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missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
Gail Carson Levine, author of the insanely awesome novel "Ella Enchanted," always thought that Wendy was crazy for going home when she could have stayed with Peter Pan in Neverland. At least that's what her mini-bio on the dust jacket of her new novel says. Levine also dedicates the book to her first boyfriend, Peter Pan.
One of Disney's newest marketing ventures is Disney Fairies, which is promoting Tinker Bell and the other characters found in Levine's novel among other fairies. (There's also a series of Fairy books for younger readers and a CGI film, not directly related to the events relayed in "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg," which is due out this fall on Disney DVD. If you want to learn more, the Disney Fairies have their own website--but be advised it might take a bit to load on slower computers.) When I first heard about this new project, I was intrigued since I am a fan of fairies. At the same time, I was a bit worried. There's something very commercial, and even counterintuitive, about a writer creating a story with characters that have already been dealt with by other authors (and a lot of movies!). Still, I decided to give it a try.
Before even getting into the story, though, I have to say that this novel is quite beautiful. The actual book is made of high quality paper to accommodate the illustrations that often feature as tw-page spreads throughout the novel. These pictures, watercolors painted by David Christiana, are stunning. The colors are subtle and really the skill is just so obvious in all of the drawings that viewing them is a joy. Christiana manages to stay true to the original Disney vision for Tinker Bell while making her "look" slightly new and different to better fit in with the other fairies.
Unfortunately, it takes more than great illustrations to sustain a good book. The basic plot stays pretty true to some of the elements found in the original story of Peter Pan. The book starts when a baby laughs (every time a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born). This fairy, named Prilla, is special. Not only is she going to be a Never Fairy in Neverland, she is also unlike any fairy the island has seen before. Prilla says "please" and "thank you" like humans (called "Clumsies" by fairies). She even curtsies and apologizes. Stranger still, Prilla is able to move between Neverland and the dreams of Clumsy children.
Every Fairy in Neverland has a special talent (water, baking, pots and pans, etc.)--every fairy except for Prilla. However, when a storm strikes the island injuring Mother Dove (the source of the Fairy Dust that allows Never Fairies to work their magic) Prilla doesn't have much time to worry about not having a talent as she and two other fairies are sent out to try and find a way to heal Mother Dove.
I had several problems with the story. The idea of each fairy having a talent, while superficially cute, has deeper problems upon further investigation. It just feels too much like each fairy having a clique and, even worse, the story spends a lot of time focusing on Prilla being special in a bad way for not having a talent. This issue is resolved by the end of the story, but it just seems like a bad message to send to children. (And what's up with the name Prilla? Seriously.)
The narrative of the story also started to grate very near the beginning of the book. I haven't read J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" so I don't know if Levine was trying emulate his style or not--I think she was but need to investigate further--but it just didn't work. Frankly, it sounded like Levine was writing in a style that was not her own and with which she was not entirely comfortable.
"Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" also seemed to be having an identity crisis. The book looks like a novel for older children. The print is small and there is a lot of it. But the story sometimes sounds like it was written for much younger children with prose that lacks the dimension and depth of books for an older audience. At the same time, though, the events of the novel (a fairy cutting off her own wings, a dying dove, among other problematic events) suggest that it's more appropriate for an older audience.
The best parts of this novel were when Levine was looking at the characters originally found in "Peter Pan." Her descriptions of the mermaids, and of Tinker Bell's relationship with Peter were really enjoyable. Captain Hook also features in the plot and was awesome. Unfortunately all of these events take only about ten pages combined(the book is 208).
This book has a lot going for it and I wanted to like it more than I did, but all of the great pieces never come together (with the mediocre ones) to create a solid, enjoyable whole.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
One of Disney's newest marketing ventures is Disney Fairies, which is promoting Tinker Bell and the other characters found in Levine's novel among other fairies. (There's also a series of Fairy books for younger readers and a CGI film, not directly related to the events relayed in "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg," which is due out this fall on Disney DVD. If you want to learn more, the Disney Fairies have their own website--but be advised it might take a bit to load on slower computers.) When I first heard about this new project, I was intrigued since I am a fan of fairies. At the same time, I was a bit worried. There's something very commercial, and even counterintuitive, about a writer creating a story with characters that have already been dealt with by other authors (and a lot of movies!). Still, I decided to give it a try.
Before even getting into the story, though, I have to say that this novel is quite beautiful. The actual book is made of high quality paper to accommodate the illustrations that often feature as tw-page spreads throughout the novel. These pictures, watercolors painted by David Christiana, are stunning. The colors are subtle and really the skill is just so obvious in all of the drawings that viewing them is a joy. Christiana manages to stay true to the original Disney vision for Tinker Bell while making her "look" slightly new and different to better fit in with the other fairies.
Unfortunately, it takes more than great illustrations to sustain a good book. The basic plot stays pretty true to some of the elements found in the original story of Peter Pan. The book starts when a baby laughs (every time a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born). This fairy, named Prilla, is special. Not only is she going to be a Never Fairy in Neverland, she is also unlike any fairy the island has seen before. Prilla says "please" and "thank you" like humans (called "Clumsies" by fairies). She even curtsies and apologizes. Stranger still, Prilla is able to move between Neverland and the dreams of Clumsy children.
Every Fairy in Neverland has a special talent (water, baking, pots and pans, etc.)--every fairy except for Prilla. However, when a storm strikes the island injuring Mother Dove (the source of the Fairy Dust that allows Never Fairies to work their magic) Prilla doesn't have much time to worry about not having a talent as she and two other fairies are sent out to try and find a way to heal Mother Dove.
I had several problems with the story. The idea of each fairy having a talent, while superficially cute, has deeper problems upon further investigation. It just feels too much like each fairy having a clique and, even worse, the story spends a lot of time focusing on Prilla being special in a bad way for not having a talent. This issue is resolved by the end of the story, but it just seems like a bad message to send to children. (And what's up with the name Prilla? Seriously.)
The narrative of the story also started to grate very near the beginning of the book. I haven't read J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" so I don't know if Levine was trying emulate his style or not--I think she was but need to investigate further--but it just didn't work. Frankly, it sounded like Levine was writing in a style that was not her own and with which she was not entirely comfortable.
"Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" also seemed to be having an identity crisis. The book looks like a novel for older children. The print is small and there is a lot of it. But the story sometimes sounds like it was written for much younger children with prose that lacks the dimension and depth of books for an older audience. At the same time, though, the events of the novel (a fairy cutting off her own wings, a dying dove, among other problematic events) suggest that it's more appropriate for an older audience.
The best parts of this novel were when Levine was looking at the characters originally found in "Peter Pan." Her descriptions of the mermaids, and of Tinker Bell's relationship with Peter were really enjoyable. Captain Hook also features in the plot and was awesome. Unfortunately all of these events take only about ten pages combined(the book is 208).
This book has a lot going for it and I wanted to like it more than I did, but all of the great pieces never come together (with the mediocre ones) to create a solid, enjoyable whole.
You can find this review and more on my blog Miss Print
abril_burgoss's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5⭐
La historia de me hizo como una película de campanita más, me gustó mucho leer más de este mundo
La historia de me hizo como una película de campanita más, me gustó mucho leer más de este mundo
synthesizeher's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
literarystrawberry's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
I haven't read this in ages, and it was honestly delightful. I love how much creativity and heart Levine put into this instead of just churning out something generic (like the rest of this franchise seems to have done... I guess I shouldn't talk, since I only technically saw the first Tinker Bell movie, I just know that even as a kid I was disappointed that it wasn't like Levine's books, and looking at the fandom wiki it doesn't seem like the other movies got any better).
I remembered a decent amount of the main story, but there were several unexpected lines that made me laugh (e.g. "Hook snored too, but his snores were refined. He snored in iambic pentameter, with an occasional spondee thrown in"), I really enjoyed the quirky details of the world building, and I'd forgotten all about the references to how Peter broke Tink's heart. Tbh I feel like Levine's characterization of Peter ("...he used to tell her his jokes and ideas, and she'd admired every one. Extravagantly. She'd admired them extravagantly. ... Of course, Peter hadn't reciprocated. He wasn't much of a listener, or much of an admirer of anything that didn't come from him") is much more accurate to the book than Disney's usual portrayal, and I'm kind of surprised they let her get away with it. But I'm glad that she did. And I'm glad that Levine portrayed Tink's heartbreak in a way that took it seriously instead of just making her out to be petty and jealous, and I'm extra glad that she has Tink out of that one-sided relationship.
All in all, definitely worth the re-read, and I'm looking forward to checking out the other books again.
I remembered a decent amount of the main story, but there were several unexpected lines that made me laugh (e.g. "Hook snored too, but his snores were refined. He snored in iambic pentameter, with an occasional spondee thrown in"), I really enjoyed the quirky details of the world building, and I'd forgotten all about the references to how Peter broke Tink's heart. Tbh I feel like Levine's characterization of Peter ("...he used to tell her his jokes and ideas, and she'd admired every one. Extravagantly. She'd admired them extravagantly. ... Of course, Peter hadn't reciprocated. He wasn't much of a listener, or much of an admirer of anything that didn't come from him") is much more accurate to the book than Disney's usual portrayal, and I'm kind of surprised they let her get away with it. But I'm glad that she did. And I'm glad that Levine portrayed Tink's heartbreak in a way that took it seriously instead of just making her out to be petty and jealous, and I'm extra glad that she has Tink out of that one-sided relationship.
All in all, definitely worth the re-read, and I'm looking forward to checking out the other books again.
toloveisdestroy's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely gorgeous illustrations partnered with an actually enjoyable story. Very familiar if you were in the age range that watched the Tinkerbell films Disney Channel featured. Cute, sweet, and a bit more complex which is just why I enjoy in children tales.
pascaleb's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes you just have to read a really cute short book - loved this one!
anabbesteves's review against another edition
5.0
Loveeeee itttttttt since I was a baby! I'm almost 17 and I still love it! It's so beautiful.
zoeelizabethk's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed coming back to Levine's fairy stories! There's definitely nostalgia here, but also good writing and characterization, and this is a great book for children and middle grade.
lberestecki's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
yellowmoonreads's review against another edition
4.0
2 year old daughter- 5/5 stars
3 year old son- 5/5 stars
Me- 3/5 stars
Final rating: 4.3/5
3 year old son- 5/5 stars
Me- 3/5 stars
Final rating: 4.3/5