An appealing series starter with a message about self-empowerment wrapped in fairy-tale sweetness.
In Ubba’s children’s chapter book, a brave little fairy-godmother-in-training encounters a wolf and finds her true calling.
Twinklevale is a fairy land where “magic falls from the sky like stardust” and every inhabitant is gifted with a special ability. In this charming first installment of the author’s series, little Amelia Sparkle is trying to live up to tradition: All of the fairy godmothers in her family are “perfect in every way.” Unfortunately, Amelia has yet to achieve perfection, despite the fairy-godmother skills she’s learning at the Sparkle Academy for Enchanted Excellence. She certainly didn’t intentionally wave her wand to change the color of a grumpy neighbor’s goldfish, and she didn’t mean to fill up her school with bubbles. It washer ill-timed sneeze, however, that resulted in the sudden appearance of a big, bad wolf that’s now marauding through town. With child-friendly humor, a well-paced narrative, and downright adorable illustrations, the book draws readers into the little protagonist’s magical dilemma. The uncredited illustrations depict decorative embellishments (stars, sparkles, and curlicues), gingerbread buildings, bunnies, rainbow ponies, soft pastels, and rosy-cheeked Amelia herself. Amelia’s first thought is to seek help from the Twinklevale Gallant Guardians, but none can be found (one has gone shopping; another is out of town “visiting his sick auntie”). Amelia’s sparkly wings and tiny tiara can’t be mistaken for a Guardian’s “cool cape” and “heroic helmet,” but she’s determined to face the consequences of her faulty wand-work. With the wolf running wild, nibbling a gingerbread house, eating every pie in the pumpkin pie patch, and slobbering all over cinnamon stick signposts, she has no time to lose. (Amelia’s unexpected confrontation with the wolf is enhanced by an illustration sure to elicit an empathetic reaction from readers.) Amelia learns that she’s capable of being more than she ever thought possible, and the book draws to a clever conclusion with an endearing twist.
An appealing series starter with a message about self-empowerment wrapped in fairy-tale sweetness.Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: March 6, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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