Sneak Peek
Short Notes on Fairy Oak
Fairy Oak is not a fantasy
Fairy Oak lacks some elements typical of fantasy: the gloomy and grotesque atmosphere, the journey, the ferocious battles. Instead, readers get a lot of laughs!
This is another aspect that differentiates this series from fantasy fiction, which tends to take itself very seriously. In this series of stories what prevails over everything and lingers in the memory are the little things, the atmosphere of the streets and the houses, the cries of the seagulls, the sound of the wind and the waves against the rocks, the children’s voices, the tinkle of glasses in the pub, the fabrics of the clothes, the smell of warm bread and washing hung out to dry in the sun, the pebbles polished by the sea, the toads in the streams…
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FAIRY OAK ISN’T A GLOOMY SERIES
THE READER LAUGHS A LOT!
IN FAIRY OAK PEOPLE DON’T TAKE THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY
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The Setting
Fairy Oak is the name of a village that grew up in the shade of a talking oak tree, an imaginary place, lost in the mists of time immemorial, overlooking a stormy sea, next to uplands covered in snow in winter, surrounded by enchanted woods, vast meadows, crystal clear rivers and lakes. A healthy and uncontaminated nature, which dominates and envelops the worlds in which the stories unfold. It’s a place where the climate has a powerful influence over events and contributes a lot to the creation of atmosphere.
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A DAZZLING WORLD OF FANTASY AND ADVENTURE
AN IMAGINARY PLACE WHERE TIME AND SPACE ARE EXTENDED
AND NATURE IS AMAZINGLY ALIVE
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The Characters
Within the walls of the old village there lives an equally old community, a mixed bag of funny characters, with the rituals, customs, habits and familiarity of a serene, cheerful, lively people who lack for nothing.
The sounds most frequently heard in the village are the cries of its numerous youngsters. Accustomed to roaming free since early childhood, the kids run around along the paths overhanging the cliffs and through the woods; they know every ford, cave, tree, nook and cranny of their valley. But there’s always something new to discover and so any excuse will do to embark on new adventures.
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A “MULTI-ETHNIC” POPULATION
A PEOPLE OF FAIRIES, WITCHES, WIZARDS AND COMMON PEOPLE
THAT ACCEPTS ITS DIVERSITIES SERENELY
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Countries
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Italy
Spain
France
Benelux
Portugal
Mexico
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Guatemala
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela
Hungary
Turkey
Albania
Languages
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Italian
French
Espanol-Castilian
Basque
Catalan
Galician
Portuguese
Hungarian
Turkish
​Albanian
English
The Story
The 7 books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent twins Vanilla and Lavender. To save their people, menaced by a cruel enemy, they go on a long journey deep into the labyrinths of their powers. Since the girls are very young, at first lots of things go wrong. Some are frightening. In short, it’s not going to be easy at all! But someone and something will help them.
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A VILLAGE - A PEOPLE - A JOURNEY
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE OF TWO LITTLE GIRLS
WHOSE LOVE IS STRONGER THAN ANY POWER
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The Fable
A classical definition would number the series among fables, stories with a marvellous content; a fairy tale, since it deals with fairies, witches and wizards. Yet magic does not play the starring role. This is reserved for the inhabitants of Fairy Oak and the nature that surrounds it. So Fairy Oak is a fable about life, one that tells the story of a people, of a wild and lush Valley inhabited by extraordinary creatures. And since it also includes mice that foresee the future and talking trees, it’s a fable in the complete sense.
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A FABLE ABOUT LIFE
ONE THAT TELLS THE STORY OF A PEOPLE
SO CLASSICAL AND TRADITIONAL THAT ADULTS LIKE IT TOO
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The Values
Trust: In “Fairy Oak” people trust one another, almost always. Vanilla and Lavender share a deep trust in each other, even when they have thousands of reasons for doubt. Trust is also the fruit of the experience and wisdom of the adults of the village, who have faith in the youngsters.
