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mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
What do you get when your mom is a fairy... but not fairy good at it?
You get this book, which features several short stories about Ella and her mom. From making cupcakes to grocery shopping, everything seems normal... until the mom tries her magic!
I thought this would just be one big story, but instead it was all short stories featuring various events and spells. Which was even better! It made it much more doable to read, and much more fun. Plus that way I didn't frustrate myself over the mom so much.
Ella was definitely the best character, I love how she kept her cool more than once, and helped her mom out when she was in a pinch. I am sure she will be a great fairy one day, hopefully she can start her training soon. I can't wait to see how she looks as a fairy.
I did want to give her a hug at times, because of that mean girl Zoe. I did think Ella was pretty brave for trying to stand up for herself.
I have to say that while I did like the stories, and often was laughing (but also cringing at times), I didn't like the mom that much. Yes, she tried, but how can one suck so much at this. Given there are tutorials, lessons, she got a great mom, a sister who is also good, you would think she learned in all those years. But it seems she can't do anything. No matter how easy the spells are she bodges it up, and frankly? It was funny and OMG once or thrice, but it got a bit old. Of course there were spells she can do, thankfully, so she isn't a total klutz, but still... It seems to be more luck than wisdom that she gets it right at times. And then there was that whole being sick story, and I just wondered if the mom was 2 instead of 30/40-ish. Setting a good example for your kids right there.
I am also not sure about the little brother. I get that he is tiny, and he doesn't get the consequences, but I did agree with Ella, it did seem he was doing it all on purpose. :|
Bonus points go to the illustrations. Those really made me want to read further, as I just wanted to see more of this silly family. I wanted to see more sparkles and fun spells.
The spells all seem a bit simple, but it apparently also requires a code, which I did think was a nice addition. Plus knowing that there are also wands that are old-fashioned (with a star on top!) is fun.
All in all, a quick and pretty fun read. Again, I just adore the illustrations. Definitely planning to check what other works the illustrator did!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
You get this book, which features several short stories about Ella and her mom. From making cupcakes to grocery shopping, everything seems normal... until the mom tries her magic!
I thought this would just be one big story, but instead it was all short stories featuring various events and spells. Which was even better! It made it much more doable to read, and much more fun. Plus that way I didn't frustrate myself over the mom so much.
Ella was definitely the best character, I love how she kept her cool more than once, and helped her mom out when she was in a pinch. I am sure she will be a great fairy one day, hopefully she can start her training soon. I can't wait to see how she looks as a fairy.
I did want to give her a hug at times, because of that mean girl Zoe. I did think Ella was pretty brave for trying to stand up for herself.
I have to say that while I did like the stories, and often was laughing (but also cringing at times), I didn't like the mom that much. Yes, she tried, but how can one suck so much at this. Given there are tutorials, lessons, she got a great mom, a sister who is also good, you would think she learned in all those years. But it seems she can't do anything. No matter how easy the spells are she bodges it up, and frankly? It was funny and OMG once or thrice, but it got a bit old. Of course there were spells she can do, thankfully, so she isn't a total klutz, but still... It seems to be more luck than wisdom that she gets it right at times. And then there was that whole being sick story, and I just wondered if the mom was 2 instead of 30/40-ish. Setting a good example for your kids right there.
I am also not sure about the little brother. I get that he is tiny, and he doesn't get the consequences, but I did agree with Ella, it did seem he was doing it all on purpose. :|
Bonus points go to the illustrations. Those really made me want to read further, as I just wanted to see more of this silly family. I wanted to see more sparkles and fun spells.
The spells all seem a bit simple, but it apparently also requires a code, which I did think was a nice addition. Plus knowing that there are also wands that are old-fashioned (with a star on top!) is fun.
