Mood:
(Excited)
Title: Fira and the Full Moon
Characters: Fira, Helios, Sparkle, Glory, Luna, Iridessa, Beck, Elixa, Vidia, Prilla, Lily, Orren, Precious, Tink, Spring
Rating: Four stars
Synopsis: Fira is a light-talent fairy who never asks for help. When all the fireflies come down with the no-fire flu, she takes charge. When three brand-new light-talent fairies show up at the same time , she looks after them. And on the night of the full moon, when the mining-talent fairies need someone to light up the underground caves, Fira leads the way.
But all that hard work takes it's toll. Fira is tired. Deep in the mining tunnels her light flickers, then goes out! Will the full moon be Fira's darkest hour?
Opinion: Fira was my favorite fairy all the way back in 2007 when In the Realm of the Never Fairies showed up on my library's shelves. I always thought she was beautiful and fashionable and had fantastic hair! And she managaed this without looking to girly.
Now that I'm older and have a stricter list for fairies to pass before there let into my favorite list, I'm amazed how Fira has managed to be my favorite.
Fira is the perfect mix of sass, glamour, kindness, and go-get-em additude. She doesn't sit and wait around for others to feel pity on her, or throw her hands up in defeat when life becomes complicated. Nope she just keeps rolling.
In many way Fira reminds me of me a lot. I do always fall into this habit of thinking if I want somthing to be done right, do it yourself. I tend to let people pile a lot on my plate because I feel if I try to get others to do it, even if there comletly capable, somthing's going to go wrong. I can sometimes work myself to exhaustion (like she often does) and it always results in disaster.
Other traits we share are sometimes forgetting to hold back out snippy comments, getting frustrated with our charges, and accidentally insulting others without even realizing it.
In this book Fira is charged with three very important tasks, making sure the light fairies are doing there jobs while the fireflies are sick.taking care of three new light fairies and lighting the way for the minners. each proves to be difficult for her.
She is working herself to exhaustion with the fireflies out, the three triplets are like rambuncous toddelers, and during the exbidition she gets lost and her glow goes out.
It is here Fira is given a lesson that it's ok to look to others for assistance when sometimes things get to hard for one person to handle all by themselves. The three triplets find her in the cave, even after she refused there offer to help and snapped at them for making a mess.
Pros: Fira is an absolute prestine fairy
The Triplets are a hoot and a half, ecpecially if you watch children yourself or have one
The story is a good one that gets its point across without shoving it in your face
All the characters are enjoyable in there own way
The Minners are an ecpecially interesting talent to read about.
Cons: A few uncessiary chapters dealing with the triplets and Fira
A rather rushed ending
Worth it: Yes.
Title: A Masterpiece for Bess
Characters: Bess, Tinker Bell, Lily, Rosetta, Qwill, Vidia, Dulcie, Terence, Fern, Rani, Silver Mist, Laidel, Colin, Fawn, Hem
Rating: Three and a half stars
Synopsis: Bess' brilliant new painting of Tinker Bell is a perfect likeness, from the dimples on Tink's cheeks to the pom-poms of her shoes. Suddenly, every fairy and sparrow man wants a portrait painted by Bess. She's the most popular art-talent fairy in Pixie Hollow!
But as much as Bess loves paitning, she just can't keep up with all the deamands for portraits. And a new idea has been tugging at her imagination....if only she had time to think about it!
Opinion: While the story of Bess struggling with the portraits was a bit on the yawn side, there was many details of this sotry I enjoyed and wish to point out.
1. This showed us an excellent example of how silly fairies are. It never occured to any of them that Bess might have had to much on her plate. They were being slefish and self interested.
2. This showed how more logical and snesible Terence can be. Out of all the fairies he is the only one to come to Bess not with a request for a portrait but for himself, instead he was just proforming his duty as a dust fairy and complimenting her on her good job on Tink's portrait. Maybe Terence knew she had to much to worry about to ask for one, or maybe Terence simply doesn't fallow fads and wasn't interested in a portrait of himself (It's shown in the magazine he has a portrait of Tink and a portrait of him Jerome and Antea when they were younger) This plays a part in the comic "A portrait for Terence" when Bess realizes she's never painted anything for her friend and makes him a portrait of his own after he helps get over a rough day.
