The Fairy Chronicles - Marigold and Dragonfly

One of the book blogs I visit weekly recommended a series of children's books I was not familiar with, The Fairy Chronicles. Being a lover of fairies and fantasy, in addition to loving children and young adult books, I thought I would give these a try. Paul Samuelson from Source Books was kind enough to send me several review copies from The Fairy Chronicles collection. Thank you, Paul!

Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles) by J. H. Sweet

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 120 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (April 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402208723
ISBN-13: 978-1402208720

Beth (aka Marigold) is a 9 year old girls sent to stay with her eccentric Aunt for a 2 week summer vacation. It is during this vacation Beth learns she is a Fairy - a Marigold Fairy to be percise. Her aunt is also a Fairy - a Monarch Butterfly Fairy - and she will be Beth's mentor in the Fairy World.

We also get to meet some other Fairies: Jennifer the Dragonfly Fairy, Grace the Thistle Fairy and Lenox the Firefly Fairy. In this first book, the Fairies must retrieve the Feather of Hope, which has gone missing. The Feather of Hope ...

"is the means by which all hope on Earth is replenished and distributed".

The Brownies are the keepers of the Feather of Hope, but they were careless and the Feather was accidentally picked up by a human. It is up to the Fairies to retrieve the Feather of Hope from the humans and Beth and her Fairy friends come up with a plan.

All my life, I have had a love of fairy tales, but as an adult I realized there were very few new fairy tales being written today. J. H. Sweet has written a wonderful introduction into the realm of fairy tales and her Fairy Chronicles are sure to be favorite books for the children in your life.


Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams (The Fairy Chronicles) by J. H. Sweet

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402208731
ISBN-13: 978-1402208737

In this second book in the series, Beth and her Fairy friends meet the Sandman and begin the search for the missing Dream Spider. Some of the Fairies have started to have nightmares and they soon learn that the Web of Dreams has been destroyed. The Web of Dreams is spun by the Dream Spider and normally catches all bad dreams from sleep.

The Fairies will again have the assistance of the Brownies and several flying birds. We also meet a Troll, who manages to capture several Fairies in glass bell jar. Will the Fairies escape the Troll? Will they be able to find the Dream Spider to replace the Web of Dreams? This book is just as captivating as the first.

In addition to learning about plants, flowers, animals and insects, one of the best things I like about The Fairy Chronicles is the environmental issues each book tackles. Dragonfly and the Web of Dreams focuses on reducing, reusing and recycling. These environmental lessons are perfect for teaching children to be environmentally responsible.