Official Review: My Family's Faraway Tree

[Eutoc]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Family's Faraway Tree" by Harry Louis Gauvin.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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My Family’s Faraway Tree is a gripping children’s book by Harry Louis Gauvin. The story features the encounters Bill and his grandchildren had with Gran. Gran was a fairy who could transform into an old woman so she could communicate with humans. Bill and his grandchildren, Olivia and George, got to learn a lot about fairies from Gran.

After Bill’s long-time friend Harry had died, Bill’s granddaughter, Olivia, was curious to know why Harry chose is live his last moments under a particular oak tree. Olivia and Bill decided to pay a visit to this oak tree to see the mystery behind it. To Bill’s astonishment, he noticed that Livvy, as Olivia was usually called, was talking to some imaginary creatures beside the oak tree. After Livvy had told Bill about the fairies, he wasn’t receptive to the idea of fairies existing until the day he saw an old woman do some preternatural acts and subsequently disappeared into thin air when he tried to follow her home. Interestingly, the old woman later visited Bill and his grandchildren to reveal her identity, where she also shared the history of the fairies with them.

I liked that the author made the characters to be appealing to the reader. For me, Olivia was the most charming character. Her proactiveness helped her to communicate better with the fairies even when no one else could hear them. I admired the lessons the author passed to his readers through the fairies. The most important one being when Gran shared that the fairies had always tried to replenish the natural resources they take from their environment. Humans could learn from the fairies to replenish the environment’s resources as they are being consumed. It’s a wise move to introduce these sustainable practises to children while they are still young.

It wouldn’t be fair if I don’t mention the minor flaw I saw in this book. The author casually used words that would seem difficult for children to understand. Words like festoon, cataclysmic, surreptitious, plunder and largesse might scare some kids. I’d suggest using simpler words. It’s okay to use these words if the author intended to build their vocabulary with those words. So I wouldn’t deduct any star from the rating because of this.

I found only a few errors, so I can say that the book is professionally edited. Another round of proofreading would clear off the errors. I rate My Family’s Faraway Tree 4 out of 4 stars because it is exceptionally written. This narrative is appropriate for any child that could read and comprehend. The book is also suitable for adults who enjoy reading children’s books.

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My Family's Faraway Tree
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[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

I'm glad Bill got a chance to experience fairies for himself. He would have otherwise mocked Livvy. I like this book. Great review!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

An adventure book with magic and lessons about protecting the environment, what's not to like? Thank you for this delightful review!

[AvidBibliophile]

I do like the idea of a fairy “Gran”mother and a mysterious oak tree, especially when they’re at the heart of a story that emphasizes the importance of sustainable resources! Lovely review.

[Saint Bruno]

Apealling characters are necessary to capture the attention of young readers. Thanks for the insightful review and recommendation.

[riyosha]

This sounds like an interesting children's book. Thanks for the review.

[Bookishkrish24]

After reading your review I want to find out the mystery myself. Great review.

[Tarilan]

Am glad she finally got a chance to introduce herself to the children. Thanks for the amazing review.

[Diana Lowery]

I would like to know the author's rationale for adding those vocabulary words. Sometimes I think we underestimate the minds of beginning readers.

[Prisallen]

This sounds like a fun way to teach children about the need to take care of our resources. Thanks for the wonderful review!

[Shieldmaiden88]

That's interesting, kind of sounds like it's a bit inspired by Irish fairies, but in this case they don't seem to be scary or dangerous.

[kandscreeley]

Those do seem like hard words for children. Nevertheless, it seems like a great book for kids. Thanks.

[Ann Ogochukwu]

This is some very appealing and adventurous story. I'm in the category of adults who like children's book, and I sure like the sound of this book.
Thank you for this fine review.

[Catherine15]

Wow!!! Great review.kids that love faires will surely be engrossed with this book.
Thank you for this good review.

[Jonaoka]

The topic and the characters is great. But I find it hard to some children to understand deep english words if only the author would find some simpler terms that would immediately make the children understand it more then it would be better since his prime audience and target market are children. But all in all it was a great one