THE FAIRY REBEL

by Lynne Reid Banks ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1988

Jan, who is lame, used to be a dancer: Charlie is a doctor. They long for a child, but it takes Tiki--a fairy who knows perfectly well that such intervention is against the command of the fairy queen--to arrange the happy event. In true fairy tradition, Tiki is a bit flighty; when she disappears after Jan discovers she's pregnant, it seems possible that Tiki has mixed up the directions and that the baby will have blue hair or some such unsuitable characteristic. But all goes well: Bindi is quite normal, except for the delightful magic birthday gifts she receives--until her eighth birthday. Then the fairy queen tries to take her revenge, and is quelled only with an imaginative blend of mortal love and ingenuity and fairy power. A lighter-weight story than Banks' Indian in the Cupboard. with the details lending the story its appeal: Tiki, who continually uses magic to change her clothing from one mod outfit to another; the evil wasps who play a number of parts in the queen's mischief; Bindi's hidden blue hairs, which turn out to hold the power of a few good deeds. Charlie's Victorian protectiveness toward Jan is plausible, but feminists will wish Banks took it less for granted. Still, she tells her story with such charm and wit that it would be curmudgeonly to fault it for that.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1988

ISBN: 0440419255

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1988

Categories: CHILDREN'S