Lara first discovered the Little Legends books earlier this year - the series by Tom Percival is a set of fairy-tale inspired reading books for early readers and Lara absolutely loved the first two in the series - The Spell Thief and The Great Troll Rescue. This autumn, the next two episodes from the Little Legends book series are now available; The Genies Curse and The Magic Looking Glass.
The Little Legends books are what Lara calls "chapter books" - longer reading books for confident early readers. They are very easy reads for Lara now but I'd recommend them from about age 6 to 10, depending on reading ability. The stories have universal appeal because they are based on the real-life adventures of fairytale characters that we already know and love - Repaunzel, Hansel and Gretal, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (as in beanstalk). The books are adventure books where a group of characters have a quest they need to achieve such as lifting a magical curse or recapturing some stolen magic. It is just the sort of thing that whisks Lara off into her imagination.
The Magic Looking Glass by Tom Percival tells the tale of twins, Hansel and Gretel who make an unlikely friend - a wolf! Together they discover an enchanted magical mirror in the woods which is the gateway to some pretty unpleasant magic that threatens them all. The story is so fast paced that Lara literally did not put the book down until she had read it from cover to cover and she finished with an enormous smile on her face.
The Genies curse features load of characters who have appeared throughout the Little Legends series but the primary characters are Rapunzel (who seems a little out of her depth), a green monkey (?) and a genie in a magic lamp. There are references to lots of different magical fairy stories throughout the book but it's not that which Lara enjoys most; its the drama and urgency of each story that draws her in.
We are really hoping that there are more Little Legends books in the pipeline because they are really enjoyable reads.
Also look out for the Little Legends Race Day, a free app for Little Legends fans.