All in all, a quick and pretty fun read. Again, I just adore the illustrations. Definitely planning to check what other works the illustrator did!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
rjdenney's review
3.0
3 STARS!!
This was a very cute read, I read it in an hour and got a few laughs and chuckles out of it and I really liked that about this book. I'd say if you're looking for a very light, fluffy, and funny read this would be for you or your daughter, son, younger sister, brother, niece or nephew haha. I do have to say normally I wouldn't read something like this but since it was sent to me as PR mail I decided to check it out. I have a thing for magic so I think that's mostly why I decided to give it a go too. My eleven year old sister is interested in reading it too so that's a plus. All in all, as I said it was a cute, fun read, nothing heavy or dark about this one and it was a very fast read as well.. :)
- Richard
*Thank you to Random House Children's Books for this free copy for review. All opinions and feels are my own. :)
This was a very cute read, I read it in an hour and got a few laughs and chuckles out of it and I really liked that about this book. I'd say if you're looking for a very light, fluffy, and funny read this would be for you or your daughter, son, younger sister, brother, niece or nephew haha. I do have to say normally I wouldn't read something like this but since it was sent to me as PR mail I decided to check it out. I have a thing for magic so I think that's mostly why I decided to give it a go too. My eleven year old sister is interested in reading it too so that's a plus. All in all, as I said it was a cute, fun read, nothing heavy or dark about this one and it was a very fast read as well.. :)
- Richard
*Thank you to Random House Children's Books for this free copy for review. All opinions and feels are my own. :)
vanessaedwards1882's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
emmalynn's review against another edition
4.0
I will try everything Sophie Kinsella writes at least once... I've not always been super enthusiastic (some of the most recent Shopaholic books were painful) but I've had awesome surprises (Finding Audrey is perfection) so when I've heard she had written a middle grade book about fairies of all things, I was very excited!
And now that I've read it, I'm glad I did... it's super cute and pretty funny, with some Bewitched vibes (okay, okay, Samantha would never be as incompetent as Ella's mum but anyone remembers Aunt Clara?).
Definitely the kind of book I'd enjoy reading with a young kid. And yes, I will read the next ones in the series.
And now that I've read it, I'm glad I did... it's super cute and pretty funny, with some Bewitched vibes (okay, okay, Samantha would never be as incompetent as Ella's mum but anyone remembers Aunt Clara?).
Definitely the kind of book I'd enjoy reading with a young kid. And yes, I will read the next ones in the series.
inlibrisveritas's review against another edition
3.0
Fairy Mom and Me is the first book in Sophie Kinsella’s first ever children’s series, with a focus on family, magic, and fun!
Ella Brook has a bit of a family secret. Her mother is a fairy and one day she will be one too. The secret would be easy to keep, but her mom has a bit of trouble with remember her spells and it causes a bit of mayhem here and there. This is such a light-hearted and fun little set of stories, each one focused on a particular problem that she or her mother try to tackle. Each story touches on running themes such as patience, support, integrity, and friendship. I love the close relationship Ella has with her mother, and how she looks up to as a fairy even though she messes up more spells than she gets right. It’s so rare to see a book that focuses not only on issues that children have to navigate but to also see a parent going through those same issues, I think it does wonders in letting kids know that adults make mistakes too.
This is not my typical type of reading even when I was a kid, as it’s a bit too cutesy for my tastes but I can see the over the top adorableness would work well for the younger kids. The physical copy also has really cute illustrations to look at while you read.
I personally listened to the audiobook version of this and think it worked quite well. Cassandra really nails the voices and brings forward a lot of enthusiasm to the reading.
Overall I think this would a good one for young readers, with plenty of little lessons to be learned and fun to be had.
Ella Brook has a bit of a family secret. Her mother is a fairy and one day she will be one too. The secret would be easy to keep, but her mom has a bit of trouble with remember her spells and it causes a bit of mayhem here and there. This is such a light-hearted and fun little set of stories, each one focused on a particular problem that she or her mother try to tackle. Each story touches on running themes such as patience, support, integrity, and friendship. I love the close relationship Ella has with her mother, and how she looks up to as a fairy even though she messes up more spells than she gets right. It’s so rare to see a book that focuses not only on issues that children have to navigate but to also see a parent going through those same issues, I think it does wonders in letting kids know that adults make mistakes too.
This is not my typical type of reading even when I was a kid, as it’s a bit too cutesy for my tastes but I can see the over the top adorableness would work well for the younger kids. The physical copy also has really cute illustrations to look at while you read.
I personally listened to the audiobook version of this and think it worked quite well. Cassandra really nails the voices and brings forward a lot of enthusiasm to the reading.
Overall I think this would a good one for young readers, with plenty of little lessons to be learned and fun to be had.
juliepettit's review against another edition
Super cute chapter book for ages 7-10.
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