Books like In Fairyland — picked by fans

I love Jackie Morris’s introduction about the author of this book's life story. I found it inspiring and heartwarming to learn that it was written by a twelve-year-old girl’s prodigy child. 

I understood how the girl's genius captures the natural world's mystery, fantasy, and wonder and expresses it with crystalline words.

The introduction of this book struck a chord with me because it describes in such detail the trials and tribulations of the traveler children’s way of life between the historical period of 1914 to 1955. 

It was a time of poverty and suffering for the youngest born from families of an outcast minority community, considered the oldest indigenous group of the population in Scotland.

I understood that the oral tradition of storytelling to the traveler children was like a precious inheritance the children would receive from their parents.

The book offers diverse stories, including animal fables, wonder, and horror tales handed down through generations of traveling people.

I also love the cover illustration with the painting “Harvest Moon” by John Maxwell.

I love how the wonderful illustration of the tree with three children on the book's cover evoked my imagination to read this story. This feeling was reinforced when I opened the book and read the quotation on the first page: “So much world all at once” by Wislawa Syzmborska.

It is, indeed, a fascinating story that immersed me in a rich plot and introduced me to a diversity of characters who gained life in the little town of Blackbird Tree.

In this story, I could see the mastery of creating a tapestry, with the written words as the threads that bring together different worlds, feelings, and emotions, like love, friendship, and forgiveness.

I was enthralled by the narrator's voice in this story, told from the perspective of a little girl. She shares her life and adventures with her beloved parents and cat. The girl is Julia, and I also love her name.

I found the setting for this story, a lighthouse on one of the small islands of the Shetlands in Scotland, fascinating. This fascination grows with the strong connection to the sea life that in this book takes the form of the Greenland shark and the blue night sky filled with stars at night and flocks of birds during the day.

The poetic prose of this book, combined with the stunning illustrations, captivated me profoundly.

At the same time, serious issues are approached, such as the pollution of the oceans. And the drama of this story is woven with such humanity around the mental illness of bipolar disorder and the bullying… show more.

This book is one of my earliest inspirations, and I’ve never met anyone else who’s even heard of it.

Poison is the very first book that made me think, “Wow. I want to be able to write something like this.” I loved the story, but what I’ll never forget is how the ending made me feel. This book is both simple and complex; a wild, unpredictable journey and a natural progression of events.

I write with the hopes of someday completing something as lovely as this.

I love, love, love this book, for so many reasons. My top two are: 1) It sits squarely in that odd ‘fantasy in a technological world’ niche (Imagine 1984’s world filled with fairies!) 2) It has an odd, dark humour feel to a book that I like (think Gaiman or Pratchett) And oh! The characters? Funny, clever, nuanced. Bum that was three wasn’t it? I’ll come in again.

This is what fairy tales would look like if they were gothic, so I love this book.

I read it a few years ago and fell in love with it. I purchased the print copy because I wanted the illustrations in front of me to look at too. Almost any story you read comes from a myth or a fairy tale if you deconstruct it, so reading this book keeps your brain tuned into this idea, but you don't need to be a writer to find delight in this book.

The cover of this book is quite lovely, too!

I absolutely loved the way that Emma wrote these characters. I related to Seraphina and fell for Rafe’s charm time and time again. They’re a couple that’s perfect for each other.

Some book couples you read and think they may not make it past the last page, but I could see these two together forever. The whole book made me swoon and laugh. 

Wolves and Roses is a fun and snarky start to a big series in which humans exist in a modern world alongside shifters, witches, and fairies. Sounds fun, right?

Bryar Rose is expected to follow the Sleeping Beauty story template for her life. Unfortunately, something glitched in her personality, because no part of that story appeals to who she truly is, or what she wants out of life. When Bryar meets Knox, a powerful werewolf shifter in the midst of his own identity crisis, sparks fly.

If you enjoy strong, rebellious female leads and bad-boy heroes (yes, please!), this book has all those vibes, plus intrigue, witty banter (my fave), and action. Fans of alternate-history fantasy, paranormal romance, and modern-set fairy tale retellings should add this book to their TBR.

Lewis considered George MacDonald his spiritual father, having never met the man. He said that MacDonald introduced him to the gospel through his stories before he even knew that that’s what was happening. How? Metaphor. George MacDonald knew of God’s love more than most and did his best to share it with the world, deeply hidden in fairy tales, the kind of folklore that Lewis, Tolkien, and the rest of the Inklings loved so dearly.