Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

 

Title: Piper Green and the Fairy Tree

Author: Ellen Potter

Illustrator: Qin Leng

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Year: 2015

ISBN: 978-0-553-49923-0

Summary: Piper lives on an island so small that she has to take a ferry to the mainland to get to school. And when kids turn 14 they must live on the mainland to go to high school. Piper’s brother just moved. Piper misses him so much, she refuses to take off the ear muffs he gave her. When she has to take a note home to her mother, Piper fakes a stomach ache to get off the ferry and sneak back home. She climbs a tree and through the fluff of the ear muffs, she hears the tree crying. A neighbor comes by and cuts a hole in the branch where the noise is coming from. Piper reaches in and pulls out two fluffy kittens. Her neighbor tells her it’s a fairy tree. The fairies will leave you gifts if you give them something. Because she got to keep the kittens, Piper gives the tree her earmuffs. And best of all, her brother comes home for a visit that night.

Literary Merit: Strong female character. Longer chapters with fewer illustrations than many early chapter books.

Kid Appeal: Fairies, Kittens, and a strong willed Girl! I think kids would love to imagine living on an island and taking a ferry to and from school every day.

Disclaimer: This book was nominated for the 2015 CYBILS Award in the Early Chapter Book category. This review is shared as part of the Round One Judging. It is solely my own opinion and not influenced by any other parties.