Cinders & Sparks Books in Order

The Cinders & Sparks books take Lindsey Kelk’s chatty voice into a younger, fairy‑tale world. The heroine, Cinders, starts out living a dreary life with a mean stepmother and two awful stepsisters, convinced that nothing exciting will ever happen to her.

Everything changes when her wishes begin mysteriously coming true and she meets her fairy godmother, who is nothing like the delicate, glittering figures from picture books. Brian – yes, Brian – can fly and wield serious magic, but she is impulsive, unreliable and not at all organised. Cinders also gains a talking dog, Sparks, whose constant commentary is equal parts helpful and ridiculous.

In Magic at Midnight the classic Cinderella setup is turned inside out. Cinders does get a dress and an invitation to the royal ball, but the magic misfires as often as it works, and she has to think for herself rather than wait for a prince to fix everything.

Fairies in the Forest sends Cinders, Sparks and a hopelessly greedy Hansel into the Deep Dark Forest on the way to Fairyland. Along the path they bump into three bears, a tower‑bound Rapunzel and plenty of trouble, learning that fairy stories are much messier when you’re inside them.

In Goblins and Gold, the final book, the quest for Fairyland continues. A hungry goblin, an overexcited prince and a huntsman who refuses to give up keep the adventure moving, while Cinders starts to understand just how powerful – and risky – her own magic can be.

The series is fast, funny and full of twists on familiar tales. It’s written for roughly eight‑ to twelve‑year‑olds, but the jokes and sideways references to well‑known stories mean it works as a read‑aloud series too. Underneath the silliness is a gentle message about choosing your own future rather than accepting the role other people hand you.