Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews: Blog Book Tour - Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties.

Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Blog Book Tour - Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties.

Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate

If you are interested in fairies, elves, goblins, and other magical creatures, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a copy of Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate. Yes I know that you have read a veritable library of books about fairies and their relatives, but I assure you that this book is a must for anyone who feels the need to know all there is to know about magical beings. In fact this a book we should all read so that we better understand the creatures we share our planet with.

The author of this exceptional book has very kindly written to us to tell us how and why she wrote her book. Here is her letter.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Miss Edythe McFate, and once you’ve read my practical guide to modern fairies, you will never see the world around you in the same way again.

I recently had a letter from the Looking Glass Children’s Book Review, asking me what on earth compelled me to write such a book.

Well, frankly – it was necessary. There is simply nothing else out there like it. And modern children need it. Not just to learn how to glimpse the fairy realm that surrounds everywhere and every day -– but also to learn how to protect themselves against these creatures, who run the gamut from charming-and-sweet to charming-and-nasty.

All fairy breeds have magical powers that can be used to do something nice for you -- or ruin your life forever. Some fairies are shape-shifters or curse-wielders; others are hypnotists and kidnappers. Sometimes you can outsmart them, but nine times out of ten, they’ll get the better of you.

Today’s children were pretty defenseless until I decided to create this guidebook, in which they could find heaps of practical advice on how to tell a good fairy from a bad one, how to spot a ‘fairy ring,’ and so on. In its pages, readers can learn the difference between dwarves and trolls (one species is far deadlier than the other), and how to defend themselves against fairies who would do them harm.

I’ve also included eight cautionary stories about children your age who’ve had some astonishing encounters with fairies. Each of these tales deals with a different type of fairy, and I’m warning you: some of the stories aren’t pretty. In fact, several are quite terrifying. But every single one of these stories is true, so I’d advise all of my readers to pay close attention, in case they find themselves in similar situations.

Forewarned is forearmed, I always say.

The bottom line: no one knows more about the wayward natures, properties, and habits of fairies than me, and I’ve chosen to share this information with the world.

Read this book all at once or a few chapters and entries at a time; carry it with you to reference it on the run.

By the book’s end, you too will be an expert on the modern fairy world.

- Miss Edythe McFate

December 2010

Here is a trailer of the book: