Disney Fairies: Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg

Cute, not wonderful but not bad. A little too much of the cutesy language (though as I recognize it from Peter Pan, I'm willing to give the book a little more leeway than usual) - the descriptions of Never Land and the clapping, in particular. The way a laugh becomes a fairy was nice, though - a little more thorough than in Peter Pan. Prilla is nice, if a bit hapless; the hurricane is weird (there's no explanation for why it's so malevolent); the quest is interesting, though rather contrived. The illustrations are gorgeous - Tink, in particular, is familiar from the Disney version; this version isn't _quite_ that, but she's perfectly recognizable and rather more...realistic, if you can apply that word to a fairy. Rani's sacrifice and show more reward are great. Vidia needs a shot from a clue-bat. Quite a few of the fairies are fully characterized, though many are just sketches - left for later books, I suppose. It was fun, I may well reread it, but it's not one of those books that make a difference to me. show less

The artwork is beautiful, and Levine wrote a work of her heart, but the story itself is sub-standard (and certainly below her own standards) and the tie-ins to Peter Pan nebulous at best. Levine has imagined a world totally at odds with Barrie's invention, although it will unquestionably appeal to the generation raised on Disney's fairies. It does present messages of community, team-work, and encouragement suitable for elementary ages. (It was not published by Disney, but the illustrations, especially of Tinker Belle, are very close to the animated film.)

I realized part of why I like the Disney Fairies better than the Disney Princesses: Disney Fairies have everything they need and are happy. Disney Princesses get everything they want. I just think I would rather be the Fairies than the Princesses. Disney Fairies are happy with the way things are, especially happy with themselves. Disney Princesses… Sure they are happy because they get what they want. But are they happy with themselves, or just with the things they have?

This book starts the series of Disney Fairy chapter books, and who better to write it than Gail Carson Levine? The first thing I love about this book is the artwork. Being an artist myself my eyes always go to that first; it’s just how I am. There are drawings of show more fairies, mermaids and other creatures throughout the book, and they are beautiful. I love the way it is written. Fairy Dust is probably written for more of a younger audience than other books Mrs. Levine has written, but it is still a wonderful fairy tale. Mrs. Levine also wrote a sequel called Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand that I will be reviewing that one later, hopefully. show less

Some aspects of this story were lovely, the additional detail about Neverland and the mermainds, for example. But the overall tone was confusingly uneven. For example, Prilla's continual hope that maybe she'll have a (latestsubject) talent is repeated the way you would in a story for very small children. But Lydia's obtaining and hoarding of the fresh fairy dust is quite a complex issue, and her rationalisation of cruelty is a subject for a much older audience. The quests all seemed too easy, while the story of those who waited at home was full of real, and quite graphic, horror.
I cannot decide what audience would be appropriate for this story.
The audio book was well narrated, although I am sorry to miss the illustrations.

The kick-off book for Disney's new Fairies promotion, Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg seems a bit rushed at times, and little too simplistic, but then I need to remind myself that this is intended for children, and as such, I think most kids would really enjoy the story. David Christiana's artwork is simply gorgeous, and compliments both the story and the feel of Neverland.

Gorgeous illustrations by a wonderfully imaginative artist, David Christiana. If you like it, check out The Magical Marvellous Mysterious Coat. However, Gail Carson Levine fails to inspire with her hasty story about fairies in Neverland. The new fairy characters are worthy of exploration, but the arbitrary quest that they are sent on feels contrived from beginning to end.

I read this book to, my then, 6 year old. We really enjoyed it and it even had me a little teary in a few spots.
It is the story of Neverland where Fairies live and every Never-Fairie has a talent. When they are created from a babies first laugh and born to Neverland, the first thing they do is announce their talent. Except for Prilla. The book is spent discovering Prilla's talent with familiar characters like Tinkerbell and Captain Hook.