Customer Reviews

Forest Secrets: A Fairy Houses Mystery (The Fairy Houses Series)

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Nicely illustrated with occasional black-and-white artwork, "Forest Secrets" is the collaborative work of Tracy Kane and Kelly Sanders. The newest addition to their 'Fairy House' series of mysteries for young readers ages 7 to 11 and in grades 3 through 6, "Forest Secrets" finds Kate, a precocious eleven-year-old girl moving to a new home at the edge of a forest. That's where she and her neighbor Luke discover a fairy house hidden in a tree trunk, as well as a clue that leads the children to still more fairy houses! The forest is home to an enchanted and enchanting world hidden from the mundane world. But that fairy world is threatened by a land developer and the problem of how to save the fairies and their houses is now up to Kate and Luke to solve -- if they can. Very highly recommended for both school and community library collections, "Forest Secrets" is charming, original, entertaining, and superbly well crafted from beginning to end.

This book came highly recommended by a friend. My granddaughter and I had such a great time reading this story together and we have already started planning our own fairy houses. We drew pictures of a fairy house and she entertained herself all the way back to her home by coloring and decorating her house and the fairy she had flying around it. As a teacher, I love books that awaken the imagination in children and this book certainly does and it inspires me to think of the fun we will have making fairy houses in the spring.

Admirers of the very popular Fairy House books and video by Tracy Kane will be thrilled with the latest addition to the series. Forest Secrets joins Kristen's Fairy House, Fairy Houses, Fairy Boat, and Fairy Flight as the first chapter book in the group. It is a delightful mystery set in the seacoast town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Kane and Sanders weave an intricate and spellbinding adventure, combining local history with fairy mystery and newfound friendship with respect for land and legacy. The illustrations are an integral part of the story and enliven the it beautifully. I highly recommend Forest Secrets to parents, elementary school teachers, librarians, and fairy house builders of all ages!

My grandson loved books in the Fairy House Series and the fun of building his own little creations in the trees and by the lake. As we read Forest Secrets together, he was eager to begin each chapter to see new pictures, especially the discovered fairy houses, and to hear the next part of the tale. This book has beautifully crafted language and characters that prompt interesting discussions. Forest Secrets is a great book for a child or class to enjoy reading, a treasure to share as a read-aloud. We hope "detectives" Kate and Luke will be back soon with another Fairy House Mystery!

This is a wonderful and warm children's book, with many life lessons
that appear regularly through out the story telling. The reader becomes
a part of the mystery and the adventures that the youngsters experience.
I highly reccommend it for Christmas buying.

I totally enjoyed this great new story about two adventurous children. What a lot of accurate info about Portsmouth, NH. This book deserves a wide audience of children and adults. I am looking forward to future collaborations by these two great authors.

Hiking through the mossy pine woods on a Maine island will always be one of my most enchanting memories. Encountering miniature villages fashioned out of pine cones, twigs, leaves, and pebbles, I loved to examine the natural and delicate architure of fairy houses built by earlier woodland visitors. Tracy Kane's and Kelly Sander's new book, Forest Secrets, recreated these magical times for me. Though the plot involves realistic issues that intrigue 8-11 year olds (friendship, transition, jealousy, loss), readers will be bewitched by the fantastic mystery presented when Kate and Luke discover tiny fairy homes. Readers will also be inspired as the two sleuths develop a deep appreciation of nature's beauty and find ways to support preservation efforts. This book would be a rich addition to upper elementary classroom libraries, or a perfect gift for a young environmentalist or fan of mysteries!

By Bookie Buddie......I have just had the pleasure of reading Forest Secrets, a delightful chapter book for readers from 7-11...As a grandmother of young children and a lover of nature I was enthralled with how the authors manage to weave mystery, magic and mayhem throughout this book. It is entirely based on the whimsical concept of fairy houses in an enchanted forest and I sure wish I had known about these when I was a child. The story flows easily with just enough tension between characters to keep the intrigue happening and the reader reading. The main characters are real true to life adventuresome children serious about protecting nature while at the same time enjoying its mysteries. Together Kane and Sanders have created a charming story that shows they know alot about kids and alot about scaffolding a well written book...I highly recommend this to parents and teachers of elementary children. It will make a wonderful gift to my grandchildren.

As a former elementary teacher, I feel this is an outstanding chapter book for seven to ten year olds. Having wonderful illustrations, it would also be a great "read aloud" for younger children. It is fast moving, combining mystery, conflict, parent/child relationships and connects children to nature. It will encourage children to think about the world in a broader way. I highly recommend this for classroom use, as well as for an "individual read".

Forest Secrets is an uplifting mystery about sixth graders and adults set in the environs of Portsmouth, NH. The kids explore their environment and in the process make friends, resolve differences and involve the adults in their reverence for nature. They risk enchantment by fairies and gnomes and in the process soften at least one hardened heart. I must not reveal the story but I can say that I am delighted to have read it and recommend it without reservation. Disciples of the enemies of wanton development, Carl Hiaasen, for example, are sure to enjoy this. John, Kauai, The Garden Island, Hawaii