A Magic Spark

Fairylight Friends #1

by Jessica Young, Marie Vanderbemden (illustrator)

Ruby, Iris, and Pip go to fairy school together and they are best friends. Ruby loves to make art, Iris loves to fly fast, and Pip loves to grow things. Now, each of them must discover their special fairy power. Fly along with these fairy friends on their magical adventures, as they bake a snazzy cake, zoom across the night sky, and plan a big surprise party.

Genres: Fantasy, Picture Books, Fairies, Childrens, Chapter Books, Juvenile, Graphic Novels

64 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

Jessica Young grew up in Ontario, Canada, and now she lives in Tennessee. When she's not making up stories, she loves sharing the creative process with kids. Her books include I'll Meet You in Your Dreams, the Fairylight Friends early reader series, the Haggis and Tank Unleashed early chapter book series, Play This Book, Pet This Book, A Wish is a Seed, My Blue is Happy, the Finley Flowers chapter book series, Spy Guy the Not-So-Secret Agent, and her forthcoming board book, Baby's Here! (2022).

Reviews

[Allison Schoel · Rating 5 out of 5]

EHEHEHHEHEHE I need more! ✨☺️🩷

[Talyr Lerwill]

Read this with my kindergartener who is learning to read. It was an excellent “intro to chapter books” and she loved it! 🧚

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tiny chapters.
Color pictures.
1st grade reading level.
My kid let me read it to her and liked it.
Directions to draw a character at the end.
Open ended response question and invitation to write your own story.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey, everyone! I just finished this super awesome book called "A Magic Spark," and I can't wait to tell you all about it! It's like stepping into a world full of magic, fairies, and the coolest adventures!

So, there are three best friends – Ruby, Iris, and Pip – and they all go to fairy school together. How cool is that? Ruby is the art wizard, Iris loves zooming around super fast, and Pip is like a plant-growing expert. They're the dream team of fairy friends!

But here's the super exciting part – each of them has to discover their very own special fairy power. Imagine that! It's like having your own magical superpower. Ruby, Iris, and Pip go on the most amazing adventures together.

They bake the snazziest cake you can ever imagine. Seriously, it's like a cake from a fairy dreamland! Then, they zoom across the night sky. I mean, who wouldn't want to fly with their fairy friends under the stars?

And guess what? They plan the biggest surprise party ever! It's like a party with a touch of fairy sparkle and a whole lot of fun. I wish I could go to a party like that!

The best part about the book is that it's like joining Ruby, Iris, and Pip on all their magical adventures. The pictures are so colorful and cute; they make the story even more awesome.

If you love fairies, magic, and having the best time with your friends, then "A Magic Spark" is the perfect book for you. It's like a magical journey that makes you smile from the first page to the very end. So, grab the book, and let the fairy adventures begin! 🧚‍♀️✨

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this early graphic novel series for the very youngest of readers. The illustrations were cut and pasted, flipped, then used multiple times. I feel like even the smallest kids deserve more engagement than that. The story itself was chopped into age-appropriate chapters. Kids will love the colorful pages and the map of the fairyland in front. While the text promotes happiness, kindness, and strong sense of self, I thought it was oversimplified. Just because little ones can't read big words by themselves or complicated sentences, that doesn't mean the story has to be dumbed down. I was also disappointed that each character only ever did what was easy for them, or what aligned with their super-fairy-power, or what came naturally that they were interested in. I'll read the rest to see if they improve. I wouldn't say they are bad for kids, but there are stronger choices.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby, Iris, and Pip are young fairies. Their teacher at Fairy School says they will soon figure out their special magical skills. What could they be? As they bake a cake, try to go to the Moon, and tend a garden they each discover a special skill and then decide to throw a surprise party using their skills for their teacher.

Ruby, Iris, and Pip are adorably illustrated and sweet to want to use their abilities to do something nice for their teacher. A cute step into chapter books for beginning readers.

Notes on content:
Ethnic diversity: Each of the fairies has a different skin tone and their fairy teacher appears to be Black.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby, Iris, and Pip go to Fairy School, but they don't know what special kind of magic they each have yet. Their teacher, Ms. Goldwing tells them that they'll discover it soon enough. Broken into five separate stories, the first introduces us to the characters while the following three follow each fairy's road to discover their magic, with the last story bringing them all together.

The second story of Ruby and Pip remind me of the Little Red Hen folktale. This is a good book for beginner readers and lovers of magic and fairies.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ughhhhhh I swear the acorn/branches books targeted towards girls are always so blah.

The stories don’t really connect. Technically they’re all finding their powers, but it’s not really explained. And literally, one of the powers is to make things fancy.

The illustrations are cute and bright, but sometimes the font placement seems off.

[Nusrat Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, If you count audiobook as a 'read' one for your year challenge then this should also be counted as my little 6 years old read this one almost by herself to me! What a proud moment for a reader mommy! keep us and our reading list in your prayers please. Also, this book is a cute one. Kids gonna love it!

[Alicia Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

For: fairy fans; readers wanting a book with short chapters and illustrations to ease into reading on their own.

Possible red flags: impatience; characters in peril; not helping a friend/taking advantage of them.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairylight friends are three fairies looking to find their magic in this beginning chapter book. I read this aloud to my son, and he loved the cute characters. Each fairy has their own personality and interests, art, speedy flight, and growing things, which makes this a great read for lots of kids!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three fairy friends (including a boy fairy!) learn what kind of magic they each have. Then, they use their magic to have a surprise party for their teacher. Despite it not being his type of magic, I didn't like that Pip didn't help Ruby bake her cake and only came to get the finished product.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute! My kids would love this book!!

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short chapter book intended for ages K-2. For fans of fairies and colorful stories. Each of the protagonist is trying to find their fairy magic and do so by the end of their chapter.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute art, beginning graphic novel, or even a beginning reader level. Great for fans of Bo the Unicorn or BunBun and BonBon

[Nadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute enough and simple but I won't be continuing the series.

[Maisey Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fairies

[Maleeha Siddiqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful first book in the series! My 5 year old adores it when I read it out loud to her. The characters are particularly endearing and the illustrations are vibrant.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave my 7 year old little trouble and she loves the fairies!

[Raven Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about friendship, finding your talent and having fun. Modern characters and personalities

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was more interesting for the adult listener than some of the acorn series books. And I loved that the characters were diverse.

2023 - Maddie really likes this series.