Fairy Mom and Me – Fairy in Waiting

Sophie Kinsella's Fairy in Waiting is a magical story collection for 5 year olds about a girl whose mum is a fairy, just not a very good one.

What happens

Ella Brook has a family secret. Her mum stamps her feet three times, claps her hands, wiggles her bottom and says "Marshmallow". POOF! She's Fairy Mom, with sparkly wings, a silver crown and a wand that's also a phone, full of fairy apps.

The trouble is, her spells go wrong. A LOT.

Ella can't do magic yet. She has to wait until she's grown up, which is why she calls herself a Fairy in Waiting. It drives her mad!

There are four stories here and each one is a little disaster. A posh lunch with Dad's boss turns into a chase through the woods after a lost parrot. On the way, Mom accidentally turns herself and Ella into monkeys, then elephants, then penguins. Who wouldn't want to see that?

An old wardrobe from an antiques shop comes to life, walks down the stairs and refuses to hold itchy jumpers. On holiday, Mom gets into a towel war over the best sun loungers with another fairy mum. And Ella's birthday party has the worst magician ever, until Granny and Aunty Jo step in.

Ella tells it all herself and her voice is very young and very honest. She's cross about waiting, she's jealous when an older girl has her own wand, and she does something she knows she shouldn't. Then she owns up and gets a big hug.

Best of all, it's often Ella who saves the day. She remembers the right spell when Mom panics, or knows exactly what a lonely wardrobe needs.

Dad is a lovely running joke too. He just wants ONE normal day without magic (and never quite gets it).

One of the stories has a masked burglar in the house at night. Ella spots him from the hallway, but the wardrobe deals with him in seconds and it's more funny than scary.

The words are American (Mom, vacation, sweaters), which might need a quick chat with a British reader. There's an ice cream recipe at the back to make together, too.

What to read next

If your reader loves Ella, Fairy Mom and Me is where she properly introduces her family, Ollie and his "weezi-weezi-weezi", and her very mean Not-Best Friend, Zoe.