Lola and Larch Save the Sunshine Spell

By Author / Illustrator

Sinead O'Hart, Rachel Seago

Genre

Magical Realism

Age range(s)

Publisher

Nosy Crow

ISBN

9781805132677

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

04-07-2024

Synopsis

Granny's garden is growing out of control! Larch is sure a bad fairy is behind this agricultural anarchy...

Lola can't believe her luck. The rabbit she's rescued in the forest is actually a rebellious fairy in disguise! But Lola's new friend Larch has trouble on her tail... Filled with fun, friendship, family and naughty fairies, this beautifully illustrated series is perfect for young readers.

Evil Euphorbia Spurge has sent bad magic across the forest and it's turning all the plants wild! Lola's granny is thrilled because her garden is looking lush, but Larch is sure she saw a courgette wave and smile at her - and they're not supposed to do that, are they? It's time for Lola and Larch to head into the forest and grapple with a green-fingered fiend!

Have you read Lola and Larch's other adventures? Look out for Lola and Larch Fix a Fairy Forest and Lola and Larch and the Snow Witch Switch.

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Reviews

Jemma

This book is exactly the type that would catch my daughter's eye on a shelf in the bookshop, with its beautiful front cover depicting Lola (the human) and Larch (the cheeky green fairy) and pink foil highlights. Having hugely enjoyed the first book in this series, my we have been waiting eagerly for this second installment, and it did not disappoint! After we finished the story, my eight-year-old daughter exclaimed, "It was even better that the first book!".

Lola and Larch Save the Sunshine Spell begins with granny's garden growing out of control and her home-grown vegetables getting so big they explode. The vines look like they have a mind of their own and Lola and Larch can sense there is magic behind it .... but not good magic. The evil fairy, Euphorbia Spurge, is on the rampage again, causing havoc not only in granny's garden but also in the fairy village, over which she has cast her menacing spells.

We follow the exciting adventures that Lola and Larch go on to overcome Euphorbia's mischievous incantations. The whole book is full of fun and friendship, with wonderful illustrations. Even although the artwork is in black and white, the pictures are filled with details and humour. We particularly love the drawings of the different fairies; King Ash was our favourite. And we found the dancing vegetables really funny.

My daughter is a fairly fluent, confident reader so we took it in turns to read each page (she wanted to read it by herself but after enjoying the first book so much, I was keen to find out what happened next!). It is also a great book for parents/carers to read to slightly younger children, especially those who love fairies. We would highly recommend this series and are very much looking forward to reading about Lola and Larch’s next escapade!

128 pages / Reviewed by Jemma Jeffrey, teacher