Jennifer Brown and the Dagger (Fairyhand) by Hamish Adourian

Jennifer is having a hard time at school and with her parents.  She's not able to read or write well and it's giving her bad grades and hard times with her teachers and parents both.  She never dreams when she sees a strange lady on the street with a dog that she will get a message carried by a hamster.  Not that it does her any good since she can't read it...

Publishing Push and the author allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy as ebook or print book on Amazon.

This is a fantasy that is also a grand adventure.  Your imagination is required but I had no trouble envisioning everything discussed in the book.  Even the little tunnels they walked through were with me when reading.

When Jennifer heads for home after school, the local girls bully her as usual.  The only good thing is that the woman she saw saves her from more kicks and insults.  She gives her a gift and says she'll be in touch again.  The gift she got was a ruby.  A magical ruby that won't stay hidden away and transforms into a living being.  She knows no one will believe them if she tells them.

Her parents take her camping for a change of scenery and attitude on everyone's part.  Someone stole the ruby and they're still after her.  Nobody else thinks there is any danger.

The young ones have their own tent and Jennifer, her sister and her cousin are trying to sleep when someone comes into camp with evil intentions.  Jennifer is going after the woman she recognizes and her sister and cousin come, too.  Not good.  They end up falling through a portal into a world that has fairies...

I love fairies.  You might be able to tell that from my business name, Book Faerie.  I've read a lot of fairy tales with magic but this was especially good.  There's good and evil, Jennifer has to reach inside herself and find her courage, and she and her cousin actually become friends by the end of the story.  I liked this one a lot and am looking forward to reading the next one in the series.  While written for young readers, this older reader highly recommends it if you love fantasy or a good adventure no matter what your age.