Publishers Weekly
All is not well in fairyland, at least for Flory, a young night fairy whose wings were broken during an encounter with a bat. Feeling vulnerable when unable to fly, Flory finds shelter in a wren house and decides to become a day fairy despite her nocturnal bent (“She soon found that her body did not like the day. Her skin liked to be cool and moist, not hot and dry”). In this whimsical and cozy tale, Newbery Medalist Schlitz (Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village) explores what it's like for a tiny winged creature to be grounded. Readers will delight in Flory's resourcefulness in finding food, clothing, and a new form of transportation (on the back of a squirrel), and identify with her brash, childlike personality (“I hate, hate, hate bats, and I'm always going to hate them”), which softens as she grows compassionate and makes friends. Culminating with Flory's brave act of saving a hummingbird caught in a spider's web, this story reveals how handicaps can be overcome through quick thinking and determination. Full-color art not seen by PW. Ages 7–11. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
Prepare to have your notions of fairyhood debunked: Flory, our heroine, can be snarky and rough. But she's also gutsy, loyal, and inherently good. The story of how Flory must fend for herself after losing her wings brings equal doses of character and suspense – and offers a satisfying antidote to all those prissy princess tales.
—Real Simple Family
This elegant hardback’s snug size and Angela Barrett’s exquisite miniature illustrations have the effect of making readers feel as if they’ve crept through a magic portal into a fairy-scale world. Indeed, looking up at story’s end, children may be mildly surprised to find that they’re still the size they’ve always been.
—The Wall Street Journal
Laura Amy Schlitz, who took us deep into a medieval village in her Newbery Medal–winning Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, here allows us to inhabit the fascinating miniature world where fairies dwell.
—Shelf Awareness
An imaginative adventure story in a familiar, yet exotic landscape…. Beautifully composed, the artwork combines subtle use of color with a keen observation of nature that’s reminiscent of Beatrix Potter’s work. This finely crafted and unusually dynamic fairy story is a natural for reading aloud.
—Booklist (starred review)
Beautifully crafted. . . . Barrett’s full-color watercolor illustrations add depth and perspective to the story. Detailed and drawn to scale, they give readers a sense of just how tiny Flory is compared to the other animals. Children will enjoy looking at this garden from the perspective of the tiny but resilient protagonist. Sure to be a favorite among girls who love fairies.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
School Library Journal
Gr 1–4—In this deft, imaginative story (Candlewick, 2010) by Newbery winner Laura Amy Schlitz (Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!), a young night fairy overcomes the loss of her wings in an accident and finds herself plunged into an unfamiliar daytime world full of predators. She lodges inside a wren house in the garden of a "giantess," who stocks the birdfeeders daily, and struggles to survive. Along the way, she befriends a hyper squirrel with a one-track mind (food, of course) and courageously faces her fears. She may be only as tall as two acorns, but Flory is no airy-fairy, and she acquits herself well when threatened by a praying mantis, a huge raccoon, and a deadly spider. Listeners will learn about empathy and friendship as they are inspired by the plucky heroine. Michael Friedman voices the fairy with verve and creates believable voices for the animals. Fans of Mary Norton's series, The Borrowers, will enjoy the adventures of the tiny fairy as she copes with the challenges of staying alive, armed only with stinging spells and a thorn dagger. Children will root for the resourceful fairy, perhaps imagining her further exploits and recording them with illustrations in a journal.—Lonna Pierce, MacArthur Elementary School, Binghamton, NY
AUGUST 2010 - AudioFile
When Floury the night fairy’s wings meet with demise, her life changes dramatically. As she learns to cope as a day fairy, she observes or befriends many day creatures—spiders, hummingbirds, and giants (people)—and she manipulates some to her own ends. When the opportunity arises, will Floury choose to be a night fairy again or remain in the day world? Michal Friedman delineates her narrator roles. As narrator, she speaks matter-of-factly, letting Schlitz’s straightforward and bald analysis of Mother Nature and her characters keep the story from being saccharine. In character, Friedman is outstanding—a breezy and thoughtful Floury, a persistent and single-minded Skuggle the squirrel, and a remorseful and earnest Peregrine the bat, for example. Humans have much to learn from the world of nature! A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
