- Recommended Age Range: 10 and up
- Formats: E-Book, Paperback, Hardcover
- Approx. Length: 56,286 Words, 304 Pages
- Interior: Black & White
- Dimensions: 8″ x 10″
- Trade Paperback ISBN: 9781644750001
- Hardcover Case Laminate ISBN: 9781644750018
A Black Widow queen, a big bad Wolf Spider, and a Hit-Mantis are but a few of the obstacles for a spunky little spider who must find his way home through a strange land of giants in this witty fairytale fantasy for kids and adults.
Transported out of his element into a realm of dangers and foes, Spider is aided by the insects and arachnids he befriends, but only he can see the Fairy Fly. Is she real or imagined? This whimsical novel about finding oneself while feeling small in a big world takes a step back and several steps downward to peep at humanity from below. At the same time, the story is an allegory of the human condition: life and death matters, war and peace, our everyday struggles on a tiny scale. Part humorous, part philosophical, at times poetic . . . it celebrates a love for animals, books and words. View the planet from a different angle as you take a spiderwalk through the door to adventure.
This Illustrated Edition of The Fairy Fly features artwork by the author.
The Fairy Fly won Best Published Y.A. SciFi/Fantasy for 2013 at the San Diego Book Awards and was the Young Adult Winner in the 2014 Great Southwest Book Festival. The book received Second Place in Humor from the 2015 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, among other honors.
Samples
“You ask big questions for such a small spider.”
“Excuse me,” broached the spider, “but why do you use such biggish words when you’re so small?”
“Well, my dear, even a tiny world is too amazing to describe in monosyllables, and even the teeniest voice can utter grand thoughts. I always try to use the best word, whatever its size as long as it fits just right on my tongue, whether it’s already a word or not.” The Fairy Fly hovered before his precocious sets of eyes. “You ask big questions for such a small spider.”
~ from The Fairy Fly
“Rule Number Eight: Be yourself!” the wasp advised. “Don’t try to be anybody else because chances are, someone else’s skin won’t fit. That goes double for Exoskeletons or Carapaces, which are less elasticky.”
~ from The Fairy Fly
“This is the Library. Liber is Latin for book. Libertas means freedom,” noted the Fairy Fly. “A library is a treasury where books are free and you are free to read them. You are free in the pages of a book. Yet here is where the riches of humankind are stored. In this place you will find truth and fiction, adventure and a plenitude of lifetimes. Books can elevate the soul or wring the emotions like a wet hanky. You can lose and find yourself in a book.”
~ from The Fairy Fly
Some days are flawless. Perfect. Nothing can go wrong. The Sun shines, birds sing, and flies buzz thicker than the hairs on a spider’s back.
But there are some truly rotten, totally disastrous, terribly miserable days that you wish — with every teeny, atomic, microscopic fiber of your being — had never begun.
Which is exactly how Spider felt this cursed and dismal day after being jerked from a peaceful doze by a rude volcanic squall.
“HEY MOM! WHERE’S MY FAVORITE SWEATER? THE RED ONE!” a voice erupted.
Such a jarring conclusion to a lovely nap must foreshadow the end of the world, the jumper interpreted. To a conservative sort of fellow it resounded like a major catastrophe. Hunkering down, the spiderling trembled. He had no idea what a sweater was, or for that matter a red sweater, or he might have chosen to flee. The cute arachnid was busy minding his own business, perhaps his own beeswax too were he of the winged yellow and black persuasion. Instead he was black and white and earthbound, not to mention ignorant of the fact that the snug pocket he discovered the night before was red, and attached to the sweater in question. Until his cozy haven was abruptly snatched from its hanging place — upending Spider groggily on his noodle, hair and limbs askew. It was most unsettling.
He adjusted his position within a silkspun sleeping-bag. Two circular glossy green orbs gawped unblinking, flanked by smaller lenses. Above on a square crown with a dorky hairdo were four modest eyes. Vertical jaws — between tuft-like Pedipalps (feelers) — protruded tuskishly from his mouth behind white and gray whiskers, hooks (his real teeth) jutting from the tips.
