Fairies are big in our house. We’ve read the books, watched the movies, built the villages. There’s just something magical about the idea of another world of tiny, sparkling, winged people, existing right outside our own vision.
Here are five chapter books (or series) for your own fairy enthusiast.
Candy Fairies series, by Helen Perelman and Erica-Jane Waters
Fairies, candies, and magic—he perfect trifecta. Raina the Gummy Fairy, Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy, Melli the Caramel Fairy, Dash the Mint Fairy, and Berry all live with their friends in—where else? Sugar Valley. The sweetness (pun intended), the simplicity, the friendship, all put me in a mind of Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony. It’s those classic character friendships with valuable life lessons—helping each other out, honesty, working hard, perseverance—woven in.
Rainbow Magic series, by Daisy Meadows
If you read this post and then head to the bookstore, you’re going to find that there are “more than a few” of these books. In fact, they’re more than 150 of them. The covers are bright, sparkly, and eye-catching, and you may find yourself getting overwhelmed. Do yourself a favor: let your child pick. My daughter started by finding her own name. Then she started searching for the names of friends. It’s a system that only made sense to her, but it worked, and she tore through these a newly independent chapter book reader. The books center around best friends Kirsty and Rachel and their many, many, fairy friends. While the entire series has over 150 titles, they’re broken into subsets of seven that each focus on a different group of fairies (sports, music, weather, oceans, magical animals, etc.)
The Never Girls series, by Kiki Thorpe and Jana Christy
Every child whose watched Peter Pan has hoped that if they believe, if they wish just hard enough, they might find themselves in Never Land. Impossible, right? Of course. But that’s just what happens to friends Kate, Mia, Lainey, and Abby. One day, on the slip of a sea breeze and in the literal blink of an eye, these four girls find themselves in the land of the fairies. And not just once, either. But don’t be fooled by the never-grow-up setting. At their core, these stories are about the ups and downs of friendship, not just with the fairies, but between the human girls—all of whom have very different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, but are there for each other, absolutely.
Fairy Bell Sisters series, by Margaret McNamara
For Tinkerbell fans who are even younger, there’s this series. Meet Tinker Bell’s younger sisters—Clara, Golden, Rosy, Sylva, and Squeak. While perhaps not as well-known as their older sister (okay, not known at all), these five fairies are just as much fun. Unlike The Never Girls series, this set of books focuses on the fairies themselves, and life on their small island. Not so surprisingly, this looks much like the life of a human girl. Sibling rivalry, tested friendships, jealousy, and growing pains are just as much a part of fairy life as they are human life. And these are the kind of life lessons that magic can’t get you out of experiencing. In fact, sometimes trying to use magic makes it worse.
The Night Fairy, Laura Amy Schlitz and Angela Barrett
I am a big fan of Laura Amy Schlitz’s novels. She’s the kind of storyteller you imagine listening to for hours around a campfire, until suddenly it’s morning and only then do you realize you’ve been awake all night. But it wasn’t until very recently that I learned she had this book for younger readers. In The Night Fairy, we meet Flory, a young night fairy who loses her beautiful wings, her pride and joy, in an encounter with a bat. Now, Flory has to make some big adjustments to life without wings, including becoming a day fairy. While flying around in the dark may seem scary to many, it’s home to Flory. Daylight, however, is a whole other challenge, with a whole other set of predators. Sassy, spunky Flory is going to have to put aside her own vanity and self-centeredness in order to survive. But in doing so, she opens herself up to a whole world of new friendships.
Do you believe in fairies?