Boy Who Could Fly (Magical Children) [Paperback]

Sally Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Magical Children

One day the Fat Fairy turns up at Thomas Top's house to grant him a birthday wish. Thomas can't think what to ask for, so he wishes he could fly. That's how Thomas goes from being just an ordinary boy whom no one notices to being the most popular boy in the school. But it makes him sad that grown-ups can't see the wonderful things he can do. His flying gets him suspended from school, and that makes life at home much worse, because his dad gets so cross and it makes his mum miserable. But then the Fat Fairy turns up again, and with help from her and Thomas's new friend Mr Vinnie, a retired painter and decorator who has been flying since he was Thomas's age, everything changes. This is an enchanting story in which an unconfident child discovers a special gift that brings him joy and heartache. The magic of the words, the humour and poignancy of the story and the wonderful characters, are all enhanced by the author's own delightful drawings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Serious fun". -- Jan Mark Carousel, Summer 2002

About the Author

Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist from London. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than one million copies in the UK. Her historical novel for older readers, I, Coriander, won the Smarties Children's Book Prize in 2005. Two thrillers both set at the time of the French Revolution, The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade , which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2009, followed. Actor Dominic West (The Wire) has bought the film rights to both titles. Sally Gardner's stories for middle readers include Lucy Willow and the popular Magical Children series of six titles The Strongest Girl in the World, The Invisible Boy, The Boy with Magic Numbers, The Smallest Girl in the World, The Boy with the Lightning Feet, and The Boy who could Fly, which are also available as audio books. She has also written and illustrated picture books including The Fairy Catalogue, The Glass Heart, The book of Princesses and Playtime Rhymes. Her fourth novel, The Double Shadow will be published in November 2011. Sally Gardner continues to be an avid spokesperson for Dyslexia, working to change the way it is perceived by society. She is dyslexic and argues that it's not a disability, but a gift. Sally Gardner was a very successful designer of sets and costumes for the theatre for many years, but she always wanted to write and illustrate books for children. Her first was The Little Nut Tree, then Playtime Rhymes, a big collection of rhymes for younger children, and now the bestselling A Book of Princesses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Orion Childrens (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858818397
• ISBN-13: 978-1858818399
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.3 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,616,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a kiddy fairytale..., August 26, 2005

By 

fedora_girl (Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boy Who Could Fly (Magical Children) (Paperback)

This is a children's book through and through: larger letters (though not as large as those one-sentence-per-page picture books), pages filled with drawings, and simpler words. It's short too; I read it in less than an hour.

The plot isn't really that hard to understand; we have an average boy in an average family. Then he meets a particularly fat fairy who grants him one birthday wish: to fly.

But the adults, too busy with their grown-up problems, won't believe that he can fly, even when they see him somersaulting right in front of them. Especially his dad.

This book has some issues that don't normally grace childrens' books (though in a very simple form), but it still has the lighthearted ending the kids would need to sleep soundly.

But this is a good grown-up story too. It reminds us that we're growing old because we don't feel young, that there's magic all around and we're just too blind to see it. Life should not be taken too seriously, and it's OK to be different.

That said, read this and see for yourself.