The Rainbow Wand, by Emily Rodda

essie’s heart lurched. She remembered Tasha’s silver fairy wings. Her grandmother’s voice echoed in her mind.
‘There are Doors to the Realm all over the world, Jessie. But only people who believe in magic can find them.’
“Tasha found the Door!” Jessie heard herself saying. “She’s gone into the Realm!”

Jessie has always enjoyed her adventures in the Fairy Realm, travelling through the door at the bottom of her grandmother’s garden, but when another human child, four year old Tasha, accidentally enters the Realm, Jessie knows she could be in trouble. She must find Tasha and return her home before anything goes wrong.

Meanwhile, she must also stop her sticky beak next door neighbour, Mrs Tweedie, from finding out too much about the Realm. Has Mrs Tweedie sent Tasha in deliberately and what can Jessie do about it?

The Rainbow Wand is the fourth and final title in the second series of the Fairy Realm series. There are plenty of fairies and other magical creatures, as well as adventure and mystery. Young readers will also enjoy the hard back format and beautiful fairy illustrations. This is an excellent series for girls aged 8 to 10, and maybe a little older, and is also suited to reading aloud.

Fairy Realm: The Rainbow Wand, by Emily Rodda
ABC Books, 2006

Ben the Post-Mouse, by Emily Rodda

Ben the post-mouse spends his days delivering letters to every house in Mouseville. He loves his job, and the people of Mouseville love him – but nobody ever writes to Ben. Ben has a great plan to make sure he gets some letters – he advertises for a Pen Pal. But soon he has more letters coming in than he can handle. Can his Squeak Street friends help him to sort out his problem?

Ben the Post Mouse is part of the Squeak Street series, each focussing on the story of one resident of Squeak Street. Young readers will enjoy the humour of a the situation here – a postman who never gets letters of his own – and will also appreciate the acceptability of the story, which is designed to be read alone by beginning readers making the transition to first chapter books..

Ben the Post-Mouse is a cute offering.

Ben the Post Mouse, by Emily Rodda, illustrated by Andrew McLean
Working Title, 2006

The Peskie Spell, by Emily Rodda

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

Lucky Clive, by Emily Rodda

Lucky Clive lives at Number Five Squeak Street. Every morning he gets up early to bake cakes for his shop and every day customers queue up to buy them. He loves his job. But on a late-night dash to buy a missing ingredient he runs into two old friends from school. Roly has written a book and Daisy is a film star. Both are rich and have very exciting lives. Poor Clive realises he hasn’t changed a bit since school and decides it is time to do something different.

Soon Clive is sitting at the Loads of Jobs agency, keen to try a new career. The agency has plenty of jobs – Clive can be a broom salesman, or a clown, or even a mouse-eating-fish feeder. But what will the other residents of Squeak Street think when they can no longer buy Clive’s delicious cakes?

Lucky Clive is the fifth book in the Squeak Street series, a chapter book spin-off from the popular Squeak Street picture book. At just 2000 words in length, with a high ratio of illustration to text, these are aimed at beginning readers making the transition from early readers and picture books to novels.

Lucky Clive is a fun tale.

Lucky Clive, by Emily Rodda, illustrated by Andrew McLean
Working Title, 2005

The Water Spirits, by Emily Rodda

Princess Jessie! The village of Lirralee invites you to baby Jewel’s Welcome Party on Saturday afternoon. The party begins at three o’clock and ends when the birds go to bed. There will be music, dancing, games and lots of food. Please come!

Jessie can’t wait to enter the fairy realm and go to Patrice’s old village for a party. But inside the realm, as she follows a daisy trail to the party, she is set upon by mud wubbles. When the water sprites rescue her, Jessie wants to do them a good turn as repayment. But when she does, she unwittingly causes more trouble than she set out to fix. Soon the water sprites and the people of Lirralee are at war, and baby Jewel is held captive. It is up to Jessie to find a solution.

The Water Sprites is the second title in the second series of the Fairy Realm series by one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, Emily Rodda. This delightful hardcover offering is sure to find a place in the hearts (and libraries) of girls aged 6 to 10.

The Water Sprites, by Emily Rodda
ABC Books, 2005

Tales of Deltora, by Emily Rodda

This book of tales contains the secret history of Deltora. That is a startling claim, I know, but it is true.With these words, Josef, the Palace librarian, begins this magnificent volume, a boon for fans of the Deltora Quest series. Presented in large format hard cover, this is a collector’s item which provides the history of Deltora prior to the events of the fifteen books of the Deltora Quest series.

Deltora fans will learn about the origins of the Shadow Lord and the Ak-Baba and about the Masked Ones. They will also read about how Adin collected the gems which make up the Belt of Deltora. There are nineteen tales here, providing background history and recounting Adin’s adventures as he collects the gems. Each story is self-contained, but are best enjoyed in order, as the plot builds on previous tales.

