Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Airy Fairy: Magic Muddle!


Title: Airy Fairy: Magic Muddle!
Author: Margaret Ryan
Illustrator: Teresa Murfin
Publisher: Barron’s
Grade level: 2-3
Genre: chapter book/ traditional literature/ Fairy tale

Summary: Airy Fairy is a student at Fairy Gropplethrorpe’s Academy for Good Fairies. She is clumsier and messier than all the other fairies. In this book there is to be a fairy Olympics were all the fairies compete in an athletic event. So during their training Airy Fairy seems to cause some confusion causing a pile up in the gym during the run, falls off the rope climb. But throughout her clumsy mistakes there always seems to be Scary Fairy around. She shakes the rope during the rope climb, pushes the ladder during the tree climb which makes Airy Fairy fly off her horse into the icy pond. But since Scary Fairy is related to the head master she never gets in trouble. But in the Fairy Olympics since Scary Fairy had made it so hard for Airy Fairy in practice the actual Olympics was a breeze she won first place, thanking scary Fairy for helping her practice with all her nasty tricks.

Response: I thought this book was very cute! I can see especially little girls really enjoying this silly fairy tale. What I also liked about it is that it is a chapter book, making the student feel proud of what they are reading but it is also very enjoyable it has many amusing events happen. The other thing I like is that it is a series, so if the student liked one, they could read the others.

Teaching Ideas: I would definitely talk about bullying and mean tricks that people can get hurt in. I would ask the students if they had ever known anyone like Scary Airy? And that person made them feel? Also I would make a chart and go through the catastrophes that Scary Airy cased looking at how bad the outcome could have been. For example when she shook the rope swing and made Airy Fairy fall, she could have broken a bone and gotten really hurt. Or when Airy Fairy fell of her horse and slid into the icy pond, she could get very sick due to lowered immune system. It could be related to science and bodily injuries as well.

No comments: