Do you ever think about mythical creatures? Ever wonder what’s real or not real? Have you ever seen a mermaid, a silkie, the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny?
I know the bunny leaves tracks some times. Here are a few novels that feature these characters.
Tooth Fairy
Remem
ber the Tooth Fairy? Why does she stop coming after you reach a certain age? You’d think the older you get the more value each lost tooth would have. In The Tooth Fairy by Joyce Graham, Sam and his friends were enjoying childhood in a small town in England. One night after putting a tooth under his pillow, Sam awoke cold and stiff to an open window and a strange smell in his room. Feeling fearful he sat up in bed only to see a figure crouched behind a chair. It was the Tooth Fairy and this one was complete with beady eyes, sharp teeth and a potty mouth. Was she real? Sam was the only one that could see or hear her. Over the years she became a fixture in his life, and could be male or female, cuddly or cruel. This book won a British Fantasy Award for best novel. After reading it you might be glad the Tooth Fairy no longer visits you. Or does she?
Mermaids
Alice Hof
fman has written an enchanting tale about mermaids, titled Aquamarine. On the brink of being teenagers, Claire and Hailey have one last summer together before Claire moves to Florida. Following a summer storm, they go to the Capri Beach Club the next morning to find the swimming pool filled with jellyfish and seaweed. But there’s an even bigger surprise lurking in the pool, it’s a mermaid. Her name is Aquamarine and she’s not happy to be there. And as always happens with mermaids, she falls for the handsome boy who runs the gift shop. As she grows weaker in the burning sun the girls strive to save her. In exchange for just one evening with the gift shop boy, she promises to go back to sea. The girls dress her in a long dress and take her in a wheelchair to meet him. By the next morning she is in love. Will she go back to sea before it’s too late? This story is aimed at a 10 to 14 year old audience, but that doesn’t mean you might not enjoy it too.
Easter Bunny
The E
aster Bunny was always a favourite of mine. Sadly the bunny stopped coming the year I turned 40 and my father passed away. Cue The Easter Bunny by Liz Evans sounds like a British version of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. Private eye work is slow for Grace Smith and out of desperation she takes a job with the local tourist board. Dressed as the Easter Bunny she hands out promotional items. Then things start hopping (notice the pun) and she ends up with two cases. One client is receiving death threats and the other is a cold case involving the disappearance of a 14 year old girl. Featuring a cast of colourful characters it sounds like a fun novel. It’s the sixth in a series featuring Grace Smith. Previous titles may be available through our Interlibrary Loan department.
Silkies
Water Steps by A. LaFaye is the story of an 11 year old girl named Kyna, who was orphaned at the age of 3 when her family drowned in a boating mishap during a storm. She was rescued by an Irish couple named Mem and Pep. This water loving pair adopted her and tried to help her overcome her fear of drowning. One summer they rented a cabin on Lake Champlain. Here Kyna and a new friend sought out the mythical silkies that he believed lived in the lake. A silkie is a shape-shifting seal that comes to the aid of people in trouble in the water. That summer reveals more than she could imagine. If you would like to read this book you can request it through our inter-library loan service.
Well that’s a few books to help stimulate your fertile imagination. I hope you enjoy reading them. As to whether or not the characters are real – you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Karen Craib is a Library Technician
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