Fairy Hill by Marita Conlon-McKenna

Strange things are happening in Fairy Hill.

Thirteen-year-old Anna is upset when she is sent to stay with her dad and his new family at Fairy Hill in the west of Ireland. Hearing whispers in the wind, Anna senses she is being watched, but nobody believes her except the mysterious boy down by the lake. When her little half-brother, Jack, nearly gets lost, Anna suspects that someone is trying to steal him away. She wonders if the stories about the old house and the fairies are true. And if they are, could Jack be in real danger?

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Every Irish child knows the name Marita Conlon-McKenna. If we didn't read Under the Hawthorn Tree, we know someone who did, or had an excerpt in an English textbook. It's probably the most famous Irish children's book ever, and rightly so.

Fairy Hill is slightly different.

Based on the old legends of Irish Sidhe, Fairy Hill is, mostly, a gentle, easy to read story. A lot of space is given to Anna meeting her new family and making friends and settling in and finding out things about the country side; although she learns about the Sidhe, and Jack nearly goes missing a couple of times, the part of the story where he's taken and she mounts a rescue is almost at the very end. The story isn't about that; it's about Anna rediscovering her family and learning about herself.

The language is slightly old fashioned, making me think of Enid Blyton and the writers of her generation. It doesn't put me off, but younger writers might find some of the sentence construction odd! It suits the feeling of the story; this book feels like those dreamy sunny days when nothing really happens, but suddenly four hours have passed by.

I can't wait to start selling this one. I think Marita is going to find a whole new audience with it.

(PS Anna's father and stepmother were a bit mean to her I thought!)

Fairy Hill publishes on the 27th of February, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.