Philippa Fisher and the Fairy's Promise

October 1, 2010
The power of friendship bucks the rules and regulations of the Above the Clouds command center—ATC for short—in this convoluted third installment in Kessler's airy series exploring the gateway between the fairy and human worlds. Daisy, the shape-changing sprite of Philippa Fisher's Fairy Godsister (2008), has gleaned insider information that her human friend Philippa's mother is about to undergo a terrible accident and sends messages to warn the girl—a strictly prohibited intervention. Philippa and her family again happen to be vacationing near her friend Robyn's home, and the girls receive Daisy's alarming message at a fairy "portal" stone circle called Tidehill Rocks. Thanks to Daisy, the mom crisis quietly dissipates, and, with shifting POVs, Philippa and Daisy subsequently set out on a cockamamie search for a stone fairy, stolen from the circle, in order to reestablish a lost harmony between the two worlds. Overall, this outing gets bogged down in technical details of fairy-human interaction (the acronyms alone!), and the tune of tightly knit friendships sounds with tedious regularity. Young, bullied Tommy, however, is a new character with some future. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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November 1, 2010
Grades 4-6 In this sequel to Philippa Fishers Fairy Godsister (2008) and Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Makers Daughter (2009), Philippa and her family return to Ravenleigh. Philippa recites a spell carved into a mysterious circle of rocks and finds herself transported to ATC (Above the Clouds), where she reconnects with her fairy godsister Daisy. Sent to locate a missing fairy, the two hope her return will preserve the links between the human and fairy worlds and prevent catastrophic harm to the earth. Themes of friendship and loyalty will appeal to young readers, as will the implausible but satisfying ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)