and Rona the selkie as well as The Master the minotaur and his fauns that do his evil biding.
The use of historical events and places were also well used and added more dimension to the story. All in all this was a well written book that I would recommend parents to buy.

*I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.


★★★

[Lorena Miyuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma gracinha de livro, de personagens, de história, de paisagem, de escrita...! Enfim! Páginas para se abrir, tomar fôlego e devorar de uma vez só.
Não sei como nunca li nada da autora nem ouvi falar, mas ela merece muito as palmas pela cativante leitura que nos proporciona.

O livro em si é um conto de fadas moderno, mas com personagens bem conhecidos da literatura fantástica - tirando as selkies que, acho, é a primeira vez que vejo aparecer numa história propriamente dita, e não em lendas. A construção de cada personagem é muito bem feita, apesar de eu ter achado que a primeira imagem da Rona não foi bem passada, portanto me deu a impressão de que ela mudou tanto aos olhos do leitor quanto da personagem principal, a Helen, muito rapidamente. Yann, Lavender, Sapphire e Catesby são originais e muito bem tratados, cada um com sua personalidade moldada direitinho nas pouquíssimas páginas que o livro tem. Além disso, outro ponto forte e que merece destaque, é a construção dos cenários. Ah, Escócia! Toda desbravada em seus detalhes nas entrelinhas! Fora a constante menção a livros, magia, coisas antigas, que deu aquele toque fabuloso à trama e que não podia faltar.

Infelizmente os outros livros da série ainda não chegaram por aqui, no Brasil, mas espero que venham, valem muito a pena!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book in every sense! Set in the borders of Scotland, it is the story of Helen, a talented musician in the top year at Primary school. Her mum is a vet, but Helen hasn't paid much attention- she is more interested in her violin. One evening, she hears the sound of hooves limping up the lane, and, worried that her mum will be disturbed, she goes to deal with the most likely problem- a stone in a pony's hoof. However, what she thinks is a boy riding a pony turns out to be a young centaur, who tells her a tale of the Book of the magical peoples, which has gone missing, and the Master, an evil minotaur who is trying to get hold of it. After stitching Yann the centaur's wounds, Helen becomes involved in the quest for the Book, along with Yann, a selkie, a phoenix, a fairy and a dragon.

This is a great quest adventure for confident readers aged 8-12. It would be a great book to read aloud for children, and I think the pace of the story would carry along readers who may not particularly enjoy reading. Particular congratulations to the publishers for an attractive, non-gendered cove; sadly unusual these days. I have ordered the second book in the series!

[Linnae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yann is a centaur who has a problem. Well, a couple of problems, really. He and some buddies have lost the Book of Wisdom (BIG problem) and he has a nasty gash on his leg from escaping the forces of darkness chasing him. Helen is the daughter of a vet. Although her interests lean much more toward music, she has done plenty of time helping her mom in the clinic.

So when Yann comes to the surgery door, she reluctantly sews him up. This leads to her joining the quest to get the Book back (sort of like a scavenger hunt with cryptic clues to follow). During the course of their adventure, many more mythical beasts need Helen's medical know-how, and she is even put in charge of obtaining certain crucial clues. It's all well and good until their arch-enemy needs her help. Should she or shouldn't she? (Or does she even have a choice?)

When you read a lot of fantasy many of the plots start to sound the same. This was a totally different take on the world of fairy and the ways in which it interacts with the human world. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the very practical, human-world-oriented veterinary medicine being applied to fairy creatures.

I want to read the sequel.

[Stina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a cute and fanciful tale for kids of all ages.

Helen is the daughter of a veterinarian who wants nothing to do with the care of animals. She just wants to play her violin and be a musician when she grows up. But when a centaur with an injured leg that is much in need of a repair job makes his way to her home, she does what she can to help him, in exchange for his story of how he was injured.

After listening to his tale and meeting more of his fabled friends, Helen embarks on an adventure to help the band of friends find a book that has gone missing. A series of puzzles, late night adventures, and danger bond the group together in their race to retrieve the book before an evil minotaur does.

Each trial tests the group and proves to them more and more how much they need each other and how they each contribute to the success and importance of their journey.

Even though this book is intended for a younger audience, the pace, writing, and content do not in any way diminish the entertainment that an older reader can get from this story!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun adventure story- like Percy Jackson, except slightly younger, a Scottish girl protagonist and mythical beasts: centaurs, selkies, fairies, dragons, phoenixes, as fellow adventures. Helen doesn't want to be a vet like her mom; she's more interested in music and composing. But, when a boy leads an injured horse down the lane at dusk, Helen goes to help, to give her exhausted mother a few more minutes in the bath after a trying day. Only the horse and boy are one: a centaur, and in helping with some, slightly more than basic, first-aid, Helen is drawn into a quest with some young legendary beasts who have made a terrible mistake and put their peoples, and human-kind, in peril.

This is a perfect story for those who have moved beyond flower fairies and princesses and would like some grit and skills in their heroine. While full of fantasy and a hefty dose of wish-fulfillment, it also has pleasant doses of reality: Helen actually gets in trouble for repeatedly sneaking out at night, does research to acquire knowledge and wrestles with the deceit her double life requires.

[CC. Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen's first love is music and she has little time or attention for her mother's veterinary skills until the night a centaur crashes into her life. The centaur needs lots of help, and not just the medical kind. He reluctantly enlists Helen to help him correct a mistake he made. Helen teams up with the centaur, a shape-shifting selkie, a cranky dragon and a very Tinkerbell-like fairy to fix their mistake, the theft of an important book, before their parents find out, and before it falls into some very wrong hands.

This was a very clean book, absolutely nothing inappropriate in it so parents could hand it to a young reader with no fear. It is probably best for elementary readers and would probably not be of interest to teens. The British, or Welsh, setting was very new to me and enjoyable. It seemed to be one of those books that could be read in any time---just a good, old-fashioned fantasy adventure story.

[Emily McCord · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Aid for Fairies is a great YA supernatural read. It is fast-paced and attention-grabbing, similar to The Lightning Thief, but without the angsty edge. Helen is a daughter of a vet, and is called upon to doctor young supernatural creatures who have gotten into trouble. The characters form close friendships while still knowing their parents' expectations too. I really liked the sense of right and wrong these kids and creatures have, even though they don't always do the right thing. I would recommend this book for 4th-7th grade students, and it's definitely one I would feel comfortable reading with my students.

[Allie Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Aid for Fairies is appealing on a number of levels. It is a fantasy adventure but introduces young readers to traditional Scottish mythological characters, and explores some of the Scottish countryside as well. And while Helen is surrounded by creatures of magic, she herself is solidly grounded in science and reality, heals based on the advice from books, and is usually the voice of reason and good sense. She's a good character for her young readers to relate to, because the choices she makes are so well-considered, and every decision comes with a lesson/consequence that isn't so heavy-handed that it will be ignored.