Rainbow Magic Special Edition: Shannon the Ocean Fairy

My daughter loves reading these books and this was another wonderful read for her.

"Shannon The Ocean Fairy" by Daisy Meadows (Scholastic-Little Apple, 2009) ---------------------------------------------- The "Rainbow Magic" series continues with this latest installment, in which best-friends-for-life Kirsty and Rachel are called upon once more to help out the folks of Fairyland, this time to find three magic pearls that they use to control the ocean tides and whatnot. Yet again, the grouchy Jack Frost is their nemesis, and his ineffectual, easily thwarted goblins are in charge of guarding the magical items, and once again the girls -- aided by a cheerful magical fairy -- outwit the witless goblins and save the day. This popular series has one great strength -- its readability -- and a few notable limitations. The two girls -- unfailingly cheerful, optimistic and polite -- don't have distinct personalities, and the basic plot of the stories is always the same: out of spite, Jack Frost steals some some magical item(s) and the girls get it back, after a series of mildly suspenseful adventures. Jack and his goblins have become dull, repetitious adversaries, but the scenarios change, and gradually the writing has gotten a little more complex and engaging. This time around they go undersea and visit shipwrecks and coral reefs, play with dolphins and sea lions, and they easily defeat the goofy goblins. Not much new here, but kids who already like the series will enjoy this volume as well. The equivalent of three "Rainbow Magic" books, bound together as one volume, so you don't have to buy any additional books in order to get the whole story. And again, the series provides action without much sense of risk or trauma -- a good option for kids who don't want stories that are too upsetting or complex. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)