'Marita ... is a natural storyteller.'
-- Martin Waddell
'In all of Conlon-McKenna's books there is an underlying sense of resilience, of self-reliance and of enterprise in even the poorest of people.'
-- CELIA KEENAN * The Big Guide to Irish Children's Books *
'Conlon-McKenna sees herself very much as a storyteller, and the outstanding feature of her work is its strong narrative thrust.'
-- VICTOR WATSON * The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English *
I've read this and it's brilliant! It's Marita at her best ... this cracking new book features a brave girl who fights back against the fairies who are determined to steal her little brother away
-- Sarah Webb
wonderful ... a page turning adventure full of bravery, fairies & friendship. Highly recommended
-- Halfway Up the Stairs
Set in the west of Ireland with inspiration drawn from Irish folklore and culture, 13-year-old Anna is thrown into the deep end when sent from London to spend time with her father and his new family. But when beguiling and bewildering events occur, Anna has a feeling there might be some truth in the tall tales she's told about the landscape she finds herself in ... Another triumph from one of Ireland's most beloved authors
-- Irish Examiner
Marita is back ... Marita when she's on song usually hits it out of the park ... really strong buzz, really excited for this
-- Dave O'Callaghan, Here & Back Again pod
Feels like the book every primary school has been waiting for, for the last 30 years
-- Elaina Ryan, CBI, on Here & Back Again pod
A contemporary story of family and love, stepped in ancient myth and folklore
-- Children's Books Ireland in the Irish Examiner
new novel from Marita Conlon-McKenna, one of Ireland's best-known children's storytellers. Set in Sligo, it follows 13-year-old Londoner Anna, who has returned to her father's homestead under the shadow of Ben Bulben for the summer. The journey she takes is metaphorical too, as Anna tries to find a place for herself in her father's new family. Anna's family circumstances give Conlon-McKenna a rich social real-world context against which to place the otherworldly aspects of the story, which sings into a long history of Irish legend and lore ... Conlon-McKenna's clever positioning of Anna's rational fears beside the enchanted fantasy adds a thrilling edge, suggesting that the boundaries between the two worlds are even thinner than legends might have us believe
-- Irish Times
Marita Conlon-McKenna is an Irish award-winning children's author, and we were thrilled to find Fairy Hill in our Postbag. O'Brien Books are the publisher of this new novel, a fantastic story for it goes without saying that any story featuring the fairy folk so well-known in all our myths and legends, is sure to be a delight. But what makes this one so readable? It is the element of surprise, the narration of a tale that takes us from a home in London's Notting Hill, to a wedding and then a flight to Dublin in a few short pages, the sense of mystery, wonder and magic is infused in every word, the feeling of needing to read on to discover more
-- Armadillo Magazine
