Book One: Finding Fairyland

Book One: Finding Fairyland

An excerpt from Finding Fairyland, by Barry Poupard:

Julia could barely sit still and listen as Sister Bernadine explained the math lesson. She kept fiddling with a strand of brown hair that had come loose from her ponytail and fidgeting in her seat. She would look at the teacher, then the clock above the door, then over to McKenna, one of her best friends, and then back at the clock again. After math on Fridays was recess for fifth grade and since it was a warm September afternoon, they would be allowed to go outside. The two girls would be able to talk in private and Julia could show McKenna the book she had brought from home and reveal her discovery.
McKenna will be as excited as I am, Julia thought, watching the second hand slowly tick tick tick around the face of the clock. Julia had been searching for fairies and a way to get to fairyland — forever it seemed. She first became interested in fairies when she was six and her mother had read her a book about them and what fairyland was like. She loved the story so much, she had her mother read it to her every night for a week. Finally her mother tired of it and they went to the library for more books. Julia was hooked.
Four years later she was still fascinated by fairies. But since last year she had made it her goal to actually find fairies and get to fairyland. Her mother knew about her search and so did her sister. They understood and sometimes helped her. At school, though, anyone who found out about her quest giggled, looked at her like she was goofy, or teased her.
She flipped the pages of her math book. Julia knew she should be listening but the teacher’s droning explanation of the math lesson couldn’t keep her attention and her mind wandered to the book she had tucked into her desk. Leaning back in her seat, she lifted the desktop and peered inside. It was still there. She knew it was before she looked but she checked anyway.
Julia glanced at the clock again. Time could move so slowly sometimes, she thought.
At lunch, she had tried to tell McKenna that she had discovered something about fairyland but some of the other girls — the Divas, Julia and McKenna called them — had heard her and teased her about her interest in fairies. Trying to ignore them, she glared at her sandwich and didn’t say anything the rest of the break.
At recess, though, she knew she could get away from the nosey Divas. Then she could show McKenna her discovery.

Click here to download the first chapter of Finding Fairyland