From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4 Amy and Clarissa from The Witch Family (HBJ, 1965) have returned in this fantasy about Jimmy McGee, a magical, leprechaun-type creature. Amy and Clarissa are vacationing with Amy's family at ``The Bizzy Bee,'' the family's cottage on Cape Cod. The girls are seven years old and their chief activities consist of playing on the beach, playing with dolls, and reading Amy's special book, an alphabetical list of people and toys. During the vacation, one of Amy's dolls, Little Lydia, is swept away by a wave and Jimmy rescues her. While Lydia is with Jimmy, she acquires the same sort of magic that Jimmy has. Jimmy's worries about returning Lydia to Amy in her new magic condition are in vain when Lydia disappears. In an episode that goes on far too long after the answer has become obvious, Jimmy discovers that Lydia has been swallowed by a snake, and she is finally returned to Amy. While this story might work as a read-aloud story for first or second graders, it is slow moving. Children in grades four through six who would be able to read the book independently will not be interested in seven year olds playing dolls. Candy Colborn, Cottonwood Creek Elementary School, Englewood, Colo.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"A story of high-flown, lighthearted imagination . . . This is a sweet fairy tale, one of Estes's most bewitching creations."--Publishers Weekly
"Delightfully imaginative, with originality and humor. The author has a deep sense of a child's world of wonder."--Christian Schools International
