Author: Sally Gardner
Illustrator: David Roberts
© Date: 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Pages: 176
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, a lot of page layouts have illustrations
Publisher Recommended Age: 7-10 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: No
Summary from Book: A charming new series about a fairy detective agendcy.
When Emily Vole inherits an abandoned shop, it is up to her to battle a fairy-snatching witch and get to the bottom of OPERATION BUNNY.
Page Pig Thoughts: This one was an enjoyable read and touches on not being afraid to believe in things that other people do not. This one reminds me a bit of Matilda by Roald Dahl because there are negligent parents and a smart child that finds her way out of her situation. I enjoyed seeing how things worked out for Emily and hope that Page Pup will read this one. Until then, maybe I will find the next one.
Use caution with younger or sensitive readers, Harpella (particularly the drawings) may be scary and the modern day Cinderella life of Emily may be confusing.
Family Unit: Emily Vole was found at an airport when she was 3 months old. She goes on to live with Daisy and Ronald Dashwood. Then goes on to live her own life at the age of 8.
Conflict/Social Issues:
- Emily is the slave of the Dashwoods. Daisy Dashwood leave lists for her to complete, but no one even taught Emily to read.
- Harpella the witch is turning people into bunnies and trying to capture all of the fairies.
Positive Items:
- Emily is resourceful and finds a way to a better life for herself.
- Believing in fairies and magic, even when Daisy says that is rubbish, is what saves Emily.
Items of Interest:
- Daisy is entitled and self centered. When she hears about the baby found in a basket at the airport, she just has to adopt the baby because she doesn’t have a baby. Emily did not look like her parents, so at the age of 4, Daisy had Emily was wearing a blonde wig and blue contact lenses.
- At the age of 5, Daisy got pregnant with triplets. Daisy and Ronald decide to take Emily out of school and have her tend to the house. Emily slept on an ironing board in the laundry room and did all of the housework herself.
- A social worker had come to the house to check on why Emily was not enrolled in school, but did not realize what was really going on in the house. The book says that money hides lots of things.
- When Emily is 8 years old, she hurts herself in the back garden. The quirky Miss String and her talking cat Fidget, who lived in the house behind Emily’s, come to check on her and make sure she is okay. They took to helping Emily with her housework so that Emily would have time to learn things like how to read from Miss String.
- Miss String is hit by a car and dies.
- Harpella the witch turns the triplets into zombies when she steals their souls. Harpella turns other humans into brightly colored bunnies.
- Harpella wants to capture and therefore kill all of the fairies because she had married a fairy and he left her.
- The fairies gave up their wings in an attempt to save themselves from Harpella.
- Language: cheeky old bat
- Emily refers to Daisy as her ex-adoptive-mother-slash-employer.
- When Ronald realizes that the law is catching up to him and his money laundering, he leaves the country. He leaves without Daisy or the triplets.
- Daisy has surgery to remove her bunny ears, nose, and tail. Since she does not believe in fairies or magic, she needs surgery to correct a magical issue.
- When the triplets are returned to themselves, Daisy signs paperwork to give up all legal rights over Emily.
Other Books in Series (At Time of Posting):
- Book 2 – The Three Pickled Herrings
- Book 3 – The Vanishing of Billy Buckle
- Book 4 – The Matchbox Mysteries
- Book 5 – The Magic Carpet Thief
- Book 6 – Murder of Mrs. Mop