The spiderling’s siblings had blue eyes and called him a Green-Eyed Freak when he came out of his egg in the sac. They called him other names because he was smaller. As a result, he had stayed in the egg long after they left.
“It’s in your closet!” answered a remote voice.
“YEAH, I FOUND IT!” the proximate voice blared.
The pocket bounced, jostling Spider, who flopped and groaned, snared in his own thread. An eternity of bucking halted. He slid to the base of his den grumbling about knots and sticky situations.
A Word Of Caution
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eleven
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seventeen
eighteen: The Girl And The Spider
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twenty
twenty-one
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twenty-seven
denouement
Videos
Honors & Praise
“Who knew spiders could be cute, not me... I hate(d) them... but how could I NOT fall in love with this little fella, not only is he cute, cuddly, on a “quest” but he Yodels!”
“Who knew spiders could be cute, not me... I hate(d) them... but how could I NOT fall in love with this little fella, not only is he cute, cuddly, on a “quest” but he Yodels! As Spider emerges from his nest he is thrown in to Life and he starts his quest for Home, with a little help from some astonishing sources; danger lurks around each corner with some unexpected grins, the humour is rife; “bite the dust bunny!”
Lori Lopez has such a beautiful way of describing scenes/environments that you can almost feel yourself become scaled down to this world. She has surpassed herself with this story; a wonderful world, some beautiful characters, various life lessons along the way, a multitude of fantastic little poems and lullabys and not to mention the fantasy element thrown in for good measure. I am so looking forward to getting this book in print to enjoy the illustrations too.
The moral compass of this book is steadfast. The telling of tales within the book is ingenious and gentle, but brutally honest. Lori Lopez astounds me time and again with her use of words; be prepared to learn a few new ones!
Loves the author Bio at the end; Lori... you will always be my favourite crackpot!
*****
The wonderful book The Fairy Fly by Lori R. Lopez (Print Edition)
Exceptionally pretty illustrations of a fantastic story.
This is personally special [to] me as it has helped me get over my phobia of spiders.”
Vix Kirkpatrick
THE FLUFFY RED FOX REVIEWS; Amazon Review
♥
“Lori Lopez’s book, The Fairy Fly, is a wonderfully fanciful tale. Fans of books such as Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little are sure to be intrigued by this tale, which celebrates the little things in life and how one being, no matter how small, can make a difference. It was Lopez’s unique dialogue that captured my imagination, however. Each creature had a unique voice, and the playfulness of characters, such as the Merry Mites, or the wise speeches of the Bookworm reminded me of the aura created in the works of Lewis Carroll. . . . I highly recommend this tale for Young Adults and any who needs a reminder of just how wondrous our world really is. I hope to read more from Lori Lopez in the future.”
Reviewed by Tania Staley for Readers’ Favorite
♥
“Have you ever wondered what the personality of a bug may be like? Well after you read this wonderful fairy tail you will have to wonder no more. Follow Spider as he tries to find his way back home to his mother and learn the lessons of life, fear and friendship along with him.
Every step Spider takes seems to be looming with danger, but the things he learns and both the friends and foes he meets along the way have something for him. . . . This is a great novel for children and adults alike. Some of the lessons with in will stay with you or your child for a long time to come. One example is, words can hurt and it is not always what you say but how you say it. Lori Lopez uses her beautiful poetic words to bring this to life with loveable characters and slightly scary foes. This is in no way a book that [will] cause fear unless you just don't like bugs. But even people who don’t like bugs, I think, should give it a chance because it is such a fun and imaginative book.”
Jennifer Thomas
Amazon Review
♥
“There is a lot of higher-level vocabulary, which makes me feel like this is not for kids to read, unless it is used for teaching. It would make a great vocabulary building book. Lexicon and volent aren’t average reading level words.
The drawings are a nice touch, helping the reader identify with the characters. The artist is good, and if she included a drawing with the parts of the spider labeled it would help a reader if they were unfamiliar.”
Judge, 23RD WRITER’S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS
Learn about Author & Artist Lori R. Lopez.
On the set of The Fairy Fly Author Reading at Mount Laguna, California, in June 2014.
