A Fairly Fairy Tale


Children - Preteen
183 Pages
Reviewed on 12/15/2016
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Sunshine Somerville lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She self-published her first book in college in 2004 and has been evolving The Kota Series since she was nine, basing the story on childhood fantasies derived from watching too much X-Men and Star Wars and reading too much Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time.

A Fairly Fairy Tale is Sunshine’s first Children’s Fantasy book. She got the idea from her family’s crest, which portrays a dragon shooting flames from both ends, and from a little girl whose second favorite word is farts.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I loved A Fairly Fairy Tale by Sunshine Somerville. In a world where so many stories and so many tales seem suspiciously similar, A Fairly Fairy Tale is uniquely refreshing. This is mostly due to the writing and tongue-in-cheek storytelling skills of Sunshine Somerville. And who knows? Maybe that’s because she has such a sunny name…and, I suspect, disposition. Anyway, for whatever reason, this is a great book for kids and especially girls, but be assured, boys will love it too. After all, it has everything. A great adventure, a beautiful princess, plenty of brave heroes, AND a dragon! What more could you possibly ask for? I loved this tale from the start because of the tone in which it was told and the beautiful pictures.

As I do with many of the children’s books I review, I tested it out on some of my young English learners in China. They loved it. First, they really got into the pictures of the dragon. Dragons are big in China and apparently funny dragons with good intentions are the best. But what really delighted my students was the fact that they could follow the story and most of the time even follow the humor, which can sometimes be a problem for them when reading in English. When they laughed at the appropriate places and were eager to read and finish the story, I knew I had brought them a winner. This is my best kids’ class and I can’t wait to try it with others.

Susan Sewell

A Fairly Fairy Tale by Sunshine Somerville is a charming tale about a princess and a dragon. However, this princess isn't an ordinary princess nor is the dragon any ordinary dragon. Princess Littagale is now nineteen years old and is still single. By choice. She wants to have fun and experience things before settling down to rule a kingdom. Although her parents understand, there are certain protocols that royalty must observe to prevent wars. When Littagale receives over a thousand offers of marriage, they feel that they can no longer put it off. With no likely prospect that Littagale will even consider, the King decides to hold a contest. The victor will win Littagale's hand in marriage, but Littagale doesn't want to marry some buffoon just because he looks good or is an expert in flexing his muscles. What is a girl to do? Start a war?

A Fairly Fairy Tale by Sunshine Somerville is an enchanting story that will charm the reader and make them believe in happy endings, even if there is a fierce dragon involved. The story line and plot were spectacular, and the characters were very well developed. The characters were fun and delightful and gave the reader a different slant on fairytale relationships. This story contains a much needed and important message for princesses everywhere. We don't need to wait around and be saved, and a handsome prince isn't always the correct answer to a happy ever after. Sometimes a fierce dragon is all that you need to help you find your perfect ending. I enjoyed reading this captivating fairytale and recommend it to princesses everywhere of every age. A few young princes might even benefit from this irresistible tale.

Jack Magnus

A Fairly Fairy Tale is an adventure fantasy for preteens written and illustrated by Sunshine Somerville. Once upon a time, there was a princess who would one day rule her father's kingdom. This alone would have made her rather special, but Princess Littagale was a different sort of princess altogether. Although she was nineteen years old, she definitely wasn't ready to get married yet. Littagale wanted her own adventure and didn't think it at all fair that only princes were able to have quests and adventures. She was also a skilled carpenter and had taken shop classes while in school. Her parents, King Wesick and Queen Mattea, who was really her stepmother but not at all of the wicked sort, understood how she felt, but the rulers of the other kingdoms were getting impatient. There were young princes vying to be her consort. Finally, King Wesick took matters into his own hands and declared that he would hold a grand tournament. The winner would also win Littagale's hand in marriage and rule the kingdom with her. Littagale was aghast. She wanted to marry for love, just as her parents had. Worst of all, the dreadful Prince Deke was likely to win, and she'd never marry him. Then Queen Mattea came up with an idea.

