Dragonfly Secret [Hardcover]

Carolyn J. Gold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up

Nathan and Jessie hide a magical dragonfly that they believe is a fairy because they are afraid that a social worker will put their Grandfather away in a nursing home if she knows that he believes in fairies."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5. Look closely the next time you see a dragonfly resting on a cattail?it just might be a fairy. That's what Nathan, 12; his sister Jessie, 8; and crusty, cranky Gramps discover when they examine an injured insect found on the front of their car. They are amazed to see that the dragonfly's body resembles that of a human female, and that she is clutching a tiny bundle that might be a doll or a baby. They mend her broken wing and care for her. However, everything must be done in secret to protect Gramps. Aunt Louise wants to put him in a nursing home for "proper care" and has hired a psychologist to evaluate his mental status. The psychologist must not learn that he thinks he is nursing a fairy. As the dragonfly recovers, she communicates her trust in Gramps and the children by touching their faces with her wings and hands. They see that she is not a talking, magical, wish-granting type of fairy, but their experience with her brings them closer together. This mysterious creature may not seem credible to all readers, but those who like to think about close relationships between natural and supernatural worlds may find this possibility intriguing. A good family story with an element of fantasy.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-6. Nathan and Jessie's Gramps cusses a blue streak and isn't known for his diplomacy. Even so, Gramps, his daughter, and her children live happily together, so when Aunt Louise decides that Gramps would be better off in a retirement home, everyone in the family is upset. The situation becomes more complicated when Gramps discovers a wounded fairy, a tiny creature with dragonflylike wings. With a social worker evaluating them, the family members decide to keep the fairy a secret and nurse it back to health. Unfortunately, that's not easy with nosy cousin Allison around. The plot is facile at best, and no fairy lore is incorporated into the story. But the author's unique version of an unmagical fairy as part of the natural world has a good deal of charm, especially the whimsical notion that fairies may be flitting about in most any group of dragonflies. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068931938X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689319389
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,366,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful, Heartwarming Tale, July 8, 2000

By 

H. Prevatt (Arcadia, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragonfly Secret (Hardcover)

Carlyn Gold has a gift of making you see and feel things through the eyes of children. Nathan and Jessie are caught up in a struggle between their mother's and aunt's differing opinions about what is best for their beloved Gramps. You sense their helplessness and fear in realizing their lives may be changed forever when their aunt sends a psychologist to their home to do an evaluation on Gramps. But when Gramps finds a very special dragonfly, it changes all of their lives. I found this story to be true to life in showing the changes in the dynamics of the relationship between elderly parents and their adult children. I also found myself feeling like a child right along with Jessie and Nathan over the wonderment of the dragonfly. The only criticism I have is the ending seemed lacking. Otherwise, it is a terrific book!