Synopsis: "The story tells of a young boy, Jack, who discovers a nest of Fairies and endeavours to return them to Faerie. The journey is via a river – clearly symbolic of the River of life – and en route Jack has many adventures. The fairies grow at a more rapid rate than humankind and, halfway through the novel, Mopsa, who has developed into the Fairy Queen, becomes a dominant character, taking control over Jack's life."   "arguably the first feminist Bildungsroman"   "an Allegory of lost innocence" --SFE: Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997), biographical entry by MA (Mike Ashley?)