Celia and the Fairies by Karen McQuestion is about a ten-year-old girl named Celia Lovejoy.  When Celia’s grandmother moves in with her family, she tells her granddaughter magical stories of fairies living in the woods behind the Lovejoy home. Celia believes they are just stories until she receives an unexpected visit from Mira, a real, live fairy.

Mira begs for Celia’s help. It seems that Celia’s house and the adjoining woods are in danger of being demolished to make way for a new highway. Vicky McClutchy is a spiteful woman who holds a childhood grudge against Celia’s dad and is the one behind this evil plan. Fairy magic can counteract this evil, but it will only work with Celia’s help. But to do this Celia must go into the woods at night and conquer her greatest fears.

This book is for ages nine to 12 but I enjoyed it and I am much older than that.  There are no illustrations inside this 140-page book but the chapters are short ranging from one to four pages.

Since the main character is only ten the vocabulary is also age appropriate. When her parents or the fairies use an unrecognizable word Celia asks for the meaning and it is explained in terms she understands.

The plot is fast paced with lots of action that will keep kids interested in reading. Kids can relate to the protagonist because of the issues she faces such as Celia’s embarrassment when she is seen talking to a younger boy.

I picked this book up at BookExpo America in May 2011 and it is an Advance Readers Copy but I really liked the cover (see attachment) of a girl in the woods holding a fairy and the fun font; it seems magical.

This book also came with a lesson which I liked because I always try to live this way: to see things from other points of view and realize how your actions affect others. Basically a lesson about the power of ordinary kindness.