The Charm Bracelet (Fairy Realm, #1) (2024)

1.) The Charm Bracelet ★★★★
2.) The Flower Fairies ★★★.5
3.) The Third Wish ★★★

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BOOK #5 READ FOR BELIEVATHON ROUND 2.

[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]

★★★★

OH, how i would have LOVED this if i had read it as a child :')

trigger warnings: loss of loved ones (in the past).

There's something about Emily Rodda. Something about the way her books are charming and sweet but contain just enough complexity and darkness not to be described as bland, even when she is writing for small children. I like very few authors of series for small children, and generally prefer the humorous ones but Rodda is able to right serious, sweet and yet not sickening stuff.

This book has a tiny horse and a charm bracelet, I think sequels have fairies so it would appeal to that "girl's stuff" type of child, but this is Rodda writing and there is something more here than just cutesy pie settings. There is intergenerational love, families- the tension between individual happiness and the good of society and the need for kindness and goodness in all situations. Also quietly there is a critique of greedy, envious, exploitative ways of being (but the story never fails to be a story or degenerates into a lesson).

There are also a couple of character who are cats (which is always a good thing)

I read this yesterday in anticipation of my 6-year-old reading it. The beginning mentions the grandfather and father are dead so we talked about that this morning - how authors sometimes kill off the people who aren't part of the story they have in their head. She seems ok with that (which means I can probably start giving her Boxcar Children books tor ead).

It's harder than the Rainbow Fairy books she loves but she devours them in 20 minutes. I'm figuring for the first chapter or two I'll sit next to her and knit so I can help her with any words that throw her, but I believe she's going to love the story.

I forgot to update this - I've been getting these out of the library and reading them out loud to the kids. Each chapter takes about 10 minutes. They're both enjoying them and Sam can definitely read them on her own too - she brought one in to school and is slowly reading it out loud during her one-on-one time.

I found out about the MG series Fairy Realm through April's YT channel (Aprilius Maximus) and knew that I had to get my hands on all the books. Since due to the current situation in England, at the time of me reading this, the libraries were not open so I made the decision to buy the first few in the series second-hand online. Being nervous since I wasn't sure if the story would be something I liked almost put my anxiety to shame. The good news, however, is that those fears melted away as quickly as an ice-cream melting on a summer's day.

We follow a young girl called Jessie, who is staying with her grandmother who is struggling with her memory and the absence of a pretty charm bracelet from the house. On exploring the back garden, Jessie is shocked to find a whole new community filled with fairies, magic and an adventurous realm. The race is on to help her grandmother before the enemies of the realm strike. Fast-paced, high stakes, good writing style. Even at age 21, I was hooked.

This was a super cute read! I quickly got caught up in the drama and grew quite fond of Jessie even faster. I like that she's a dreamy girl who sits in the 'secret garden' in her grandmother's garden and loves the tales of fairies but also has a definitive practical streak - as does Marigold, at least, of those she meets through the hedge. (One that definitely comes in handy when the Fairy Realm is in trouble and has accidentally nabbed The Wrong Jessica!)

Jessica's mother provides a bit of a steady link to the real world but isn't unlikable for all that she thinks her mother and daughter both have their heads in the clouds (and possibly not the clouds of this world), which I appreciated. It's all too easy to have that grounded character be another type of antagonist and it's nice to have something different. Jessie's similarly very practical grandfather, even though only shown in memory after his death, turned out to be even more awesome than I expected and I kind of want to see his (and the original Jessica's) story as well, I admit.

I also quite liked the matter-of-fact way Jessie introduced Flynn, her grandmother's cat, as standing guard over her, and accepted him as slightly-more-than-mundane without pause for consideration.

While I could see a lot of the storyline coming (not unexpected given both the intended audience - it's a simple story, but a good one - and the number of fantasy and/or fairy world stories I've read) there were still the occasional bits that surprised me. The black and white illustrations accompanying each chapter were lovely, as well!

This was actually pretty well written, though it was a teensy bit twee. Una at 6 needed to have a fair few conversations about the riff on the evil twin motif (something she has come across before) but followed the story pretty well and remained invested. We have another out of the library and I am hoping some of the clunkiness which might come from being the first in a series is eased out of subsequent novels.

Una has to act out every physical gesture (crossed arms, eye roll) and try to capture the exact mood. It's a real eye-opener in how many authors overuse them (and especially how often they aren't quite appropriate).

Una loved the soft pencil illustrations.

