Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real

Gr 2–4—In 1917, two English cousins named Elsie and Francis claimed to have seen fairies in the woods near their home. When their parents refused to believe them, they took their father's brand-new camera to photograph the fae. For the next several decades, this "proof" sparked intrigue and debate about whether fairies were real, or if the girls had pulled off an ingenious deception. Nobleman's text is a rich overview of this bizarre historical controversy; he deftly navigates topics like childhood in the early 20th century, the media and the influence of celebrity culture, and the history of photography, without ever weighing down the central narrative. Wheeler's illustrations are colorful and evocative and effectively propel the action of the story forward through the decades it covers. They also combine seamlessly with the actual photographs, which are included in the text, enabling readers to examine the images for themselves.