The Rainbow Fairies

Posted November 23, 2014 by Alison Mitchell

I can’t believe I am about to say this, but… I don’t hate the Rainbow Fairies.  The completely formulaic chapter book series centers on two tween girls, Rachel and Kirstie, who become friends with fairies.  There are about 150 books total, broken into themed sets of seven.  In each set, Rachel and Kirstie have to help the fairies solve a problem before Evil Jack Frost and his Goblins mess things up forever (forever! It’s very dramatic!).  Aside from the theme, each book is essentially the same.

Kids love these books.  LOVE.

Parents hate these books.  HATE.

I have been known to say that reading these books is like sticking a fork in your eye, but they actually have some redeeming qualities.

• Rachel and Kirstie are best friends.  They totally have each other’s back in all sorts of weird (yet repetitive) situations and circumstances.  Being friends is important to them — so important, that in one book, when they start fighting, they realize that Evil Jack Frost must be up to No Good.
• The girls outwit the boys.  Sadly, girls still need to be told that they’re just as smart as boys.  Rachel and Kirstie repeatedly outsmart the goblins, who are usually trying to disguise themselves as regular boys.  Working as a team and using their brains, the girls solve the problems faster than the goblins (every. single. time.  Did I mention there are 150 of these books and that they are all the same?).
• The books showcase diversity.  Each series centers around seven different fairies, and each group of seven includes fairies with different skin colors, hair color and facial features.  Sure, they’re all stick thin and have wings, but there’s an effort here to show readers that fairies — just like people! — come in all colors.
• Vocabulary.  The plotlines may be dull as dirt, but the books introduce readers to all sorts of different words.  The girls don’t just “say” something, they exclaim!  They don’t walk, they spring!  Rachel and Kirstie drive me up a wall, but I appreciate the fact that they introduce readers to different vocabulary.
• They’re a gateway drug to reading.  For whatever reason, kids love these books.  And they read them.   And since there are 150 of them, they read them a lot.  And that’s what we want, right?  Kids reading.

Looking for something more?  Try Fairy Realm, a great series with lovely strong female characters and stories that actually have a plot.