children's short chapter book (fairies, magic, adventure/mystery). I'm a sucker for cute/weird bunnies, but this was so much more than that. A bit dark (zombie children and witches trying to kill our heroine), along the lines of Lemony Snicket, with a few but not too many nice vocabulary words sprinkled in. Characters were interesting (giant talking CAT!?), plot was engaging, a promising start to a good series. ( )

This book is really adorable. I'd definitely recommend it to kiddos who want to read hilarious magical mystery books!

Coming up is a discussion totally off-topic of the book so I'm going to hide it in a spoiler alert and anyone who is fond of talking about language and political correctness can continue on!

As a side note which has nothing whatsoever to do with the story but everything to do with a single word I found in this book - at one point a character says that something's given him a "gyp" which instantly to my eyes was like, whoa, that's not very culturally sensitive! But in context, not used in the way I've ever heard that slur used in Canada, so I was curious and looked it up. Apparently this is a term used in Britain to mean a small ache or pain, and as far as my cursory research went, is not derived from a derogatory term for Roma people like the meaning I'm familiar with is. So, now it's one of those words that I'm not sure what to do with...is it fair to taint what I'm sure was a perfectly good word with something that is a slur? But I'm all for offending the least amount of people in my everyday speech so I'd probably try to remove it from my vocabulary if it were in there already. ( )

A fun children's book which reinvents fairies without doing them much damage. Emily Vole was found in a hat box at a train stationed and adopted by the most narcissistic couple ever who turn her into a drudge when they have triplets. Her only relief is the old woman next door and her talking cat. Adventure ensue when Emily is shown some special keys which come alive for her. The illustrations are delightful. ( )

Emily Vole was abandoned in a hat box as a baby. But then Daisy Dashwood and Ronald got her and her neighbor Miss. String and the cat Fidget became friends with Emily. Daisy doesn't like Miss String and Fidget and she doesn't like Emily. Daisy thinks that Miss String is crazy. Fidget and Emily went on an adventure to try to get rid of Harpella and the lamp.

I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries and adventures. If you like animals, fairies and magic you would like this book. ( )

3.5 stars.

This is the first book in a new series, Wings & Co, aimed at young readers. I thought it was a great read, it introduces the characters and the magical version of the world that the book’s set in really well. There’s enough adventure and excitement to balance out the scene setting, I think it’ll capture the imagination of most young readers. I love the illustrations included in the book, they really add to the experience. Emily is a wonderful lead character, I’ll be looking forward to reading about her adventures in the next book. A definite thumbs up from me. ( )