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I live in Newton, Iowa with my husband, Dave. We have a large vegetable garden and several flower beds on our huge lot. I've always loved fairy folklore and I have several fairy statues that I place throughout my flower beds. I come from a very large family and have always found our family names interesting, so I used the more colorful ones as characters in my book. While traveling home from visiting my second grandson, Baron, who was born in Ohio, I noticed a road side for "Glendaren Hills." I was inspired instantly to write it down and the story developed slowly over the next eight years. Hopefully, the next book "The Gnomes of Glendaren Hills" won't take so long!
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite
The Fairies of Glendaren Hills is a fantasy for preteens by Susan Cupples-Munger. No one in the town of Glendaren Hills believes James “Spoon” Wotherspoon when he tells stories about fairies living in the woods. His granddaughters, Allison and Leah, sneak away one night to see if fairies are real, and are attacked by a ferocious Whompus Cat. Fairies, Cricket and Flossie, come to the girls' aid, but they could be punished by King Isaam for associating with humans. Magog, an exiled fairy sorcerer, wants to control the king’s Orb and lures selfish Prince Tam to find it for him. The Orb’s energy is so strong that even the king is fearful to use it. Trouble also looms over the town when a heartless railroad developer decides to intimidate residents for their land when he doesn’t get his way.
This is a lovely children’s book about the fairies and their enchanted kingdom in the woods, which is rarely seen by humans. Susan Cupples-Munger's writing had a warm, caring tone as she gave full descriptions of the Wotherspoon family and life in Glendaren Hills. What I observed while reading was the strong emphasis placed on family bonding, and that crimes, bullying, or disobedience shouldn’t go unpunished. Spoon is a jolly, smart, grandfatherly figure, while Flossie is an adorable flibbertigibbet. There are parts of the story I found rather intriguing, especially the ones about King Isaam’s brother. The Fairies of Glendaren Hills by Susan Cupples-Munger is a short, charming story that pre-teens will enjoy.