This history is gorgeously complemented by full colour plates illustrated by Marc McBride. Filled with dragons and the other mythical creatures of Deltora, each is finely detailed and lavishly coloured.

Fans of the Deltora series will be delighted with this new offering. Those who’ve not yet read the series will be inspired to do so.

Tales of Deltora, by Emily Rodda, illustrated by Marc McBride
Scholastic, 2005

Fairy Realm – The Star Cloak, by Emily Rodda

“Tomorrow night, a few minutes after the first star appears, Wish Night will begin in the Realm. The stars are getting ready for it there, and even here, in the mortal world, they seem to come closer. Even here there’s magic in the air. I feel it – and so do you.”

In the first series of Fairy Realm books, Jessie had wonderful adventures with her friends in the Realm. Now, in the first book of Series Two, Jessie and her fairy friends are preparing for Wish Night, a magical night that happens just once each year. When her friend Griff the Elf accidentally damages the Star Cloak, which is needed for the Wish Night celebrations, it is up to Jessie to get the cloak repaired and make sure the celebrations can go ahead. But first, she and Griff must face danger on Stardust Mountain.

Young fairy-lovers will be delighted with this offering – it has a delightful blend of magic, adventure and suspense. The black and white illustrations by Raoul Vitale are outstanding, with fine detail and photo-realistic depth. The hard-cover format, complete with ribbon bookmark is another highlight.

Fairy Realm: The Star Cloak, by Emily Rodda
ABC Books, 2005

How to Draw Deltora Monsters, by Marc McBride, with Emily Rodda

Emily Roda’s Deltora Quest series has been one of the most popular children’s book series in recent years. Australian children have eagerly awaited each new installment and only recently seen the ending of Lief’s quest.

A wonderful feature of all the books in the series has been the delightful cover illustrations of the talented Marc McBride. Now McBride offers young fans an insight into how the various Deltora pictures have been created, with a step-by-step guide to drawing the fantastical creatures from the series. As well as dragons, there is the fearsome knight Gorl, the gentle muddlers, the slug-like Glus, the viscious Vraal and more.

Detailed instructions for how to draw each beast begin with basic shapes which are then built on until the beast is complete and ready for colour. Variations in posture and action are suggested, along with tips to make the illustration complete. The closing pages of the book show how to create a single full colour scene.

How to Draw Deltora Monsters will delight Deltora fans, especially those already endowed with artistic talents. The detail of the original illustrations means that their recreation is not simple – even with McBride’s detailed instructions. That said, the book holds interest even for those (like this reviewer) too awed to even attempt the drawing exercises, as a fascinating look at the process of creating true masterpieces.

How to Draw Deltora Monsters, by Marc Mc Bride
Scholastic, 2004

The Sister of the South, by Emily Rodda

Lief hit powdery earth, and rolled. The song of the Sister was like a knife cutting into his brain. He groaned in agony and curled himself into a ball, his eyes screwed shut. But still he gripped the Belt of Deltora, gripped it so tightly that his hands ached and slowly, slowly the soothing power of the amethyst, the strength of the diamond, gave him the will to open his eyes.

Since 1997 kids from all over the world have been following the adventures of Lief and his friends Barda and Jasmine as they have sought to restore Deltora to its former glory. At every step they have had to triumph over evil. Now, in the final instalment of the third series, the friends’ quest reaches its terrifying end.

In Sister of the South the companions return to their home, the city of Del, where they believe the last of the Shadow Lord’s evil creations – the Sister of the South – lies hidden in the heart of the city. From the moment he reenters Del, Lief feels a terrible sense of foreboding, but he knows he must go on. Surely destroying the Sister of the South will mean an end to the evil influence of the Shadow Lord. But there is something else troubling him. What was Josef, the palace librarian, trying to tell him before he died? Could Rowan be about to make the biggest mistake of all?

Whilst young fans will be saddened by the ending of such a succesful series, they will not be disappointed by this final installment. The book has twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and a satisfactory ending, which is less predictable than expected.

Thrilling reading.

Sister of the South: Deltora Quest 3 #4, by Emily Rodda
Scholastic Press, 2004

Rowan of Rin – The Journey, by Emily Rodda

Since 1996 Australian children have followed the fantasy adventures of Rowan of Rin by one of Australia’s favourite children’s authors, Emily Rodda. Rowan is an unlikely hero who emerges, through the five books which make up the series, as a brave and strong leader. With his friends he experiences thrilling adventures and, along the way, comes to have faith in his own abilities.

Now, Scholastic has released the five books which make up this wonderful series as a single hard cover offering at the reasonable price of $29.95. For collectors and lovers of fantasy this is a real treat.

Individual Reviews of the Five Rowan stories can be found here on the Aussiereviews site:

Rowan of Rin (1993)
Rowan and the Travellers (1994)
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal (1996)
Rowan and the Zebak (1999)
Rowan of the Bukshah (2003)

Rowan of Rin: the Journey, by Emily Rodda
An Omnibus Book from Scholastic Australia, 2004