5/5 stars. i dont care that i was in second grade when i last read this, but when the series ended, i biked around my neighborhood singing a song about how sad i was she ended the series. and i think that is a good enough reason to reread it, which is what i am going to go do now. :)

did not want it to end

Great story for children. I enjoyed this book. A must read for kids everywhere.

A little simple, yes, but a thousand times better than Ranibow Magic.

J read: 10/12/2023

Read to Vivian. I loved these books when I was her age. Great storyline and entertaining enough for a young adult!!

The Fairy Realm series are wholesome lighthearted reads featuring a secret fairy realm found through a doorway at the edge of the garden. There's magic and mythical creatures and miniature horses that talk (because what else would you find in a secret fairy realm? duh.) It's reminiscent of Shirley Barber's gorgeous picture books albeit with less impressive artwork (Shirley Barber is incredibly talented). It's a good series for tween girls. I loved this series as a kid, they were imaginative and magical and I loved every minute. I'm pretty sure this series is what started my love of charm bracelets too.

The Charm Bracelet
Great start to the series. Jessie is a very likable character - she's smart, brave and kind - for all she kind of loses it when being transported to a magical Realm with supposedly no way home. Because although panicked - she does rally and uses her practical, logical side to find out all the information she can and come up with a plan to fix things. Her plan to trick Valda to open the door by making her think she'd already gone through the door was inspired. Maybelle, Giff and Patrice were interesting and I liked the world building - even if there wasn't a whole lot in this first book. And I love that Jessie receives her own charm bracelet at the end and has collected her first charm to remember the Realm by. It's so whimsical. 5 stars.

I picked up Book #2 by accident without knowing it was part of a series and I really didn't like it. I even lost a little faith in Rodda.
Which was completely stupid of me, and I'm glad I went and revised my terrible opinion.
The first book was classic Rodda, although I felt that because this is for very little girls, as opposed to most of her other series, it lacked the depth and complexity I was hoping for. The entire book was very short and so straight-forward, it felt rushed and bland.
Then again, I'm a 25 year old reading a book for probably a 9 year old, so there's that.
Overall, I was pleased to see that Rodda's writing style can adapt to different age groups.

This is such a great fantasy book for kids, it was my first one. The Fairy Realm started my obsession with the fantasy genre!

i blame this series as to why i believed in fairies as long as i did

In another series by Rodda this one about a fairy world, where a girl discovers a bracelet that allows her to go to this world and of course adventures ensue and she becomes the hero of the day, saving them, etc. Not bad, average fare, the target audience may get into it.
Fairy Realm #1
Emily Rodda #33

20ish years on and I decided to re-read the books that I adored as a child. I still find myself sometimes dreaming about the realm of fairies, these books definitely left an impression on me. A very easy read but still enjoyable. It could be nostalgia talking who knows. One day I hope to read these stories to my children and that they will love them as much as me 😊

A great first chapter book for kids who like fantasy! It has a sprinkling of lovely pictures in it too, so it’s a nice way to ease kids into reading longer books. I really enjoyed these as a kid, and reading it again brought back some fond memories.

I adored these books in elementary school. This was the first series I read where I was dying to get my hands on the next release, and it really got me into loving fantasy. Definitely, definitely recommend for people with young kids.

Read this as a child, somehow still had a copy and decided to re-read. The descriptions are lovely, the plot is simple yet entertaining and not a bad way to spend an hour or two. The worldbuilding for the fairy realm is enjoyable.

A reread if memory serves of a book I read when I was very little. Quite possible the exact same copy honestly because it was from the library of my childhood. I look forward to reading them all honestly! So sweet and fun, truly a great children's book.

re-reading this series which i was OBSESSED with as a child and it is so nostalgic <3 i won't flood my goodreads by putting every single one on here but they really are so cute and magical <3 i can see why i loved them so much

I remember reading this story when I was in elementary school. I really enjoyed revisiting it! For a second or third grader, this is a very enjoyable book with a plot that they understand and has a good moral and ending.

I wanted to reread this series because I loved it so much as a kid but the plot is honestly a bit incoherent… idk if it’s cause my adult brain overworks which makes it confusing or if a kid would be confused too? I suspect it’s a me issue but I’m just sad I didn’t feel the nostalgia with this one!

very predictable and slow

Rereading a childhood favorite! This series is so cute and uplifting; I've been taking books to school to cheer myself up.

This was delightful - I remember reading these as a kid - so revisiting was wonderful.

These were my first favorite books!

This was the first time I’ve finished a book that I listened to as an audiobook. I enjoyed the story and think I will try listening to more Fairy Realm stories if I can.