Love: The love that binds the twins is ancestral, profound and invincible. The love between the village youngsters is romantic, decorous and discreet. The love between Dahlia and Cicero, the twins’ parents, is solid and reassuring.
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Friendship: plays a major role in the story, since it is thanks to this emotion that the most interesting, exciting, exhilarating, touching and important situations develop in all the stories.
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TRUST, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP
PROFOUND, SINCERE UNIVERSAL VALUES
THAT TOUCH THE HEARTS OF READERS YOUNG AND OLD
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The Plot
The plot is light-hearted and pleasing and is interpreted in a lively, modern style. The morphology of the village, its appearance, the personalities and relationships linking the characters, their life style, rituals and customs seem to engender a feeling of familiarity and affection in readers, and the desire to be a part of the story. An amazingly frequent question posed by readers on the publication of the last novel was: “Now that the series is over, where shall I go?"
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AN ADVENTURE AS BIG AS LIFE ITSELF
READERS FEEL WELCOME AND HAPPY
IN THE PLACES AND SETTINGS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOKS
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Key Elements
The success of Fairy Oak is largely due to the fact that girl readers identify with the principal characters of the story, the twins Vanilla and Lavender, who are identical in appearance, both positive, but with diametrically opposed personalities.
Two different personalities, two different ways of coping with adolescence, so that each reader
has a model she can identify with. However some readers also identify with the twins’ friends: Flox Pollimon and Shirley Poppy.
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IDENTIFICATION
MOST READERS IDENTIFY WITH ONE OF THE TWO PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
AND PLAY AT BEING VANILLA OR LAVENDER
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Cultural Impact
Fairy Oak represents a response to an unexpressed, latent desire, felt especially in childhood and early adolescence: the need for security. And when the books are read, emotions grow even stronger and are transformed into devotion. Fairy Oak contains all the classic elements and mechanisms that children love, because, while it’s true that children differ from country to country, and are stimulated by different things, it’s also true that they all share laughter, affinities, sorrows and fears: feelings such as anxiety, stress and disorientation.
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A SHELTERED, SAFE PLACE
WHERE READERS CAN HOLE UP, A PLACE THAT IS PURE,
GENUINE, RESPECTFUL AND TOTALLY THEIRS
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Who Reads Fairy Oak
The series is aimed at girls aged 8 to 13, who say they love the detailed descriptions that characterize the stories while they take a particular interest in the characters and the network of bonds that link them - ties of family, friendship, and love. Although the project is aimed at girls a small % of readers are boys. In fact, once they get over the feminine look of the graphics, boys are enthusiastic about the exploits of the young characters and appreciate the adventurous aspect of the series.
The books have also aroused interest among adult female readers.
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ENCHANTING ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE
ALMOST ALL OF OUR READERS FIND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE ADULT CHARACTERS
DESCRIBED IN FAIRY OAK AND THEIR OWN PARENTS OR FRIENDS
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What Readers and their Parents tell us
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For many readers this series was their introduction to the world of books and it prompted them to keep on reading.
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Many thought it is the best series they had ever read.
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Many read the books as children and read them again as adults.
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Many shared the childhood reading experience with their parents.
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The series had a profound influence on their childhood.
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The books made them feel at home and in a safe place.
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It helped them in times of difficulty.
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They appreciated the themes and the values of the books.
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They loved the graphics and the illustrations.
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After reading the first book, girl readers ask for the entire series.
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Very much appreciated by parents as the right kind of books to give to their children.
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FAIRY OAK IS ALWAYS A SAFE AND WELCOMING PLACE TO RETURN TO
RATHER LIKE WHEN YOUNG ADULTS RETURN TO THE FAMILY HOME
AND HOLE UP IN THEIR ROOM
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Sales Results
Since the release of the first novel, the books have gained great popularity, critical acclaim and commercial success. As of December 2023, the series has sold 4.5 million copies, and has been released in 23 countries.
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A BEST SELLER SERIES WIDELY PUBLISHED IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA
EACH OF THE SEVEN NOVELS HAS BECOME A BESTSELLER