When her magic is stolen, a selfish and clueless fairy must rely on a human girl with a rich imagination to chase the thief through a land of fantastical creatures and recover her powers.

SYNOPSIS:

Most fairy tales still push this myth that fairies, and by extension girls, are naturally self-sacrificing. But think about it. If you had magic to solve every problem, where would you learn empathy? How can you sympathize with others if life hasn’t knocked you around a bit? So, I took a fairy and did just that.

Our main character Tipper is a Peri, a wood fairy who she thinks only of herself. She lives in a Disneyesque park where she is supposed to sit quietly with the other Peris so that their long hair forms a lovely waterfall.

But Tipper can't stand sitting still. She likes to slip away, hang her wings in a tree, and turn herself into a tiger, a bear, a girl. She wants to know what else is out there. But she always gets yanked back by larger, more powerful Peris. They tell her there is no me in their world. There is only us.

In Tipper’s world, there’s also a mythology of creatures, ones that personify the unfairness that confuses children in our world. The first one we meet is Qixell, a pug-faced trickster with hairy, telescoping arms. He steals toys children don’t put away, and he has his eyes on Tipper’s wings.

One day, Tipper hangs up her wings and turns herself into a girl to show off to a human girl named Emma.

Emma is happy to have Tipper around. She is a lonely girl who prefers her imaginary world to the rough and tumble of fourth grade. She fears growing up, because grownups don’t pretend. And, she still clings to her childhood comfy toy, a small rag doll named Betsy.

While Tipper is distracted, Qixell snatches her wings and with them, all her magic. Without magic, Tipper can’t tie a shoe or climb a fence. And she’s in a huff that she must rely on Emma, a girl, to get them back.

Together, the girls pursue Qixell deep into Tipper’s world beyond the chain-link fence. Using Emma’s imagination and real girl skills, they deal with various creatures, including Vorro, a lost and needy balloon, Vocifer, a scold who makes you feel stupid and small, and worst of all, the Wollywox, a bully who lifts rocks and bumps that trip children and knock over bikes.

Through it all, Tipper insists she’s still a Peri, and Peris never make mistakes. And crying, not in their DNA. But as a girl, she discovers skinned knees, self-doubt, and foot-stomping frustration. This being a girl is a lot harder than she thought.

Meanwhile, Qixell is having a blast. With wings and magic, he steals more than ever.

Tipper and Emma connect as they both realize they struggle to fit into worlds that want them to be something they’re not. Emma believes she’s finally found a friend.

But Tipper is a terrible friend. She betrays Emma but letting Qixell steal the doll Betsy in exchange for her wings. Emma has had enough. She tells Tipper she’s the worst kind of Wollywox, one who pretends to be a friend. She goes after Qixell alone.

Tipper, a friend? She has no idea what a friend is. Even if she wants to be one. But she knows she’s a terrible Peri, and even worse as a girl. And she’s caught Emma’s magic. She cries. Maybe, she is a Wollywox.

Before she can make things right, Tipper is whisked back to the Peri world. Her wings and magic are stripped away as punishment. But this new Tipper, one who has connected, cried and cared, convinces the other Peris to break the rules and help Emma.

In the end, Tipper discovers that friendship is the hardest and best magic of all, Qixell realizes that giving feels a lot better than taking, and Emma learns to never stop pretending, because people who stop pretending turn into Wollywoxes.