Unfairies by Huw Aaron

Oakhold takes a central space in the world of The Garden but for the fairies of the Rootstores, (not the most prestigious place in Oakhold) an afternoon of moving boxes has turned into an all-out fight with Weed Fairy thugs. Little Lost fairy, Pip, is caught in the fray but Pip is great at throwing and the thugs soon run away. In search of a less boring job for Pip it is discovered that the emergency food stores are spoiled by mould, requiring an emergency root store report to be taken higher up to The Department, an unenviable task Pip takes on enthusiastically. After a detour for a toilet break and an encounter with treeguard trainee Twiglet Treekin, Pip makes it up to the administrative area only to get lost in the Trunk and Branch Departments. Eventually, with the help of Stickler Treekin, the department guide who loves rules and wears a cute bow tie, she finds the right place, but the report has got mixed up with an ancient parchment of runes and she is sent further up the tree to the Great Council Chamber to deliver the report. The story twists and turns as Pip works her way further up the tree and there are unexpected detours, disguises and deceptions to further complicate the plot. Pip is an unconventional hero, easily distracted and fond of parties, but she is honest and curious, she recognizes others’ strengths and of course she is good at throwing. Her irritating blind optimism carries her through the direst of chaotic situations.

This is a long graphic novel, at 250 pages, and sometimes it is easy to lose track of the plot and the many characters. Luckily there is a guide at the front of the book with a map of the Garden. Cutaway maps of the various parts of Treehold add further interest. Dialogue appears in speech bubbles but overview and narration is cleverly inserted in small scrolls. Hilarious, fast-paced, packed with colour and energetic animation, this is a book for reading and re-reading by a wide range of age groups. At the end there are pages on the drawing of the comic and how the colourist makes it look like a finished page.

Themes: Fantasy, Graphic novel, Adventure, Comics.

Sue Speck