The Last Fairy-Apple Tree (Fairy Realm Series #4) by Emily Rodda, Raoul Vitale

Synopsis

Jessie's had amazing adventures in the magical Realm. She's flown with the flower fairies and swum with the mermaids!

Now Jessie's grandmother senses something wrong in the Realm. The gnomes that grow the fairy-apple trees in the Hidden Valley are in trouble, and not even the Queen can help them! Jessie and her friends must travel to the Hidden Valley to find out what's wrong and help the gnomes.

Along the way, they travel through secret passages to a wild part of the Realm — and meet the storytelling furry bears of Brill.

Annotation

Jessie travels back to the magical world of the Realm to try to discover what has gone wrong in the Hidden Valley where the gnomes live and the fairy-apples grow.

Cindy Carolan - Children's Literature

Jessie's grandmother is not like many other grandmothers. She sings unusual songs and talks to the trees, flowers and animals. This is because she is not really of this world! She used to be a fairy princess in a magical place before she left that world to marry her true love, who was a human. Children who enjoy chapter books in a series will be drawn into the magical fairy realm! Join Jessie as she ventures into the Hidden Valley to aid the gnomes (you'll never pass one in a garden again without rubbing his head) and meet the funny furrybears of Brill. This is an easy read for children in the recommended age group and contains very lifelike black and white illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Young readers will enjoy the page of temporary tatoos (black and white designs of butterflies, flowers and birds). Another fun aspect of the book is a sneak peek at an excerpt from the next book in the series! Fourth in a series of five books called "Fairy Realm." The author also wrote the "Rowan of Rin" books. 2003, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 7 to 10.

Biography

Emily Rodda has written many books for children, including Finders Keepers, which School Library journal dubbed "a lively adventure," and several novels about the likable hero Rowan. The first of these novels, Rowan of Rin, won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year for Younger Readers Award when it was first published. In fact, Emily Rodda has won the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award an unprecedented five times. A former editor, Ms. Rodda is also the best-selling author of adult mysteries under the name Jennifer Rowe. She lives in Australia.