Product Description

Seasoned fractured fairy tale tellerGail Carson Levine provides the captivating back story of Tinker Bell and Co. in this lavishly illustrated addition to the Neverland canon. Freckled and eager to please, Prilla is a brand new fairy, born of a baby's laugh. Upon her arrival to Neverland, she is dismayed to discover she has no talent for any of the fairy avocations. Tinker Bell (a pots-and-pans-talent fairy) takes Prilla to see Mother Dove, whose single blue egg holds the secret of the island's eternal youth. But before the wise bird can advise Prilla, Neverland is shaken by a terrible hurricane. Mother Dove is thrown off her nest, and the precious egg is shattered. Immediately, Neverland folk begin to age. The island's only hope is for some brave fairies to take the egg pieces to Kyto the dragon and ask him to restore it with his fiery breath. But first, the fairies must collect treasures with which to bribe the evil dragon. Mother Dove chooses Prilla to be part of the fairy team to undertake the quest for the egg. Can one little no-talent fairy help save Neverland from certain doom? While Fairy Dust is unabashedly based on Disney's Peter Pan, Levine's companion version feels wonderfully fresh and original. The charming maxims of Levine's fairy world (fairies say "Fly with you," instead of "Pleased to meet you," and need dust made from Mother Dove's feathers to fly) along with David Christiana's sumptuous illustrations breathe new life into a beloved classic. --Jennifer Hubert

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #522963 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-20
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Amazon.com
Seasoned fractured fairy tale teller Gail Carson Levine provides the captivating back story of Tinker Bell and Co. in this lavishly illustrated addition to the Neverland canon. Freckled and eager to please, Prilla is a brand new fairy, born of a baby's laugh. Upon her arrival to Neverland, she is dismayed to discover she has no talent for any of the fairy avocations. Tinker Bell (a pots-and-pans-talent fairy) takes Prilla to see Mother Dove, whose single blue egg holds the secret of the island's eternal youth. But before the wise bird can advise Prilla, Neverland is shaken by a terrible hurricane. Mother Dove is thrown off her nest, and the precious egg is shattered. Immediately, Neverland folk begin to age.

The island's only hope is for some brave fairies to take the egg pieces to Kyto the dragon and ask him to restore it with his fiery breath. But first, the fairies must collect treasures with which to bribe the evil dragon. Mother Dove chooses Prilla to be part of the fairy team to undertake the quest for the egg. Can one little no-talent fairy help save Neverland from certain doom? While Fairy Dust is unabashedly based on Disney's Peter Pan, Levine's companion version feels wonderfully fresh and original. The charming maxims of Levine's fairy world (fairies say "Fly with you," instead of "Pleased to meet you," and need dust made from Mother Dove's feathers to fly) along with David Christiana's sumptuous illustrations breathe new life into a beloved classic. --Jennifer Hubert

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4–Unbeknownst to many, the fairies of Never Land have an intricate community in which everyone is useful to society. And, sadly, the newest arrival, Prilla, just doesn't fit in, for she appears without knowing what her particular talent is. Is she a tinker who likes to fix pots and pans like Tinker Bell? Or should she play with water like sweet Ree? Prilla's problems quickly become moot when the source of all magic on Never Land, a mysterious egg belonging to motherly Mama Dove, is destroyed in a vicious hurricane. Now Prilla and two other fairies must embark on a quest to save the egg and, with it, Never Land's secret of youth before it is too late. This book isn't going to bowl anyone over with its originality, and Levine isn't afraid to employ a little deus ex machina when the fancy strikes her, but overall it's an engaging tale. The story is exciting, the characters accessible if stock, and Christiana's lush, full-color illustrations breathtaking. Children already enamored of the Disney Princess line will be clamoring for it.–Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Settle down, cozy up, and listen in! Hannah Gordon transports listeners of all ages to the fairies' domain nestled within the familiar realm of Neverland. Amidst great expectation, each newborn fairy learns to identify her special talent. What will Prilla's be? She doesn't come upon it easily. Then a hurricane ravages Neverland, and Prilla embarks on a quest to save Mother Dove and her egg, the source of Neverland's youthfulness. Gordon's narration is as gentle as a fairy's kiss; her genuine tone makes us believe in these possibilities. She delights in the details of mermaids and dragons, exudes personality, whether prickly or pompous, and casts a caring magic spell over all. A.R. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

lots of great parts don't equal a great whole here
Gail Carson Levine, author of the insanely awesome novel "Ella Enchanted," always thought that Wendy was crazy for going home when she could have stayed with Peter Pan in Neverland. At least that's what her mini-bio on the dust jacket of her new novel says. Levine also dedicates the book to her first boyfriend, Peter Pan.

