Review: Mummy Fairy and Me by Sophie Kinsella

Mummy Fairy and Me is British author Sophie Kinsella's first foray into writing for children. One might ask what prompted the shift, but keep in mind that although Kinsella is most famous for the Shopaholic series, she's also written a number of best sellers using her legal name, Madeleine Wickham, and it was only a couple of years ago that she released Finding Audrey, a YA novel about one young woman's journey through social anxiety. Anyway, Mummy Fairy and Me is an entertaining collection of stories that reminded me just a little of The Cursed First Term of Zelda Stitch by Nicki Greenburg, and also of Marge in Charge by Isla Fisher. (I guess the era of funny junior novels is well and truly upon us.)

Ella Brook is a fairy in waiting. Her mummy is a fairy. Or, well, her mummy is a rather, dare I say, frazzled fairy who has trouble operating her wand, which has some remarkable similarities to a smart phone. (No doubt any kid who has watched their parent struggle with their phone will get a lot of amusement out of this.) Mummy's difficulty with her wand causes much of the drama--or should I say hilarity--in each of these stories as everything goes wrong, sometimes with spectacular results. Fortunately, Ella is always on hand, along with her aunt and grandmother to help restore everything back to normal. 

This one was an enjoyable enough read, with lots of morals about how family life doesn't need to be perfect to be fun. It's probably best enjoyed by junior primary school aged girls, though I imagine fans of Kinsella will be able to get a laugh or two out of Ella's adventures. (On that, Zoe reminded me so much of Alicia-Bitch-Long-Legs.)

Recommended. 

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