Project Fairy: Discover a brand new magical adventure from Jacqueline Wilson

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Mabs like rats and snakes and jungles and other cool "boy" things. Why is this not also expanded upon? A magical, captivating story about fairies, families and friendship from the brilliant, award-winning Jacqueline Wilson. Read more Details Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.

When Mab's teacher gives her a book all about Victorian fairies, she's surprised to see the drawings inside are nothing like the sweet fairies she imagined. I saw representations of evil fairies, lewd fairies, cruel fairies, ghoulish fairies, monstrous fairies – and adored them so much that I even became enthusiastic about the sweetly pretty sort. I admired mad Richard Dadd’s paintings the most, especially The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke. I must have already passed it several times at the Tate without focussing on it – but even standing right in front of it focussing seemed impossible. It’s a dark painting spattered with white daisies, white robes, white legs. I hadn’t realised there are at least thirty distorted little people gossiping, peeping, frowning, observing, blowing complicated instruments and taking a swing at a nut with an axe – and that isn’t counting the barely visible procession parading Queen Mab along the brim of the Magician’s hat.The ending felt a little rushed. Some character arcs where never resolved and some plot points felt a little shoved in with a "it's magic!" but overall the plot flowed well enough for a kids book. When Mab finds an old flower squashed in a book about fairies she pops it in a glass of water as it looks very wilted. Much to Mab's surprise the flower turns into a rather bad tempered and very opinionated and talkative fairy called Bindweed. Now Mab has to look after Bindweed while keeping her secret from her mother, who is mad keen on a quite different kind of fairy, her younger brother who could easily hurt Bindweed by mistake and, most importantly, the horrible girls in her class who already sneer and scoff at her. Mab and Bindweed's growing friendship demands navigating practical difficulties which also help Mab find confidence and happiness in her own life. Also, I didn't want to carry hate in my heart forever, and not for an author's long bibliography (not the author herself, to be clear) and works that had been a part of my childhood, and of my start in my reading life.

Before the start of the book, she had a breakdown after Mab's dad left them, and it caused Mab and her little brother Robin to be put into care, and a foster home for a bit. Since then Mum has been trying to get better in raising her kids, so she doesn't lose them again. Her obsession with fairies, and believing they are real to an extent, are in fact harmless quirks. It's her hobby, and part of who she is. Fairies and fairy paraphernalia make her happy. Mab, who initially wasn't interested in pink and "girly" things like fairies and was embarrassed by her mother's love of them, comes to see this, and appreciate her mum more later on. She never wanted her to be depressed again, that's for sure.

About Jacqueline Wilson

I kind of wish there was a mention, like a suggestion, of whether Mum was taking any kind of medication, any antidepressants, however. What about therapy? Asking for help when dealing with mental health problems big enough that you had to be institutionalised and separated from your children for a while is a good thing to represent in children's lit! Was it a good thing for Mum to deal with her depression mostly on her own? I'm not sure. It depends on the context. What I am certain and adamant about is that Mab shouldn't have to act like an adult and take care of her out of anxiety. As well as winning many awards for her books, including the Children's Book of the Year, Jacqueline is a former Children's Laureate, and in 2008 she was appointed a Dame. I’ve been an ABBA fan since they won that long-ago Eurovision Song Contest. I’ve been to the Avatar show ABBA Voyage at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. I wasn’t quite sure how it would work, but thought it would be fun – and it was actually amazing, a really fantastic experience. It’s such an entertaining exciting show, utterly convincing but a little tongue in cheek too. The seated audience sang, laughed, and swayed their arms, while those in the dancing area jumped about joyfully. The specially built venue is beautifully designed to minimise queuing – even for the Ladies loos. I wish I had an Avatar of myself. That Jacqueline Wilson could go and do all my events while I stay at home and read and write. When Peter Pan begged the audience to save Tinker Bell’s life by clapping our hands if we believed in fairies I didn’t join in. It just felt too silly. Of course I didn’t believe in a flashing light. Plus I’d been let down by the so-called real fairies. My friends at school said the Tooth Fairy would leave sixpence under my pillow when my teeth fell out – but she failed to make an appearance. My mother thought the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and even Father Christmas were pointless whimsy. I was given a chocolate egg at Easter and a big Christmas box of gifts on the 25th, but Mum made sure I knew that they were down to her own generosity.

Edie finds herself in Victorian London. She feels the same, but everything around her is completely different to what she knows. Soon, she realises she's living the life of another Edie Trimmer - and is in danger of being sent to a real workhouse! When Mab comes into school with a new fairy dress on her birthday, her teacher gives her a book all about Victorian fairies. She reads it with her mum and her little brother Robin, and she's surprised to see the drawings inside are nothing like the sweet fairies she imagined. Also, the actual plot was pretty good, I admired how Bindweed was gutsy and lively, energetic and although not the most likeable, Mab grows to be fond of her ‘pet’ fairy. The fairy world aspects were very original and creative, also fascinating. I wish JW showcased more of that, but that’s just my personal opinion, not really a flaw.I really love how realistically the storyline with Mabs' dad comes across, too. Without spoiling the plot, he doesn't serve as some fairytale prince coming to whisk Mabs' mum off her feet, but for what he is... a coward, and a failure. But it doesn't really matter, because Mabs' mum is trying her best to stay happy and healthy, and the kids are well-rounded and have everything they need. The illustrations and depictions of their lives are just so cosy. In the end, as a reward for caring for her, Bindweed grants a wish for Mab and she meets her father once again. Mab realises he is an absolute, cowardly loser without any self esteem or strength…. How had she not seen it all along? Her and her mum and brother do a runner and go home. Then and there, they realise that their father didn’t deserve them and their peaceful, cosy warm lives. They continue living on, with their mums new boyfriend and Bindweed meeting her cult, I mean family, once again. Something that's not important to mention but I feel I want to because it's personal and relatable: Mab's mum works in a supermarket (grocery store to my US readers), and at first she is scared of her new boss because he appears cold and distant to her, and acts like he wants to fire her. But later on, he is kind and sweet to her; it's only the adjustment period that had stressed him out, and made him distant and seemingly scary. Yeah, I totally relate to that, in my own work in retail.