One of Disney's newest marketing ventures is Disney Fairies, which is promoting Tinker Bell and the other characters found in Levine's novel among other fairies. (There's also a series of Fairy books for younger readers and a CGI film, not directly related to the events relayed in "Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg," which is due out this fall on Disney DVD. If you want to learn more, the Disney Fairies have their own website--but be advised it might take a bit to load on slower computers.) When I first heard about this new project, I was intrigued since I am a fan of fairies. At the same time, I was a bit worried. There's something very commercial, and even counterintuitive, about a writer creating a story with characters that have already been dealt with by other authors (and a lot of movies!). Still, I decided to give it a try.

Before even getting into the story, though, I have to say that this novel is quite beautiful. The actual book is made of high quality paper to accommodate the illustrations that often feature as tw-page spreads throughout the novel. These pictures, watercolors painted by David Christiana, are stunning. The colors are subtle and really the skill is just so obvious in all of the drawings that viewing them is a joy. Christiana manages to stay true to the original Disney vision for Tinker Bell while making her "look" slightly new and different to better fit in with the other fairies.

Unfortunately, it takes more than great illustrations to sustain a good book. The basic plot stays pretty true to some of the elements found in the original story of Peter Pan. The book starts when a baby laughs (every time a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born). This fairy, named Prilla, is special. Not only is she going to be a Never Fairy in Neverland, she is also unlike any fairy the island has seen before. Prilla says "please" and "thank you" like humans (called "Clumsies" by fairies). She even curtsies and apologizes. Stranger still, Prilla is able to move between Neverland and the dreams of Clumsy children.

Every Fairy in Neverland has a special talent (water, baking, pots and pans, etc.)--every fairy except for Prilla. However, when a storm strikes the island injuring Mother Dove (the source of the Fairy Dust that allows Never Fairies to work their magic) Prilla doesn't have much time to worry about not having a talent as she and two other fairies are sent out to try and find a way to heal Mother Dove.

I had several problems with the story. The idea of each fairy having a talent, while superficially cute, has deeper problems upon further investigation. It just feels too much like each fairy having a clique and, even worse, the story spends a lot of time focusing on Prilla being special in a bad way for not having a talent. This issue is resolved by the end of the story, but it just seems like a bad message to send to children. (And what's up with the name Prilla? Seriously.)

The narrative of the story also started to grate very near the beginning of the book. I haven't read J. M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" so I don't know if Levine was trying emulate his style or not--I think she was but need to investigate further--but it just didn't work. Frankly, it sounded like Levine was writing in a style that was not her own and with which she was not entirely comfortable.

"Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg" also seemed to be having an identity crisis. The book looks like a novel for older children. The print is small and there is a lot of it. But the story sometimes sounds like it was written for much younger children with prose that lacks the dimension and depth of books for an older audience. At the same time, though, the events of the novel (a fairy cutting off her own wings, a dying dove, among other problematic events) suggest that it's more appropriate for an older audience.

The best parts of this novel were when Levine was looking at the characters originally found in "Peter Pan." Her descriptions of the mermaids, and of Tinker Bell's relationship with Peter were really enjoyable. Captain Hook also features in the plot and was awesome. Unfortunately all of these events take only about ten pages combined(the book is 208).

This book has a lot going for it and I wanted to like it more than I did, but all of the great pieces never come together (with the mediocre ones) to create a solid, enjoyable whole.

Perfect for Peter Pan fans
My daughter is six, and she loves this book. She is a big fan of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Gail Carson Levine has written a book about Neverland that is in the spirit of Barrie's Peter Pan. She even dedicates the book to Barrie. I especially like the idea of talents among the fairies. Every fairy has a talent, and every talent is valued and necessary for the well-being of the Home Tree and Fairy Haven. Here is my daughter's review of the book:

I think the book is really great! I really like Prilla! She is funny and silly! She is really good at blinking to the mainland. Prilla is sad when she thinks that she doesn't have a talent, but at the end it turns out that she does have a talent, and that talent saves Mother Dove.
I know you are going to like this book! Grace

What Disney Does Right
While fairies are common fodder for girl's entertainment, the Disney Fairies series is something that stands out. Starring Tinkerbell and a host of individual characters, these books do not employ the trite character formula of "Brainy Girl", "Fashion Girl", "Sporty Girl" and "Shy Girl" that so many books and movies fall back on.

There are real, personal issues addressed within these fantasy adventures and pixie dust or not, there are no easy fixes or straw men challenges here. The characterization is solid throughout and while the characters do grow and discover things about themselves, there are no pat changes of heart; no last-chapter redemptions from evil to sweetness and light.

I highly recommend these books to any parent who wants a little bit more from their daughter's entertainment.