Vidia and the Fairy Crown    by Laura Driscoll & Judith H. Clarke Order:  USA  Can RH/Disney, 2006 (2006) Paperback     Reviewed by J. A. Kaszuba Locke Everyone has received a handwritten invitation to the biggest celebration in Pixie Hollow - 'Come one, come every Never fairy / and every sparrow man to / Her Royal Majesty Queen Clarion's / Birthday Bash!' All talents in the Hollow are busy shining the brass trim in the Home Tree lobby and dining hall, decorating, and cooking a scrumptious seven-course dinner, to be topped off by Dulcie's dessert creation -'a ten-layer raspberry-chocolate cake with buttercream frosting'. Yum, mouth-watering, scrumptious! I wish I could fly to that party! Attendees will be dressed in their finest finery, especially the Queen whose four attendants lay out an exquisite new gown, shoes, and jewelry. But Cinda opens the crown cabinet only to find that the 'priceless and irreplaceable' crown is not there. The Queen calls an emergency meeting in the Home Tree courtyard, asking attendees to offer any information that may provide clues to the crown's disappearance. Vidia is a dark-haired, fastest-flying talent fairy. For a past indiscretion, Vidia was banished by the Queen to live alone in a 'sour-plum tree'. She's viewed as untrustworthy, insolent, contrary, and selfish, with a flair for haughty language. Tinker Bell and Rani recall a conversation in which Vidia suggested that to liven the birthday celebration, perhaps she should 'fly in and snatch that gaudy crown off high and mighty Queen Clarion's head.' The Queen schedules a hearing on charges of treason against Vidia (for which the punishment might be 'life-time banishment from Pixie Hollow'). Vidia finds the charges unbelievable and unfair, and is given until the hearing to prove her innocence. One of the youngest (and kindest-hearted) newcomers to the Never fairies is Prilla, who offers to help Vidia prepare her defense. They interview the Queen's staff, and attendant Rhia recalls noticing a small dent in the crown when she took it out to clean it. Rhia placed it in a velvet cloth and brought it to Aidan, the crown-repair sparrow man. From this point, havoc breaks loose as Prilla and Vidia go on a wild, merry chase to track down the crown. Along the way, rapscallion Vidia's language to others remains offensive - 'after all, Vidia had never been one to mince words'. Laura Driscoll adroitly captures the personality of Vidia, a fairy with attitude, while the vivid colors and finely-detailed artwork of illustrator Judith Holmes Clarke and the Disney Storybook Artists make this a series to be treasured. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews