Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #841451 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 56 pages

Synopsis
The Shell of Laughter, which is the source of all laughter on earth, has been stolen. It is the job of Staid, the elf, to distribute laughter all over the world using trade winds, siroccos, Zephyrs, jet streams, the Chinook, and other winds. Along with a leprechaun, a hedgehog, a witch, and several fairy friends, Thistle must help Staid recover the Shell of Laughter from Killjoy Crosspatch - the evil Spirit of Sorrow. During this adventure, the fairies meet a wood gnome, unicorns, and a bobolink bird. They also learn what laughter is made of.

From the Author
The Fairy Chronicles is a series of modern fairy tales full of magical creatures, both good and evil, and heroic characters who participate in dangerous missions to protect nature and fix serious problems. Ideal for all ages, reading levels ages 7 to 12, the stories include a diverse set of fairy characters and a wide variety of other magical creatures such as trolls, brownies, witches, dwarves, gnomes, elves, unicorns, goblins, wizards, dragons, ogres, magic gargoyles, gremlins, demons, nymphs, giants, and many more. Each story has some sort of problem to be solved such as recovering the stolen Shell of Laughter, helping to break an evil curse, solving the mystery of the Magic Snowglobe, rescuing kidnapped bat fairies, trying to locate missing human shadows, or helping a dragon complete a dangerous quest. Characters and readers learn interesting things such as why fairies fear jigsaw puzzles, what the trolls’ favorite foods are, how dragons are born, why the flamingo stands on one foot, the reason human beings have a shadow, what the grasshopper uses buttons for, where courage comes from, how hope is spread around the world, and what causes nightmares. The Fairy Chronicles are stand-alone books and can be read in any order. Visit fairychronicles.com for free e-books, word search games, and more.

About the Author
J.H. Sweet lives in New Braunfels, Texas. She has a degree in English from Texas State University. In addition to recording stories the fairies have told her, she enjoys hiking, photography, knitting, and basketry.

Customer Reviews

Great Story
My two girls, ages 4 and 9, really loved this story. I myself was intrigued because the girls were so real and the story so fun.

After attending their fairy circle gathering, and having Christmas fun with a visit from unicorns, the girls/fairies set out on a fairy mission to save all laughter in Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden for the coming year. (The Shell of Laughter is used to spread laughter all over the world via various winds and because it has been stolen, that part of the world is in danger of not receiving its share of laugther for the year.)

The girls/fairies are helped by an elf and his hedgehog, a witch, a leprechaun, a gnome, and a bird in their travels. There is a nice teamwork theme running throughout. The story also has some nice elements involving recycling and celebration of nature.

We also really enjoyed learning what laughter is made of, that part of the book made us laugh. My girls learned something about winds and we looked up seashells after reading this story. I think anyone would enjoy this light, yet important adventure of real people doing something important.

A wonderful series! Unique, realistic fairies!

J. H. Sweet ...
what a treat ...
on writing fairies,
she can't be beat.

Book one was pure delight,
and book two is "out of sight."

She also has book three and four,
and about fifty more.

Each of this author's books stands alone as far as storyline, and I discovered something new about fairies and fairy lore in each one. She's a fine writer, so good at her craft that the fairies came alive for me. Interesting storylines, colorful characters in an exciting, entertaining format.

Highly recommended.

Terrific Fairy Book
I love this particular installment of the Fairy Chronicles Series. The story has a lovely theme of helping to save all laughter in the world while recognizing that sorrow and laughter must both exist.

I have a brand new niece and though she is too young for a book like this I am carefully putting away a copy of this book for her. I don't believe any little girl will be disappointed to read this story. The elf who is "Keeper" of the Shell of Laughter is very stoic, and that is an interesting part of this fairy tale. The writer explains that he is a necessary balance to the shell and otherwise would not be able to withstand the effects of longterm exposure.

I think what I love most about this book and the Fairy Chronicles Series in general is the variety the stories are presenting. In Thistle and the Shell of Laughter, we see unicorns, meet a leprechaun and a hedgehog, learn about types of winds, and discover a special bird called a bobolink. We also meet a witch and learn a little bit about geography (Finland, Norway, etc) when it comes to the spreading of laughter on the winds. There are a number of different kinds of fairies (Starfish, Marigold, Toad, etc) with different personalities so the girls are not all the same. Having enjoyed all of the books in this series so far, I plan to read a lot more about fairies.