Lottie Luna and the Fang Fairy

Vivian French's Lottie Luna and the Fang Fairy is a slightly spooky school-trip story for 7 year olds about a werewolf princess who'd rather nobody knew she was either.

What happens

Lottie is a little werewolf with super strength, super speed and amazing hearing. She was born on the night of a full moon AND a lunar eclipse. But she keeps her powers quiet, and only her best friends Wilf and Marjory know she's a princess.

Her dad, King Lupo, thinks camping is far too undignified for a princess. Luckily Queen Mila talks him round, and off Lottie goes to the Greater Growling Woods with her class and Jaws, her pet bat.

On the bus, little Larry is SO excited about his first wobbly tooth. The fang fairy will leave him a silver coin! Then Aggie Claws, who is in a mean mood, tells a campfire story about a hideous country fang fairy with bulging eyes and long yellow fangs who creeps about snatching teeth.

Larry is terrified. The next morning there are claw marks all round his tent, and Lottie starts to wonder if someone is trying to scare him on purpose. Then, halfway through the big hike, Larry goes missing.

Lottie is such a lovely character. She hugs Larry, lends him Jaws for the night and does her best to be fair, even about Aggie. She loses her temper too, and then worries she's been unfair (which feels very real).

There's a nice little mystery to solve, with muddy footprints and a suspicious three-pronged fork. Lottie's necklace changes with her mood, shining when she's happy and going dull when she's worried, so you always know how she's feeling.

It's spooky rather than scary. The tense bits are a little one lost in the woods, a marsh and a cliff everyone's been told to keep away from. For a child with a wobbly tooth of their own (or a worry about the tooth fairy), it's perfect bedtime reading.

You don't need to have read any other Lottie Luna books first. The story explains everything you need as it goes.

What to read next

If Lottie goes down well, Lottie Luna and the Giant Gargoyle is in the library too. There's a school talent competition with a giant silver gargoyle for a trophy, and every family is invited, which means Lottie's big secret might not stay secret for long.