Amelia's Book Room: Fairy Dust And The Quest For The Egg

This week we have a book from the wonderful Gail Carson Levine--author of Ella Enchanted and Fairest, as well as many other fairytale re-imaginings and original stories--this one involving our favorite little fairy from Peter Pan: Tinker Bell! Tink has some new friends, and we meet the fairies of Neverland in Fairy Dust And The Quest For The Egg. We follow the story of the new arrival, Prilla, who is obviously a little different from the others. Every fairy, upon arrival in Neverland, immediately knows their talent, the activity they will specialize in. Prilla, however, is clueless as to what she's good at.

But before she can get properly worried about this, a hurricane comes to Neverland; a hurricane that destroys Mother Dove's egg, the thing that keeps all creatures from getting old on the island. Prilla and her water-talent friend, Rani, and the less-than-friendly fast-flier Vidia, set out on a quest to heal the egg, and the island.

This charming novel is enhanced by some pretty amazing illustrations; just lovely! I hope you guys enjoy this book; it is followed by Fairy Haven And The Quest For The Wand. Happy reading!

Amelia's Book Room: Peter Pan

OK, it's time to take a look at one of literature's most famous children's books: J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan!

Originally a play by the Scottish playwright (who knew he was Scottish? I didn't know until two seconds ago!) entitled Peter Pan: or, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, then made into the novel we know and love as Peter Pan, but which was originally called Peter And Wendy.

And, of course, there are the movies; the original Disney cartoon, which, surprisingly, is not as close to the book as you'd think; and my personal favorite, the 2003 live action Disney version (mostly because I used to have a huge crush on the boy who played Peter, Jeremy Sumpter).

So, whether you prefer the cartoon, the musical, or the cute guy, there's still the wonderful book! Need a refresher? The beloved story starts with the famous line: 'All children, except one, grow up.' And we meet the one exception, as well as the Darling children: Wendy, John and Michael, who are whisked away by Peter, flying off to Neverland and having all sorts of adventures involving mermaids, Indians, and the devilish pirate, Captain Hook. This is the perfect book to make you feel like a little kid again; it always does that to me!

And we can't finish off without mentioning the many sequels and prequels that sprouted from this novel, such as Geraldine McCaughrean's Peter Pan In Scarlet, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's Peter And The Starcatchers series, and if you like Tinker Bell in particular, the lovely Fairy Dust And The Quest For The Egg.

Look out for a special review sometime soon! I'm excited about it, anyway! Happy reading.

Amelia's Book Room: Peter And The Starcatchers

If, like me, you've ever wondered how Peter Pan came to be, before Wendy, before Captain Hook became Captain Hook, then, also like me, you'll like Peter And The Starcatchers!

Young Peter, along with the other boys from St. Norbert's Home for Wayward Boys, is sent away on a ship called the Never Land across the ocean. He meets plucky, green-eyed Molly Aster, whose father is to be the ambassador of Rundoon, where the ship is headed. But there's something strange about Molly and the ship itself, especially the cargo they're carrying.

Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, authors of this pre-Pan series, continue it in Peter And The Shadow Thieves, and Peter And The Secret Of Rundoon. I wanted to mention a few other things to you guys; firstly, Deko and Posh have told me that the Book Club is set to begin in July! I have picked the first book: Airborn by Kenneth Oppell. Second, I want to encourage you all to check out your local library and find out if they have a summer reading program for kids and/or teens. Most give you a paper to write down all the books you read every week, or how many pages; it's all up to you how much you read!

One last bit of news: my dance recital is coming up this weekend! I have five routines to perform on Saturday and Sunday, so it's gonna be pretty busy. Anyways, wish me luck, join the book club, and keep reading! Oh, and comment, too :)