Celia and the Fairies

by Karen McQuestion

When Celia Lovejoy's grandmother moves in with her family, she tells her granddaughter magical stories of fairies living in the woods behind the Lovejoy home. Ten-year-old Celia believes they are just that-stories-until the day she receives an unexpected visit from Mira, a real, live fairy. Mira needs a favor in a matter of the utmost importance. It seems that Celia's house and the adjoining woods are in danger of being demolished to make way for a new highway. The person behind this horrible plan? Vicky McClutchy, a spiteful woman who holds a childhood grudge against Celia's dad. Fairy magic can counteract this evil, but it will only work with Celia's help. Aided by neighborhood friend Paul, Celia begins a danger-filled quest that takes her out in the woods at night to face her greatest fears. This magical tale of a plucky girl combines an entertaining story with an underlying message about the power of ordinary kindness.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fae, Ebooks, Young Adult

143 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2010

About the author

Karen McQuestion is an Amazon Charts bestselling author whose books have sold over three million copies. Some of her titles include The Moonlight Child, Dovetail, and A Limited Run.

Her publishing story has been covered by the Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and NPR. Additionally she appeared on ABC's World News Now and America This Morning.

Her website:www.karenmcquestion.com\

Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-M...

Reviews

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll be honest. Brutally so. I saw this book and bought it, but in the back of my head I was saying, "Oh really, the lady that wrote that amazing adult women's fiction book, A Scattered Life, wrote a fairy tale for kids? Really? Jumping the shark much? Well, let's put this suckfest to the side to read later." *hangs head in shame* The author stopped by my blog and left a comment and we ended up exchanging a tweet or two when she emailed me asking if I would like a free review copy of Celia and the Fairies, to which I replied something like, "Oh, absolutely, I actually already bought it a while back and cannot wait to read it, it just keeps getting pushed back." (notice no suckfest comment) She still sent me a copy to share with a friend. ANYWAY...

I should have never doubted this author for a second. This is one of the most heartwarming and charming little fairy tales I've had the privilege of reading. I actually started it with my daughter but read ahead because I got so pulled into it. There's the mean old aunt next door, the little girl who's finding magic, the grandma who helps her find the way and... well, there's fairies, people! Fairies! Little human looking things with wings that fly around and glow! While set in the modern times, it had the feel of a story that had been retold before (not ripped off - that's not what I mean at all - but an old story told to little girls at bedtime).

McQuestion has, in all of her books that I've read, an amazing way of transporting you into her story. She makes the places and people come alive. I am pretty darn sure I've met Celia before, somewhere, somehow. Her writing really is THAT good.

I cannot wait to finish this book with my daughter. Her little eyes were all lit up while we were reading it. A note to parents though: If you have a kid (my daughter is 7) that is on the cusp of learning about Santa, etc, there's a line in there that might open up that discussion - depends on if you want it opened or not. I chose to change that sentence a bit myself. *laugh*

For the adults out there... this story will make you believe in fairies yourself. And in the author's talent for creating. To her, I owe a large "I'm very sorry for thinking it was going to suck". I shall never doubt again.

Very very highly recommended. I wish I could say more, but read the description, then go read the book. It's truly beautiful.

[ValeriGail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did try to read this with my kiddos (5 year old twin boys and 4 year old daughter) but found it frustrating having to stop reading! I wanted to know what was gonna happen! So, I totally finished it without them! ;-). I loved it! I would love to read more about grammy's story (what did she wish for??) and other fairy charges on the block! It was a really cute book and I'm looking forward to reading it slowly with the kids soon.

There's a lot of excitement in the book for a younger audience. My kiddos love that. It's not too scary. There's clear good over bad. This would make a great bed time story for younger kids and a great solo read for older ones. And well, I'm 34 and it made a wonderful bed time story for me! One night, I woke up cause my son had flipped the stair light on real quick and the first thought that came to my mind was "a fairy!" before I realized it was just the light going on then off! Haha. And the shadow things, I just have to say, totally fit with how I see negative thoughts. That made it even more creepy for me.

I totally recommend this book for kids of all ages! :-)

[OjoAusana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute

Cute middle grade book. I liked the story, the main fairy mira had a very tinkerbell feel which was cute, will probably use for a bedtime story for kids lol

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not absolutely certain of my ORIGINAL start/end date of reading this book as I only JUST realized that I never uploaded my review for it (but I just re-read it & STILL enjoyed it the same) or ANY of the paperback or hardcover books I've been reading &, SOMEHOW, my Goodreads logged out on my phone! I'm SO very sorry to Karen McQuestion for the delay in this review!

I am like MANY of the other parents who have reviewed this already! I started reading this with my daughter but, when it came time for her to get to bed, I didn't want to stop reading...so I didn't! LOL! And, unlike one reviewer, I don't find anything to be "too sweet" about the story! In fact...I think this world could benefit from passing on/spreading a little "sweetness"/kindness everyday! I LOVED this story AND "Secrets of the Magic Ring" which, so far, are the only Karen McQuestion books I've had the pleasure of reading yet but I'm OH SO HAPPY that I won the giveaway to have been able to HAVE that experience! Thank you!

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet fairytale. I think it was a bit young for me but I am going to give it to my granddaughter. I think she will really enjoy it.

[Beatrice Followill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magical

A sweet Magical story , if you believe in Fairys you will love this book even if you dont, it's still a magical tale.

[Cyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

GENRE: Tween Fantasy
THEME: Fairies

This is a story for all ages, targeted towards the tween audience Karen McQuestion writes a short tale of a young child who learns about responsibility and friendship through the guidance of fairies.

Celia is a young girl who is wise beyond her years, a child to a family who create toys for a living. After her grandmother comes to live with her, Celia is pulled into a whirlwind adventure after she discovers that fairies really do exist.

When Celia’s father’s old foe comes to take everything the family loves away from them, Celia will need all the help she can get to stop the greedy and villainous Vicky McClutchy. Help not only comes from the fairies but her best friend Paul, who along with Celia learn the true meaning of friendship.
Celia and the Fairies is a great choice for a bedtime story, McQuestion uses magic and real life situations to create an enjoyable tale for any age. Her characters are enjoyable appropriate for the age group. I would recommend this book to children twelve and under, it teaches how to look past the bad a try to bring out the good in someone. I believe that children would be able to understand the importance of the message but it’s subtle enough that they wont realize their learning from it.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few things I did not care for:
I did not like that Celia considers toys like spy kits and science kits, etc, to be "boy toys".

I did not like that a boy fairy was fired from his job. Mean-spirited for a book about fairies! And COMPLETELY irrelevant to the plot.

I did not like that the lead fairy (Mira) encouraged Celia to trespass and steal back a flute. And then Celia does so. (Not to mention the flute has been out of Celia's family's possession for thirty years. Hello, Statute of Limitations?)



But basically I felt this book was "been there done that." This is probably because we read the Fairy Realm series this year, and it was pretty similar.

[eRin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! Celia's grandmother has moved in with her family, but her parents warn Celia not to listen to Grandma's stories about fairies because they aren't real. Celia soon finds out otherwise, but having fairies in her life doesn't make it any easier; in fact, now she's got more responsibility than ever. A smart, simple story that teaches great lessons about greed and doing the right thing.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read for the 8-10 set, and entertaining enough for adults as well. Has a bit of moral to the story, but doesn't smack you in the face with it. I think this story of Celia and the fairies that she discovers in her backyard would be a wonderful read-aloud selection.

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable little story!

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia and the Fairies by Karen McQuestion is a story of magic, imagination and the power of kindness. Ten-year-old Celia Lovejoy is excited to learn that her Grammy will be moving in with her family. She no longer has to go to Paul’s house, her neighbor, after school anymore. Grammy has the best stories filled with magical fairies that live in the woods behind their house. She believes that they are just stories until she receives an unexpected visit from Mirea, a real, live fairy! Mira needs help. Celia’s house and the woods are in danger of being demolished. The person who is behind this horrible danger is someone who holds a grudge against Celia’s father. And while fairies can fight against evil, they need Celia’s help. With Paul’s help, Celia starts her danger-filled journey that takes her deep into the woods at night and faces her greatest fears.
Celia and the Fairies is a fun, sweet story filled with magic and the message that every day kindness can help change the world. It is the first book of The Watchful Woods series. It is written as a Young Adult novel but I think readers of all ages would enjoy this story. Celia is a little girl whose parents have not allowed her to believe in imaginary things like the Easter Bunny or any sort of magic, rather teaching her the realities of the world. When her Grammy moves in, Celia learns that magic does, in fact, exist and it can help with the realities of the real world. I enjoyed the story as it has the message that even the smallest child can affect change. Change starts close to home before spreading to the wider world. Kindness to others is a simple change we can all do. I recommend Celia and the Fairies.

Celia and the Fairies is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review... Many thanks to the author, Karen McQuestion, for not only sending a signed copy but also including a very pretty bookmark!

I found 'Celia and the Fairies' charming. It is a gentle moral tale for children of around ages 7 to 10 depending on reading ability (maybe younger if they are read to). The tale is well summed up in one short quote, which comes towards the end of the book. A character says:

"I want to do it because it's the right thing to do. Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it's always right."

At the end we are left with a 'happy ever after' feeling: good triumphs over bad and broken friendships are restored. These come about as a result of the selfless actions of Celia, the central child character, encouraged and guided by her Grammy after whom she is named. We find that Grammy once lived in Celia's house, and slept in Celia's room, and that many years ago she had some encounters with fairies, not that anyone seems to believe her.

It is up to Celia, the young girl 'hero', to save the day when the 'baddie' in the tale, has a plan that needs to be stopped ... and, of course, there really are fairies in the woods. They encourage and do what they can to help Celia who is given a mission that only she can undertake. There are one or two darker elements in this story, but they are few and far between and due to the author's careful writing I don't think could be viewed as very frightening for small children.

I would certainly recommend this book as a birthday or Christmas gift or stocking filler.

[Peggy McAloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Lovejoy is ecstatic when she discovers her grandmother will soon be moving back into their home. Celia didn't know her Grammy had the same room she now inhabits when she was growing up.

She couldn't have even guessed that her grandmother climbed down the vines from the balcony of her bedroom at night to frolic in the Watchful Woods with the fairies.

You see, Celia's father has an old nemesis in town and her name is Vicky McClutchy. She wants nothing more to humiliate Celia's dad for withholding friendship and acceptance when they were kids. Her revenge will be to destroy the only home Celia's ever known and take the family business, Lovejoy World.  Not only is their highest selling game, Trixie-Dixie the Good Deed Game at risk but so are the employees they have treated like family through the years.

Celia and the Fairies is a story of the remarkable courage a ten-year-old child can muster when everything they love is threatened. It's a lesson in friendship and loss. While children may have nightmares about the shadow things that whisper fear into their ears, they will be empowered to believe in things that are far greater than themselves. For any child who has faced adversity or bullying, this book will give them hope to make the changes to improve everything.

[Kerry Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and read it to see if it would be a good gift for my nieces. I love the story and that the little girl is empowered to solve a problem, with the help of magic and following her heart, that her parents can't, and that it reiterates that she has more power than she knows, repeatedly. I believe that's an important message for little girls. The part that will stop me sharing it, or at least cause me to put a warning label on it for parents, is that in the beginning there's a bit where the parents berate the grandmother for telling Celia about fairies stating that they have raised her to know that there is no Santa, no tooth fairy, no Easter Bunny because they didn't want her to have the moment when she finds out they're not real. I feel this book is geared towards the age of kids who still believe, so to have that section in is problematic. The short chapters and easy language, and fact that the main character also asks about words she doesn't understand make this a great bedtime story minus that section. I would have rated the story higher if not for that, and am debating whether to purchase to give as a gift because of that.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick little read. Aimed at a MUCH younger audience. Not sure if we were told how old Celia is ... elementary school still. She seemed to be around 8-10 years old. That's probably who would enjoy this. I could tell right off it was too childish for me (even though I'm OLD I like YA, but this is pre-YA), and too "goody" ... just oozing in sweetness and positivity, eye-rollingly so. Celia's parents own a game company, and one of their games is the "Good Deed Game". Really? And even though with a wish you can't force someone to do something, you can wish for their heart to be softened and to see things from another's perspective, thus completely turning a Cruella-de-Ville type personality into a Fairy Godmother type.

So many of the "fairy" books out there are actually "fae" which has it's own world, and isn't really the cute, Tinkerbell type fairy. This however IS the cute Tinkerbell type.

Really more like 2 stars, but I feel bad rating it that as so many others seem to have loved it, and I am too old and jaded to be a true judge I guess.

[Gab · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very sweet children's' book that I didn't realise was a children's' book! Celia, whose grandmother is also called Celia, lives in a beautiful house in the woods. Her parents own a toy company and she is best friends with the boy next door. Celia's grandmother comes to live with them and Celia is very happy as her grandmother has the best stories. One of her favourite stories is about the fairies who live in the woods behind the house. When she sees a tiny light in the woods, Celia realises that maybe her grandmother's stories were not just stories. The villain of this book is someone who used to go to school with Celia's dad, who wants to take over their toy company. The fairies have a mission for Celia - to prevent this from - and give her one wish with very strict conditions.

[Andrea Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded the audible version of this book for my 5 year old daughter. We decided to listen to it as a family on a long car ride. My daughter loved it! She was very excited to get back in the car so she could listen to more of Celia and the Fairies. My husband and I enjoyed it too. It was great to all enjoy the book as a family.
It was very age appropriate for our 5 year old. There was excitement, life lessons, and good morals exhibited through out the story. The audible narration was very well done as well.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodreads giveaway.
I really loved this book, it is definitely a middle grade book and it's a very short read. It is a touching tale of a girl facing some of her fears with the help of the fairies. She will have to be courageous for the sake of her best friend and family I really enjoyed the book. Recommend.

[Nancy Phy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story

I love this story and the lesson it teaches. It's one that would be an awesome bed time story. It reminded me of the stories I used to make up to get my younger sister to go to sleep. I would recommend this book to parents of young children and anyone who enjoys stories about fairies.

[toni Baechtel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic!

This is such a darling book!! Celia(both young and old) are terrific characters, so sweet and open. It is a book you can read to toddlers and they will be a s enchanted as I was. One can just imagine Ms. McQuestion’s fingers putting off a spark of light with every keystroke. A MUST READ!!

[Jane Pettitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A touching story , when the grandmother moves in she tells Celia a story when she was young growing up in the same house. When sitting on her balcony lights came but they were fairies and they needed her help , giving her a flute , which has been hidden for years. Celia finds the pouch but only half is there, where is the other half? A story of growth, love and understanding. Enjoy

[Matt Mobley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute story, not at all like I was expecting. This bookand story was very simple and it read like most children's fairytale. All thing bright and in the sun and good and darkness is bad. It's the kind of story I could tell my nieces and nephews this Summer. I wasn't disappointed but still.

[Norma Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series!

Loved the tie-in to the prequel I've already got. Definitely a series I will recommend. I enjoyed the way that taking responsibility for your own actions was presented!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was absolutely charming! It is aimed at a much younger audience but as an adult I found it interesting and entertaining. This would be a great chapter book for a young reader or a bedtime story.

[bonnie vansandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

One can change the world.

Even as an adult it was an encouraging reminder that good is always the best choice. Evil is easy , doing the right thing is always more difficult but the consequences are pure.

[Pat Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read other children's books that impressed me more but I think if I were a young girl I would enjoy this book. Read it because I like the author and the title sounded interesting. I'd recommend it for children but not for adults.

[Jean McCOmb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually read this type of book but it happened to come my way and I read it. This is a delightful story and is sure to out the reader in a happy mood. Easy going book for I think ages 5-100 years old. I was so please with this book I am now reading the 2nd book in the series.

[Cindy Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story for young kids

Very easy read... Kept my interest even though it was a story for kids. I thought it was a well put together story. Young girls would love it.