Review! Disney Fairies: The Trouble with Tink (#1)

Author: Kiki Thorpe (author) and Judith Holmes Clarke (illustrator)

129 pages--Ages 6 to 9 (and up)

Published By: Random House on January 10, 2006

Summary (from amazon.com): 

Tinker Bell is supposed to be the best there is at fixing pots and pans, but when she loses her hammer, her talent goes with it. Tink is desperate to reclaim her skill. But does she have the courage to face up to her past?



Pre-Thoughts:

I was scouring the shelves of a thrift store (again) for a good deal on some used books when I happened upon this one. I had read previous Disney Fairy books (Dulcie's Taste of Magic and Silvermist and the Ladybug Curse) and I thought them alright, so the series had already gained my attention. Ever since I saw the Disney classic version of Peter Pan I've had a great affection for Tinker Bell (as many other's did too...she is a popular culture icon now and all). When the movie Tinker Bell was being release I was so excited because I thought it might be a prequel starring Tinker Bell meeting

[caption id="attachment_574" align="alignright" width="300"] Tink and Terrance (who also plays a role)[/caption]

Peter Pan or something. At the end of the first movie, we see Wendy, but not Peter. I wasn't too discouraged and I had just hoped that the other sequels would somewhere have Peter Pan at least as a cameo or something. I was incredible excited for The Pirate Fairy because Captain Hook makes an appearance, but alas Peter did not. When the series ending with Legend of the Neverbeast I was incredibly disappointed that Peter had absolutely no part in Tinker Bell's world. In Arc, I decided to read the back cover of this book and when I saw the word "Peter Pan" I immediately picked it up and took it to the cash register. I didn't need to be convinced any farther! My excitement on Peter Pan finally being a part of the Disney Fairy universe is at an all time high and I can't wait to read this book!

Post-Thoughts:

This story takes place after the events of Peter Pan. It wasn't really a prequel or anything and Peter isn't the focus (not that I expected him to be), but I loved it nonetheless. Basically what happens in the book is Tinker Bell loses her tinkering hammer and she can't correctly fix anything without it. Her hammer was made with very special material that isn't common to come by in the fairy world. Tink does have a small secret though: she actually has a space. The only problem? It's at Peter Pan's hideout, and he and Tink aren't exactly on speaking terms anymore. After Peter brought Wendy to Neverland, Tink left Peter and they haven't seen each other since. Even though getting that spare hammer would save Tink a lot of trouble, she can't muster enough courage to go see her former friend.

[caption id="attachment_1160" align="alignleft" width="206"] Peter and Tink[/caption]

No one else on the whole island of Neverland (excluding Peter Pan, the lost boys, and the all knowing Mother Dove of the island) know about the past between Tink and Peter. For Tinker Bell, Peter Pan is her little secret and I love it! When I was reading I felt like the way that Tinker Bell and Peter were portrayed was as former lovers, which I got a kick out of. Seeing as this is a book aimed for children, I think the tone was unintended, but nonetheless I felt it there! Throughout the story, everywhere that Tinker Bell goes she is reminded of Peter and what was. It was such a delight to see Tink remember Peter so fondly (in a totally platonic way). In fact, I was so drawn in by the friendship that these two used to have that I was kinda disappointed that Tink didn't want to stay with Peter. Tink said she belonged in Pixie Hollow fixing pots and pans, but I think that she belongs with Peter going on adventures.

Enough about Peter and Tink though (let's face it...it's never enough)! This book was an introductory chapter book, so of course there were a few illustrations. These illustrations were pretty and I think that they added a lot to the story. It's nice to see the characters in full color. I felt like the art is more closely mimicked to the original 1953 classic, which for me (who grew up with the classic) is an absolute bonus.

Overall, I highly highly highly recommend this book for any and all fans of Peter Pan/Tinker Bell (unless you hated the Tinker Bell 2008 film--then I don't highly highly highly recommend this book).  I am definitely way outside the target audience for this book, but I still found absolute delight in the hour and a half it took for me to finish it. It's definitely a short read, but for me it was a good one!

 

[caption id="attachment_576" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Classic Tinker Bell and Peter Pan![/caption]