3. Vidia in general stuck me as an interesting character in this story. For once she wasn't nasty doing mean things for no reason kind of fairy. She wasn't Rani sweet either. The author managed to keep her snippy additude without turning her into a villian. She critisizes Bess' portrait of Tink, but not just to be mean, but because she honestly can't see why anyone would want a portrait of themselves standing still. Later when everyone leaves Bess not liking her portrait and she starts crying Vidia stays and toughens her up. She actually gives Bess advice. She tells Bess it doesn't matter what the other fairies think, as long as Bess likes it that's all that matters. She also compliment Bess on her painting......three times. epic win.
Pros: Terence's lack of intreset in fairy pop culture (lol)
Vidia suddenly becoming a emotional crutch for Bess, and allowing it!
Seeing all the silly fairies being silly
Cons: The story itself is very boring
Worth it: Despite it being a boring story I say get it for the details, and for the beautiful illustrations
Title: Prilla and the Butterfly Lie
Characters: Prilla, Nettle, Jason, Vidia, Queen Clarion, Poppy, Pluck, and Butterflies
Rating: Four Stars
Synopsis: The other Fairies in Pixie Hollow are alwats asking Prilla for help. Some want her to scrub floors, others want her to help make ink or shear caterpillers. Prilla always says yes...even when she'd rather not.
Then to avoid hurting her friend's feelings, Prilla tells a little lie about one of the jobs and ends up in charge of a whole herd of butterflies. She's never hearded butterflies before. But how hard can it be? she wonders. She 's about to find out. You see ,there's somthing very important that Prilla doesn't know about butterflies.......
Opinion: Prilla was Gail Carson's easily likes protagonist. I was terrified Disney was going to change her when they wrote her book. I was thrilled to find they kept Prilla, Prilla. She still is desperate to be accepted by the others, and she's willing to go to great lengths to achive this. Even do things she doesn't want to do! Like shearing catapillers!
In steps the ever wise Vidia, once again acting as advice giver. She tells Prilla she's been doing to much for others and not focusing enough on her own talent. She even admits she cares about what happens to Prilla. This gets Prilla thinking perhapes she needs to learn to say no.
But when the time comes to refuse Prilla can't, so she insteads lies and tells her friend she likes butterfly herding instead of Catapiller shearing. This catches up to her later when, after a freak outbreak of Fairy pox, there are no catapiller herders. Prilla is given the job much to her dismay.
She gets herself caught in many embaressing situations (that Pluck is usually observer too) before finding out the truth about Butterflies.
OVer all it was good, good stories good characters good moral. It's ok to help others from time to time, but learn when enough is enough and when to put your foot down and say no thank you. Otherwise like Prilla your gonna end up "walking all over you" and expecting you to do things for them all the time. And your not going to want to refuse because you feel everyone expects you to do things for them. Things are going to get out of control.
oh yeah and the other moral I guess is don't lie, but I got the first one out of this more then the lieing part.
Pros: Prilla again returns as a likeable, understandable character
Vidia is again protrayed as nasty and rude but adviser and friend to those she deems worthy
The story is cute and has two good morals
Nettle is like Prilla a likeable character
Beautiful illustrations of Prilla and the butterflies
Cons: Queen Clarion's laziness shows through again (I mean can't you clink your own glass?)
Not nearly as many fairies as previous books
Woth it: Oh yes
I forgot how much I enjoyed Prilla's book! I do use Vidia's qoute "Be gone with you! your stupid talent bores me!" from time to time (in a superhero voice) but only with my friends and I know it won't bother them or make them feel bad. Next I will review Tink North of Neverland, Beck Beyond the Sea and Dulcie's Taste of Magic.
(Accomplished)
Title: Fawn and the Mysterious Trickster
