| Gooey Goblins: Halloween Special (Candy Fairies) |
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What You Need to Know:
• Gooey Goblins: Halloween Surprise is a new addition to the Candy Fairies series (there are seven so far).
• Candy + fairies = little girls delighted!
• There is a Candy Fairy website with some cute activities.
• This series does not have to be read in order.
• Bundle the books with a bag of sweets, or a gift certificate to your local candy shop, or a fairy costume for
a cute gift for your little one. |
Sweet Series Background:
This series features five candy fairies who live in Sugar Valley. There is Raina the gummy fairy; Melli the caramel fairy; Cocoa the chocolate fairy; Dash, the tiniest of the mint fairies; and Berry the fruit fairy. Sugar Valley is ruled by the benevolent Princess Lolli and is taunted by Mogu, the sour troll. Each fairy has a magical power related to making candy. For instance, Cocoa the chocolate fairy can touch a chocolate stick and turn it into a chocolate covered candy. But magic alone won't help them get out of the tight spots that pop up in each book. The fairies need to use their magical powers combined with their cleverness to outwit Mogu, the antagonist in this series.
When a newly independent reader finally cracks the code, they are off and running. Usually they will want to read everything they can get their hands on, but book selection can be tricky at this stage. If the books are too hard, you risk turning the fledgeling reader off to reading . Series at this reading level need to be appropriate for the reading level (not too hard), they need to be of high-interest, and they need to be fast-paced to keep the reader's momentum going. This is a tall order for the creators of such series. While the Candy Fairies series will never be confused with high level literature, it fills a very important need for beginning readers, and does it well. Candy Fairies is also much better than the other "fairy" series out there. The dialogue is clever, there is character development, and each story has a nice subtle message for our young girls. Also, the illustrations are incredibly appealing. |
Sweet Book Summary:
Gummy Forest is leaking! All the candy is melting and fall harvest is going to be a disaster. Princess Lolli calls all of Sugar Valley to a meeting to find a solution. Mogu, the sour troll, even shows up. Mogu is sure it is the Goblins of Candy Cove who are behind the trickery. But do the goblins really exist, or is it just a myth? When Princess Lolli asks for volunteers to go to Candy Cove and investigate, the five candy fairies offer their services. What they find when they get there is a whole different story. It turns out a gentle dragon names Carobee is lost and trying to get home to Meringue Island. Every time the dragon tries to fly home, he ends up lost and breathing his hot air over various parts of Sugar Valley, which is melting the candy. The fairies help the dragon home and realize you can't believe everything you hear. Always a good message for our little ones. |
Author: Helen Perelman Illustrator: Erica-Jane Waters Published: 2011, 176 pages
Themes: Fairies, Adventure, Friendship, Halloween |
Sweet Discussion Questions:
• Which one is your favorite fairy?
• What is your favorite sweet to eat?
• Can you imagine other candy fairies? What would their names be?
• Have you ever believed something you heard and then found out it was false?
• What happened when you found out the truth? How can you prevent that from happening again? |
| This recommendation was written by: Melissa Y. |
| Support Independent Book Shops: Click Here to Buy this Book on IndieBound |
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