Day 5 of Michelle Harrison’s Fairy Quest
Each blog will have one question associated with its content. Take the first letter from the answer of each of those questions to reveal the identity of a character in One Wish. For example…
If the answers each
day were Red, Oak, Whisper, Apple and Night,
the final answer would be ROWAN.
When you have the
name of the character, please send your answer to childrensbooks@simonandschuster.co.uk
with the subject header FAIRY QUEST. Entries will close at midnight on
Wednesday 11th June.
Ratty's Top Tips on Outwitting Fairies
If you know about fairies – real fairies – you'll know they're trouble.* You might also know a few ways to deal with them, too. The best ways are the old ways, the ones my Pa told me. In case you don't know about them, here they are:
WEAR RED ~ It acts as a camouflage and stops fairies from seeing you (contrary to belief, yellow doesn’t work). But you have to stay quiet, or it breaks the spell. Great if you just want to sneak up on one and make it jump, but not so good if you're in a proper pickle.
RUNNING WATER ~ Any fairies chasing you won't be able to use magic to slow you down, but they can still catch you. The good news is that if there's a spell on you, crossing a river or stream will break it most of the time.
IRON ~ It stinks. To fairies, that is. Not only that, but if it touches them, it burns their skin. A nail in your pocket works a treat. Just be careful how you sit down . . .
SALT ~ It's not just for chips! Same as above, it'll blister a fairy's skin if it comes in contact. Sprinkle it across your window sills to block them getting in.
TURN YOUR CLOTHES INSIDE OUT ~ Never been sure how this works, but they can't harm you if your labels are on the outside. You might get a few strange looks, but it's worth it.
And now for my own personal tips. Heck! I don't share these with just anyone:
HONEY ~ Some fairies are greedy for this. If you're being pestered, you can often distract them by leaving a trail of honey for them to follow . . . either to the jar so they can gorge themselves silly, or to the nearest cat. Take your pick**.
STAY DIRTY ~ Fairies don't mind being grubby (take Turpin, for example) but only if the dirt's their own. They like nice, clean places with fresh air and well-stocked pantries. They dislike lazy humans with dirty houses and smelly clothes because they know the food's likely to be off or in short supply.
RIDDLES ~ Many fairies can't resist a good guessing game. You can often bargain yourself out of trouble if a fairy is unable to guess the answer to a riddle. Just make sure you've got a foolproof one*** because fairies like to win, and they've heard most of them before . . .
*Except Turpin, although even she can be annoying, especially when she chews my hair.
**If you choose the cat option, be prepared for consequences if other fairies find out.
***Yes, of COURSE I have a riddle. Just don't ask me to share it with you – I might need it myself one day . . .
What colour does
Ratty say doesn’t work when outwitting fairies?
The publishers, Simon and Schuster Children's Books have made a fantastic trailer for One Wish and can be seen here: http://bit.ly/OneWishTrailer
There is also a beautiful microsite of Spinney Wicket microsite: www.welcometospinneywicket.com
Thank you to the publishers, Simon and Schuster Children's Books and the author, Michelle Harrison for visiting me on this blog tour.
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