Monday, August 14, 2006

Kylie the fairy

I really do find this remarkable. Here are Nielsen's top ten children's books in Australia for the last month:
1 Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince JK Rowling
2 Kylie the Carnival Fairy Daisy Meadows
3 Lauren the Puppy Fairy Daisy Meadows
4 Katie the Kitten Fairy Daisy Meadows
5 Penny the Pony Fairy Daisy Meadows
6 Pirates John Matthews
7 Bella the Bunny Fairy Daisy Meadows
8 Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy Daisy Meadows
9 Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix JK Rowling
10 Molly the Goldfish Fairy Daisy Meadows
Let me assure you that last month, before the release of Half-Blood Prince in paperback and the wonderful Pirates, the fairies really dominated.
Now, I know that those of you who haven't yet seen the fairy books in all their shiny pink glory (a bit like fairy floss, really - or Barbie) will be stunned by these rankings, and your first thought will be: Daisy Meadows can't possibly be a real name. Surely.
Of course not. It's the alias of Sue Bentley, best known for the equally glittery Magic Kitten series.
And it works, clearly.
I accept the books are not my cup of tea and never would have been, no matter how young. With all due respect to Ms Bentley, if anyone had given me a book about a Guinea Pig Fairy even when I was a kid I would have laughed, thanked them politely, and gone back to Elephant Adventure. But I'm queer like that.
Still, it's actually Kylie that gets me. Kylie the Carnival Fairy.
Let me just say that one last time.
Kylie.
I agree that Kylie Minogue made a wonderful absinthe fairy in Moulin Rouge, but I'm guessing that's a cultural reference that will slip by most of her intended readers.
A Kylie ain't a fairy. End of story.
Nor, for that matter, is a guinea pig.

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