The Fairy Realm series are wholesome lighthearted reads featuring a secret fairy realm found through a doorway at the edge of the garden. There's magic and mythical creatures and miniature horses that talk (because what else would you find in a secret fairy realm? duh.) It's reminiscent of Shirley Barber's gorgeous picture books albeit with less impressive artwork (Shirley Barber is incredibly talented). It's a good series for tween girls. I loved this series as a kid, they were imaginative and magical and I loved every minute. I'm pretty sure this series is what started my love of charm bracelets too.Â

The Rainbow Wand
Jessie is worried. The safety of the Realm is at stake because her busybody next door neighbor, Mrs Tweedie can't seem to stop poking her nose into Jessie's comings and goings. It's with a heavy heart, Jessie decides to put her visits to the Realm on hold for the foreseeable future.

But that's only the first of her problems. Ms Stone (her teacher) hates fantasy and is determined to stamp out Jessie's "useless fancies" - to that end, she visits Rosemary (Jessie's mum) to convince her to send her to a school away from Blue Moon and therefore, away from Granny and her "bad" influence. Then Mrs Tweedie convinces Rosemary to let her stay at Blue Moon while her house is being painted, presumably to poke around while Rosemary and Jessie go to pick up Granny.

Jessie plans to stay behind and foil her plans but she is even more concerned to learn that Mrs Tweedie used to live next door to the Bins family after they moved to the city and is disturbed to discover Mrs Tweedie has (and brought with her) lots of expensive equipment (video cameras, laptop, etc) - equipment she supposedly can't afford.

Jessie is determined to keep an eye on her but she is thwarted again when Mrs Tweedie sends her to the shop to get ice cream for four year old Tasha, the girl Mrs Tweedie was "supposed" to be babysitting. When she returns, Jessie is horrified to find a note saying Tasha is missing and Mrs Tweedie has gone looking for her. When Jessie searches the garden she finds Tasha's butterfly barrette near the door to the Realm and hurries to get her home before the Realm is exposed.

Honestly this book was action packed. The hits just kept coming and coming. I liked Jessie's determination to foil Mrs Tweedie and her determination to protect the Realm.

In the Realm, Giff suggests asking Avron - the Realm's most brilliant magician - for help. He is credited with creating the Rainbow Wand - a powerful creation that helps find lost children among other things. Unfortunately his daughter Linnet, was helping him to test the wand by hiding, when she thought to be tricky and wandered through a Realm door into the human world, never to be seen again. Avron was distraught and has not been the same since. Jessie appeals to him, asking him to save the Realm on behalf of Linnet who surely would've wanted him to help. He lends Jessie the wand, tuning it to Tasha.

Jessie and the gang find Tasha dancing with the flower fairies and quickly escort her home. But once there Jessie realises just what Mrs Tweedie has been up to for the past few months - she's been collecting evidence, photos and videos of the entrance to the Realm to prepare for her tv exclusive. Jessie is terrified when she finds Mrs Tweedie has captured Emerald (one of the flower fairies) and a news crew shows up. Luckily Flynn manages to free Emerald before she's caught on film and the film crew leave thinking Mrs Tweedie is nuts.

Mrs Tweedie is dealt with when she picks up the Rainbow Wand and finds herself returned home with no memory of Jessie, Granny or Blue Moon. Granny returns soon after horrified with what's been happening. She's followed in by Ms Stone who wants to tell her off for letting Jessie be caught up in what she believes was a publicity stunt but she's left stunned when Granny grabs her and takes her to the Realm. Because Lyn Stone is actually Linnet - Avron's daughter. Her attitude has been driven by her conflicting feelings on fact and fantasy and the struggle she's had with living in the human world. . I liked the reveal. I had an inkling of where this was going at the start of this book but prior to this I had no clue. It was a nice twist.

I liked the conclusion too. Jessie receives a little gold crown for her charm bracelet.

"Oh, Jessie, you've got a new charm!" she exclaimed. "A little gold crown. Isn't that sweet? Where did it come from?"
"Jessie earned it, I'd say," Granny said, beaming. "I'd say that someone decided that every true, brave princess should have a crown to call her own. Isn't that so, Jessie?"
And Jessie, thinking of Avron's words as he fastened the tiny crown in place, blushed, and nodded.
"May you always feel for others, as you do now," Avron had said, with a deep bow. "May you always remember the importance of laughter. And may there always be magic in your heart. Then, Princess Jessie of the Realm, you will indeed live happily ever after."

Rodda, Emily. Fairy Realm #10: The Rainbow Wand (p. 116). HarperCollins. Paperback.

The words were a nice touch to wrapping up the series. I would've liked to see more of Granny or Giff, Maybelle and Patrice but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Overall I've really enjoyed all the books and highly recommend them. 5 stars. ( )