The Tooth Fairy Wars

April 15, 2014
A lad's determination to keep his baby teeth sets him against not only the tooth fairy, but the whole Fay bureaucracy behind her. Far more interested in the teeth than the money, Nathan ingeniously hides each fallen chopper--to no avail, as his assigned tooth fairy is just as determined to collect them, and she comes armed with a high-tech Super Tooth Sensomatic to do the job. Clad in formal office togs and topped with a 'do that wouldn't dare show even a hair out of place in Parker's comically detailed digital paintings, the tiny tooth fairy positively oozes bureaucratic severity. But Nathan outlasts her and even a squad of thuggish enforcers euphemistically dubbed "Tooth Experts" from the 15th League of Enchanted Commerce to earn both a rare certificate of exemption and a dental rebate. " 'Thanks!' said Nathan. 'I'll keep them forever.' / And he did." The increasingly stern official missives from the tooth fairy are depicted in typescript on letterhead in the illustrations. While children are unlikely to have encountered communications of this ilk on their own behalfs, they will likely have seen their grown-ups tearing their hair out over similar ones--and their grown-ups will enjoy them thoroughly. Go, Nathan! Stick it to the Man...er, Fairy. (Picture book. 6-8)

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June 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Most children are eager to exchange their lost teeth for money from the Tooth Fairy. Not Nathan, who wants to keep all his baby teeth "forever." Thus begins a series of skirmishes between a determined boy and an equally obstinate Tooth Fairy. The child does what he can to ensure that his teeth are not taken away one at a time by hiding them in the garage, a tarantula's cage, and the garden, for instance. He even writes a polite note asking the fairy to leave his most recently fallen tooth. Nevertheless, every morning after a baby tooth falls out, he ascertains that it is gone and a dollar has been left in its place. Though he finds a couple of somewhat threatening letters from "the 15th League of Enchanted Commerce," the child doesn't stop attempting to thwart this fairy on a mission. Digitally colored pencil drawings reveal the escalating battles and the ultimate victor in the war of wills. The humorous story of Nathan, his baby teeth, and a Tooth Fairy just trying to do her job will have children laughing as they attempt to guess who will triumph in the end.-Maryann H. Owen, Children's Literature Specialist, Mt. Pleasant, WI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Grades K-2 In this whimsical picture book, Nathan battles an annoyingly officious fairy over possession of his baby teeth. Nathan is intent on keeping them; the Tooth Fairy is just as intent on performing her designated duties. Despite Nathan's best efforts at hiding his teeth, the Tooth Fairy ferrets them out time after time, overcoming increasingly elaborate ploys. Eventually, Nathan wins a round, causing the Tooth Fairy to go on vacation and send in replacementsthree Tooth Expert goons. Nathan sets up an intricate trap and he triumphs, resulting in an official certificate of exemption that grants Nathan both his teeth and the title The Boy Who Won. The scenes move swiftly through the page turns, while the richly detailed illustrations add humorous touches. Nathan's creativity and perseverance will inspire other problem solvers, and his final victory will resonate with children facing that momentous first loose tooth. An engaging, original spin on this celebrated rite of passage.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)