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I've been besotted with the Cottingley Fairies story for years and years, even using it to frame a speech on literary fairy tales I gave long ago. I've done a ton of research on it thinking I'd write a book about it one day, but now Mary Losure has written that very book. Darn you, Mary! Just kidding as this is a terrific book. Sympathetic, fascinating, well-researched (and I should know:), clear, and an all around great read. More about it on my blog here.
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I don't think this slight book is altogether successful. (Which is too bad, because it could have benefited from some vague World of Downton Abbey publicity.) There's not quite enough story for a book of this length, unless it's that the telling just feels repetitious. The writing overall feels like it talks down to the child reader. Or maybe the book isn't aimed at the audience the cover suggests (mid-to-upper middle grade?) I think it could have been a more successful long-form picture book, b
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When two girls, Frances, 9, and Elsie, 15, claim to see fairies near where they live in Cottingley, their parents press them for proof, and as a lark, they end up photographing paper fairy cutouts painted by Elsie and staged outdoors. They had no idea that so much attention would be stirred up by their photos and that even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would find their photograph credible and beg to see one of the fairies. Perhaps most astounding of all is how the two managed to keep their secret for s
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I'm not sure who the audience is for this book. It's written in a very elementary style, but there's way too much information for the elementary age group. Yes, I could be underestimating the elementary reading level, but if they are reading that much then they deserve better writing.
Informative, but not very entertaining.
It made me sad to learn why it was so important that fairies are real for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
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Informative, but not very entertaining.
It made me sad to learn why it was so important that fairies are real for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
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The Fairy Ring is a brief nonfiction book about two cousins whose minor practical joke turned into a major hoax. Unlike many others, I was unaware of this story before reading this book. Due to the excellent source notes and bibliography, I am eager to read more. What a fascinating example of how people will choose to believe weak evidence if it supports what they want to believe.
Based on first person accounts and extensively researched, Losure describes the events surrounding the Cottingsley Fairy hoax. Elsie and Frances, the girls who perpetuated the hoax, kept their secret for over 60 years.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It felt like a story and that I was getting to know the characters a bit. The middle and end felt more like a newspaper article or a report though. The information was still interesting, but somehow not as compelling.
I still believe in fairies.
I still believe in fairies.
Short and interesting. Remember the movie "Fairy Tale?" Same story.
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3.5 stars
A fun, short chapter book about the true story of two little girls who convinced a bunch of grown-ups that fairies are real. What a great premise! The writing felt a little stilted at times, but I loved that the actual photographs of the fairies were included. Recommended for fairy lover ages 10 to 14.
Mar 07, 2012
Elisabeth
marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2012
Kristin McIlhagga
marked it as to-read
Oct 17, 2012
Becky Barrier Nelson
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
nonfiction,
newbery-candidate-2013
Nov 28, 2012
Whitney
marked it as to-read
Dec 06, 2012
Alison
marked it as to-read
Dec 06, 2012
Marlena
added it
Jan 07, 2013
Rachel
marked it as to-read
Jan 23, 2013
Anamaria
added it
