Stink: Fairy vs Wizard: A Stink Adventure (Stink)

Stink is back! Jenny Mclachlan has given us another instalment of the Danny Todd diaries and it does not disappoint. Stink: Fairy Vs Wizard is another great Stink adventure that is full of humour and wit. Danny Todd is going to secondary school, its every 11-year-old's greatest fear. Is he going to be cool enough to fit in?

With Stink back in fairyland, Danny feels like everything is going to be fine. That is, until he opens his lunch box on the first day back at school to find a naughty fairy hiding in it. Danny is speechless! Just when he thought things were getting better, they now are definitely going to get worse!

Stink is back to help Danny; she thinks that by making him look cool and awesome at his new school she will be doing a good deed and will earn her next 100 nuggets to get a new Mercorn 100 wand. Mayhem and chaos are soon created when a school assembly goes horribly wrong and Stink lets loose an evil wizard called Rufus Nobeard who tries to abduct Danny’s Chemistry teacher and take her back to fairyland to be his apprentice.

This book explores the true meaning of friendship and also helps children to understand the power of the internet. When Danny's most embarrassing moment is shared on the internet and 'Disco Danny' goes viral, this book shows how his character is able to deal with such an embarrassing incident and highlights the true test of friendship and the importance of seeking reconciliation.

I loved reading this book as it was entertaining from start to finish with hilarious illustrations and captions that supported a storyline that was embedded with well-rounded humour. This series of books would be available for all children to read in Key Stage 2, it would be a good investment for any school library.

304 pages / Reviewed by Hayley Summerfield, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

Stink is back! Lovingly called 'the worst fairy ever' in book one, she is back in this new adventure to torment poor Danny, only this time it has something to do with an evil wizard, too!

This early chapter book, aimed at children aged 7+ is beautifully written in the style of a diary. Jenny McLaughlan is not only a talented author but also a very skilled illustrator. She has carefully balanced the text to picture ratio to ensure that children stay motivated and get pleasure from every page.

It is not uncommon for me to hear giggles during quiet reading time whilst children are reading Fairy vs Boy and I am sure that Fairy vs Wizard will be just the same. It is brilliant.  Jenny has a fanatic way of using content that appeals to children and experiences that they will relate to such as, the way S.Tink wakes Danny in the morning, putting stick notes on his forehead and lifting his eyelids!

The message at the end of the book will also leave children feeling empowered; you can cope with most things if you have some good friends by your side (or in your hair!). This would make a wonderful book to read for pleasure but there also so many ways that it could be used as a focus book for group reading sessions. The use of humour, diary layout, character development and use of magical characters are just some of the things that I would look at with pupils.

304 pages / Reviewed by Amanda Shipton, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+

Just imagine what it would be like to have a small fairy in your life.... Sounds great? Yes, until you find out about Stink - introduced as the 'Worst. Fairy. Ever' in book 1.  In Stink: Fairy Vs Wizard (book 2), Stink has returned to the 'humany' world, to seek out Darren, do a good deed, and earn some gold nuggets so she can buy a new fairy wand.  Needless to say, things don't go exactly to plan and Darren once again finds his life tipping into chaos with an evil fairy wizard on the loose, the attempted abduction of his favourite teacher, and all the embarrassment of performing in a school play....

These books, written in a diary style and heavily illustrated by the author, are funny, fast-paced reads that will keep readers turning the pages.  Tink, while exasperating, is endearing and warm-hearted, and Danny's attempts to keep his life in order while she's around are hilarious; you know it's all going to go horribly wrong. The tone of the stories, narrated by Danny, are warm and funny. Highly recommended.

304 pages / Reviewed by Elen Green.

Suggested Reading Age 7+