A Fairy's Courage

March 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Although Rowan has only just returned to human form after accidentally being transformed into a fairy, she is unwilling to leave the fairy realms (and her missing mother) to the villainy of Vulpes, a wicked fox fairy desperate to become human again. Rowan and her nine-year-old sister Willow set off on a quest to save their mother and free the fairy realms from Vulpes. With a subtle emphasis on the power of teamwork, as well as deeper threads acknowledging the range of mental health challenges facing young people and their families, this is a quietly adventurous story featuring a heroine whose emotional maturity increases over the course of the book. The adventure is sometimes episodic and tangential, but in the end, Rowan and her host of allies, including escaped animals from the London Zoo, other fairies, and her family, triumph in a satisfying resolution. VERDICT A thoughtfully crafted sequel that answers the questions raised by the previous book. Purchase where there are fans of the first installment and where fairy fiction circulates well.-Jen McConnel, Queen's University, Ont.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
In this sequel to series opener A Fairy's Tale (2017), Rowan returns to the Fairy Realms in London's Royal Parks hoping both to reunite her family and to protect the fairies.Back home in human form, Rowan tells her incredulous father and younger sister how she transformed into a fairy beneath a weeping beach in Hyde Park and found her missing mother, who's now also a fairy. Determined to rescue her mother, Rowan returns to Hyde Park. Here she learns that Vulpes, an evil fairy who is intent on becoming human, has kidnapped Rowan's mother to learn how Rowan resumed human form. He's also destroying weeping beeches to prevent Rowan from becoming a fairy again. With her mother and the fairies in grave danger, Rowan transforms into fairy form, unsure if she will be able to transform back. With her fairy pals, she boldly borrows animals from London Zoo, hijacks a canal boat, disrupts a fish market, and traverses the Thames in a cable car only to encounter bitter betrayal. Facing defeat, Rowan discovers the transformative power of forgiveness to once again emerge a formidable heroine in both human and fairy forms. Clarke's worldbuilding is complex enough, despite the straightforward adventure and quick pace, that readers should begin the series with Book 1. The book adheres to the white default.More nail-biting adventures involving fairy friends and foes in this second rousing Oakwing tale. (Fantasy. 7-11)

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