A couple of years ago I found the first four books of this beautiful series at my library and fell in love with their covers. Since then I waited every year for the author to publish a new story about The Sprite Sisters and their magical life at Cantrip Towers. This series is a huge success in Germany and for me, as a grown-up, it is still a pleasure to read them. The love of a family, caring about each other, trust, friendship, loyalty and some family traditions. All those things are very important, if not the most valuable things in the world – especially in our times …
The Sprite Sisters-A Wisdom Of Owls*
by Sheridan WinnThe Sprite Sisters #9
Translation Katrin Weingran
Vignette Franziska Harvey
Publisher Fischer KJB on August 25, 2016
Genre Children 8+
Pages 302
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
✶✶✶✶
Four sisters against a dark menace. The magical secret of Flame, Marina, Flora and Sky is in danger! Sarah Stringer, the new school secretary tries with every means to make life difficult for the girls and to get behind how their magic works. Sarah receives support from her nephews, the mysterious twins Oliver and Simon. But why do they care about the sisters? Despite the help of unexpected side, Flame, Marina, Flora and Sky get into a mean ambush.
Story
The school´s new secretary is giving the Cantrip sisters a rough time. She seems to feel what they are and tries at every chance she gets to trick them. Danger is in the air whenever the Cantrip sisters have to walk into the office. But why? The girls have done nothing to her and still they feel something is terribly wrong.
Style
I love the way how Sheridan Winn describes the world and daily life the Cantrip sisters are living in and having. Yes, I´ve read them all, and even as a grown-up woman, I am hooked by them.
The author has a very nice way and writes with lots of warmth about the Cantrip family, their home, animals and how they protect each other. Her language is simple but wonderful and the stories are always very magical, with the right amount of adventure and love. And you should probably know that not all of the family members do have that magical power. Only the sisters know about it and their grandmother. The rest doesn´t believe in it. So whenever their home is in danger, the girls have to do their magic in secret. This brings a beautiful kind of tension into the books and makes you want more. It is quite nice to see how the sisters grow up, how they become teenage girls, what that means to the family and how they have to deal with the fact that they are not allowed to tell anyone outside the family about their magic.
Characters
For Marina and Flame, the two eldest Cantrip sisters it becomes more and more difficult to hide what they are from their friends. And since they have boyfriends, it is even more, a problem for them.
Sky, the youngest, has to deal with the fact, that her sisters are now going to a different school and that she can only see them during the weekend. Something she doesn´t really like. She is a very smart little girl and has some powers you won´t expect.
Sheridan Winn created some wonderful and very strong characters, along with a warm-hearted grandmother, a mother who denies that magic even exists and a father who does everything for his girls. He always wonders what is going on around him and probably feels that there is more to his girls but the ordinary.
Conclusion
Again a nice book, though I missed the usual charm, wit, and humor a bit the other books had. But nonetheless a wonderful read for little children.
Happy reading
*At the time of the review, the book was only available in the German language so I can´t provide a UK/US cover.
Sheridan Winn
Sheridan Winn lives in Norwich, England. She is a freelance journalist and divides her time between freelance work and book writing. When she was six years old, her family moved to a big, rambling house in the country. Littlewood House became the inspiration for Sprite Towers. She worked for The Times, The Guardian and became 2012 a self-publisher when she bought back the rights for her series The Sprite Sisters. The author has two grown-up children and a grand-daughter. She has a keen interest in the Arts, film and finds walking in the countryside a good way to think up ideas.
No comments:
Note: By submitting your commentar, you accept that the comment you write, and the personal information associated with it (e.g. username, email address, linked profile on Google/Wordpress) will be transmitted to Google servers. You can find more information in my privacy policy and in Google´s Privacy Policy.
Hinweis: Mit dem Abschicken deines Kommentars akzeptierst du, dass der von dir geschriebene Kommentar und die personenbezogenen Daten, die damit verbunden sind (z.B. Username, E-Mail-Adresse, verknüpftes Profil auf Google/Wordpress) an Google-Server übermittelt werden. Weitere Informationen dazu findest du in meiner Datenschutzerklärung und in der Datenschutzerklärung von Google.