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13 Treasures

By curlyq
13 Treasures
by Michelle Harrison
Little, Brown; 2010. 355 pp. Chapter book.

Tanya is constantly plagued by fairies--she fears them and the things they do to make her life miserable. When her mother finally gets too fed up with Tanya's strange behavior, she sends Tanya away to stay with her forbidding grandmother, to the dismay of both. The manor itself is chock-full of faries, but the woods that surround it are even more frightening, harboring some dark secret no one will discuss. Tanya and her friend, Fabian, decide to tackle the challenge of unraveling the secrets that are wound about the manor--but they might not be ready for the things they discover!

This book was more intriguing and interesting than I expected. I thought the relationship between Tanya and the fairies to be a bit more unusual than the average children's story; the fairies in this book seem as if they are actually out to get the heroine instead of being merely mischievous or even benevolent. I also enjoyed the mystery involved and liked solving it along with the characters. Although not a top pick for me personally, I thought this book was still a fun read that was nicely written and would definitely recommend it for children who enjoy either mysteries or fairies.
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