Wicked Nix

Wicked Nix
Lena Coakley
Jaime Zollars, Illustrator
Amulet, October, 2018 110 pages
Grades 2-4
Fantasy

Wicked Nix the fairy is incensed. A people has moved into the little cabin by the tree where he sleeps in his forest home. Last summer the fairy queen forgot him by accident when the fairies left to go to their winter resting place. He is keeping the forest free from humans and now this people threatens his chances to get back on the queen's good side. He seeks advice from Mr. Green, the spirit king of the forest, and his human friend Rose. Nix plays all kinds of tricks on the people and, although he gets extremely frustrated, Nix can't get him to leave. Unfortunately, Nix's magic comes primarily from bluster and though he pulls out all of the tricks in his repertoire, none of them work. Finally Nix and the people sit down and have a heart-to-heart discussion, where Nix learns some unexpected truths about himself and the true nature of fairies. Is the people telling the truth? There is one way to find out. Nix and the people attempt to find the fairy meadow on Midsummer's Eve, though the fairies keep playing tricks on them. Nix must get to the bottom of the real facts behind the fairies intentions and his own lineage, but first he must find the queen. A show-down results in the truth at last and Nix discovering where his heart really lies as he must adapt to a new life.

Coakley offers a solid, straight-forward fantasy for emerging readers that is not bogged down by subplots. The first-person narration allows the reader to see inside the brain of Wicked Nix and experience first-hand the life of an out-of-favor fairy. Fairies are popular and that alone will help the story find an audience. The chapters are short and contain sweet illustrations, allowing for young readers to competently keep reading. Wicked Nix contains a wonderful element which sets it apart from other books aimed at this age group: an unreliable narrator. I love books with unreliable narrators and readers will too. It is so fun that moment when you discover that what you are being told may not be true. The first person narration allows the readers to discover, right along with the protagonist, that he may have the story wrong. The would-be fairy experiences much character growth throughout the brief book as he learns to trust, love, and to be brave. I can't wait to use this title in book discussion and to recommend it to young readers.