
Charlotte is a normal nine-year-old girl, excited by the start of the Christmas break from school and three week's of fun and leisure. When her Dad announces to the family that they are off to visit the local Christmas pantomime, the following evening, Charlotte and her little sister Beth are besides themselves with excitement. Charlotte, however, has a secret - a pendant that allows her to travel between her earthly realm and the magic world of Elves, Trolls, Dwarves and Fairies. Reading Favian's Law by K. Lawrence it soon becomes apparent Charlotte has visited this world before, in earlier stories. When the family do visit the pantomime, Charlotte is accosted by the man from the next show on the evening's bill, a mind-reader, psychic, named Favian. Recognising the pendant Charlotte is wearing, Favian steals it and travels to the other realm, where Charlotte later discovers her has created havoc and set the various inhabitant races of the realm, one against the other. Somehow Charlotte must make this all okay again - somehow she must must fix it and undo Favian's Law.
This was a delightful read as we travelled, through the author's imagination, to the world of elves and the like. I particularly liked the little twists, with time-travel, that the author threw into the story. Charlotte was believable, both as a scared child who just wanted to make things right, as well as the feisty and famed Truth Teller from an earlier story. It is always a good measure in a series such as this if a reader can say, "you don't have to have read the earlier adventures, to understand and enjoy this one." That was certainly the case with Favian's Law. K Lawrence had done an excellent job in filling in the gaps in a reader's understanding of what had preceded this tale. Some of the interactions with the elderly lady later in the story were just a little too understanding and accepting of what was clearly an extraordinary happening to have been dumped on her lap. That having been said, it didn't detract from the excitement of the story and the pace and action of the read. I think this book would be extremely suitable a read for any children from ten upwards. Charlotte was a very modern, with-it young lady, who I'm sure all young readers would identify well with. A very good read.
