The Fairies Of Turtle Creek by Jill K. Sayre – 322 pages
Book Blurb:
Magical realism for readers age 9 and up. Fantasy and history all mixed together, with a cross-generational relationship between an eccentric grandmother and a skeptical granddaughter. Thirteen-year-old Claire has deep concerns about her brother who is away fighting in the Iraq war. When her quirky and estranged grandmother comes to live with her distressed family, Claire is cynical. It’s through Grandma Faye’s stories of being a thirteen year old in Dallas, Texas in the 1920’s that opens Claire’s heart to love and belief in other things you can only see with your heart.
My Review: 3.5 stars
I read this book by request of the author who thought I’d enjoy it due to the Fairies in the title. She was right; I did like it quite a bit however I was not aware it was aimed at very young readers, in my opinion, somewhere between ages 9 – 12. Although that was a surprise for me, I found this story of Claire enchanting as she struggles between the comfort of her scientific mind and the newness of a magical mind that’s introduced by her grandmother. Claire encounters many discoveries about nature, family ties, life and death and the budding of a romantic relationship as she also starts to believe in the reality of fairies. The author uses a rich vocabulary for young readers but includes definitions for them in an easy to read way. Two aspects from the book that I really appreciated from the author are: 1. That she shares a story about the Orphan Train, which is good for young readers to learn about. I didn’t know of this part of American history until I read the book by the same title. 2. That young readers can discover the Language of Flowers, which again, I didn’t know much about until I read a book with the same title.
This is a great book to give young girls in elementary or middle school.
Quotes I liked:
Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.”
-“To plant a garden is to grow faith in tomorrow.”
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