She began to sing, moving her broom in time to the music:
“Pesky weather; nothing goes right!Pesky weather; lock the door tight!
Make a magic brew
With seven drops of dew,
A drop of thistle milk,
And a strand of spider silk…”
With the weather both sunny and windy, Jessie’s mum is singing an old song that grandma sometimes sings, but neither of them realises the significance of the song. When Jess goes to call on her friends in the Realm, she finds them barricaded inside the palace. A wild wind has brought the mischievous Peskies down from the hills and they’re up to all sorts of trouble. If they can’t be banished soon, all the magic of the realm will vanish.
The spell to get rid of the Peskies has been forgotten – by everyone, it seems, but Jessie’s grandmother. It is up to Jessie to teach it to the others and then set off to find the magical ingredient.
The Peskie Spell is the third title in the Fairy Realm, series two. Just like the earlier titles it is filled with fairies, elves and other mystical creatures, plenty of magic and a happy ending. These hardcover offerings, with delightful illustrations by Raoul Vitale, are sure to appeal to young girls.
The Peskie Spell, by Emily Rodda
ABC Books, 2006