Sunshine Somerville's adventure fantasy for preteens, A Fairly Fairy Tale, will have parents who've cringed at their little girls’ desires to be princesses cheering and feeling much better about things. Somerville's princess is smart, savvy and independent. I loved the fact that she was a carpenter and that she wanted her own adventures and quests. Littagale is no stereotypical damsel in distress, fainting at the merest hint of danger, and swooning over princes, and that's a very good thing indeed. Somerville's illustrations are incredible. I found myself looking forward to each new chapter to discover the newest illustration. They're marvelously detailed, brightly colored, and a lot of fun to explore. Littagale is not the only non-traditional character worth proclaiming about in A Fairly Fairy Tale. It's filled with remarkable princes and princesses, a witch, and a most unforgettable, lactose-intolerant dragon. While A Fairly Fairy Tale is written for a preteen audience, don't let that dissuade you from taking a look between the covers. This fairy tale rocks and it's most highly recommended.

Anthony Elmore

A Fairly Fairy Tale is a YA Fantasy adventure written by Sunshine Somerville. It is a fairy tale with a different perspective. Littagale is a princess in a dilemma. Heiress to the throne, she is to be married to a prince of her parent's choice. Even though she is so young that she doesn't even know what living actually means, unusual circumstance change her life, along with everything she ever thought she knew. Who can she trust? Will she end up marrying her true prince? Or will she die first?

A Fairly Fairy Tale by Sunshine Somerville is a humorous parody of the most classic fables. With a medieval background, this book is full of all the fantastical beings that we have grown to love. This book has a little bit of everything like magical creatures, adventure, and a few twists and turns around every corner. It has all that is needed to make an excellent story. When reading this book, it reminded me of the various best parts of the childhood fables I grew up hearing. I thoroughly enjoyed the upbeat jests the author composed. The author did an excellent job using well-known tales and making them her own.

That being said, in the version I read, there were a few areas of the story that were slightly slow due to the need for line-editing. I appreciated the way the author incorporated all the characters and their stories together. The characters were fun and relatable, and the red herrings kept me guessing to the end. The story line was well developed, and I was impressed with the author's gift of gaiety. I would recommend this book to 9-13-year-olds as there are few scenes with kissing and a couple of deaths.

Lesa McKee

A Fairly Fairy Tale by Sunshine Somerville is a delightful story about Princess Littagale, who dearly loves her kingdom, Marshwood, and looks forward to ruling over it someday. First she’d like to experience a little adventure in her life before she settles down and marries. But at the ripe age of nineteen, the marriage proposals from neighboring kingdoms keep pouring in, and her royal parents can’t ignore them any longer. Time is ticking. Littagale’s father, King Wesick, decides her hand will be won by way of competition. Princess Littagale bristles at the idea. Fortunately, her kindly stepmother, Queen Mattea, lays out a brilliant plan to escape the tradition of a marriage of convenience, and as one who followed the plan of action years ago and won, the idea seems foolproof ... if it’s pulled off without a hitch. However that’s up to one ginormous dragon, Tor. Can Littagale live out her dream of finding true love on her own?

Sunshine Somerville created an engaging story filled with beloved characters, witty dialogue, and a host of humorous situations that are only found in the best of fairy tales. A Fairly Fairy Tale is an imaginative comedic treasure readers will fall in laugh with. The author gives fairy tale land her own unique spin on things. Not all princes are noble, not all stepmothers are evil, and not all dragons are the enemy. Even ‘Beauty’ (in her pre-Beast days) makes an unforgettable appearance (though she is not the Belle of the Ball here, quite the opposite, actually) taking part in my favorite scene, making me laugh out loud. At the end of this adventurous tale, readers will sigh in happiness (as I did) that Sunshine Somerville tied everything together with a neat little bow so all her characters live happily ever after. The End.