Title: Away with the Fairies by Leoma Retan (pen name for Lee Cantillon, Wisconsin Writers Association - Member public profile)
Publisher: Scribe Hive Publishing
Publication Date: May 26, 2026
Language: English
Format: softcover and e-book
# of pages: 244
Genre: MG Fantasy
ISBN-10: 978-1-962112
Reviewed by: Laura Anne Bird (Wisconsin Writers Association - Member public profile)
An entertaining romp perfect for older middle grader readers who love fantasy, myth, and the Emerald Isle
Leoma Retan’s Away with the Fairies is an entertaining romp that takes readers from the streets of Limerick, Ireland, to a magical realm populated by butterflies, leprechauns, banshees, and—of course—fairies.
Away with the Fairies opens with eleven-year-old Patrick Hogan, also known as Bommer, and his two rowdy best friends, Kev and Tighe. They’re restless and physical, getting into trouble as their summer break wanes. “Never back down,” Bommer says, following one of their altercations. “Never ever show weakness.”
The boys are forced to get organized and unite when Bommer’s ten-year-old cousin, Laura, goes missing on their watch. Her disappearance isn’t the first time a girl from the area has seemingly vanished into thin air. Bommer scoffs at the idea of Laura having been spirited away by fairies, but that’s exactly what has happened.
Bommer, Kev, and Tighe locate the mysterious portal through which Laura has disappeared. On the other side, they befriend Fergal Shaugnessy, an affable, bushy-eyebrowed leprechaun. (One thing I love about Away with the Fairies: the charming Irish names Retan has given to her lively cast of characters.)
Bommer and his friends face one raucous obstacle after another as they track down Laura and try to figure out why she’s so content to be chilling with the fairies who ostensibly took her.
Away with the Fairies is perfect for lovers of fantasy, myth, and the Emerald Isle. “This is what happens when the walls between this world and the human one come close together,” Fergal tells Bommer when explaining the dynamics of Fairy Lakes.
My concern with Away with the Fairies pertains to the front cover, which is colorful and sweet, making it feel appropriate for a younger middle-grade audience. The story, however, is better suited toward older readers. Case in point: in an especially dark moment on a wooden platform, Bommer is almost executed by Queen Maeve. The accompanying talk of hangings and firing squads is likely too much for a fourth grader.
Furthermore, Retan digs boldly into themes of women’s equality. A girl leprechaun who, like Laura, has left her family for a “better life,” claims that her male relatives don’t want her to have the right to “go where I want… to make my own choices.” I suspect messaging like this, although galvanizing, will be lost on most kids, unless they’re relatively mature for their age.
What won’t be lost on Retan’s readers are the bubbling streams, white horses, owls and wolves of her delightfully fleshed out fairy world. Lucky for her fans, it appears as if a sequel is in the works.
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A Milwaukee native, Laura Anne Bird graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in English. She lives in Madison, with her husband, three big kids, and little dog. She's the author of two middle grade novels, Crossing the Pressure Line and Marvelous Jackson, and she serves as an ambassador for Wisconsin Book Festival and a board member for Madison Public Library Foundation. Join Laura on Instagram @laura_at_the_library, where she celebrates all things literary.
