The Fairies of Turtle Creek by Jill K. Sayre

Much of the tale is narrated rather than recreated, which diminishes its immediacy. It might find a wider readership if streamlined. The Lexile score for Three Times Lucky, aimed at the same age group, is 560L the Lexile score from a sample of the text produced a 1000L score, placing it on the outer edge of a younger reader, but still within the limits of an advanced eighth-grader. If science can't back something up, it doesn't exist.' I tried to sound convincing, but what I had read about the fairy artifacts, and the educated professors that backed them up, popped into my head and made me surprisingly unsure of myself. 'Science is the only way for seemingly mysterious incidents to be explained. The layers of THE FAIRIES OF TURTLE CREEK are reminiscent of 2013 Newbury Honor Book Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnageīut, unlike Three Times Lucky, the dialogue tries too hard, particularly near the beginning, and ends up stilted, and the expository portions are belabored. The subplot about Claire's burgeoning desire to be attractive to boys adds another layer of depth to the story. The scenes about a pre-adolescent living through this period of war are particularly compelling, and the realism next to the fantasy is effective. The two main themes of fear of loss and what to believe are engaging, and the plot is quite well thought out. Her grandmother acts and talks as if fairies are real, something Claire, a black-and-white concrete thinker who loves science, finds somewhat ridiculous even as she finds herself irrationally spooked.

Precocious Claire Collins misses her deployed brother and isn't too thrilled to have her long-lost grandmother return instead, a grandmother who'd missed most of her life to stay in England and whom she suspects is senile. Thank you to the author for creating and sharing this story with the world. Your book brought back memories of the stories he shared with me about my family and his life - and life in general. This story re-awoke my own memories - as I'm sure it may similarly do for many readers - of a summer I spent with my grandparents when I was 11, especially with my grandfather, and how special he made me feel. It’s a great message for young girls today, that they can be both intelligent and love learning and science, but also can be expressive and open to their and other’s feelings. I loved how the author made the 13 year-old lead character, Claire, so strong, rational, and focused, but also allowed her to open herself up to intuition and wonder. I just finished reading this lovely book! It’s a wonderful story and very different from what I would normally read, but I enjoyed it thoroughly! It gave me an opportunity to see the world through not only female eyes, but a teen-aged girl’s eyes and heart, and the special relationship and impact that separated generations can share.

The Fairies of Turtle Creek by Jill K. Sayre