Michael the Bookshop Fairy and Maisie the Moonbeam Fairy, a post about children’s books.

This is sort of a children’s post and a sort of bookshop post and sort of blog post, but it is English and not American. Now it is just possible that some Americans may read it or even some American children may read and have some sort of 49 Charring Cross Road notion of English secondhand bookshops, or it is possible they may have encountered used bookstores in America, which I haven’t so I can’t tell what they are like or what goes on there.

Now when an American says. “I’m mad about my flat.” I guess even American children – kids, that is (a sort of goat here) know that he or she is angry about their puncture. Here in England it would have meant “I like my apartment” now you probably need to be over forty to understand what it meant at all.

In America you probably only have one type of bookstore, well sort of – but I would bet most of them sell books that people want to buy at a competitive price, here in England, we have these types.

In England. We have new Chain bookshops selling “Maisie the Moonbeam Fairy” at £4.99, you can buy it new on the internet (Amazon, Ebay Etc.) for about £3 and used or secondhand for about £2 including postage or carriage. Here in England we call this a “no brainer”

In England. We have independent new bookshops that are very unlikely to have it in stock but will order it in for you and sell it to you for £4.99.

In England. We have Antiquarian bookshops, which only sell expensive first editions and with children’s books, mostly of the children’s books that grandparents read when they were children.

They did have fairy books around 100 years ago, but I think you would need to be around 11 to read them, and they only go by colours or colors, not names, we sell them in paperback for around £3 to walk in customers in the shop.

In England. We have secondhand bookshops where lots of the books are on the floor and any children’s books are probably in a pile somewhere.

In England. We have charity bookshops, which do usually have a small section of children’s books, never more that two or three bookcases.

Then there are a few proper secondhand (used) bookshops in England, with large children’s book sections, containing children’s books that children read priced cheaper than you can buy them online.

I am not sure what the situation is like in America, but there are very few of these in the UK, I think my bookshop may now be the biggest of these. I have used pictures of the children’s fiction books (about half the children’s bookcases) in my bookshop today to illustrate this post which I hope is now going to turn into a post, for children? Perhaps.

Adele had “The Singing Coach Fairy” book Naomi had “The Netball Fairy” and Maisie wanted “The Moonbeam Fairy” book. There were some of the other fairy books in Michael’s bookshop, but not “The Moonbeam Fairy”. They had it in a big bookshop in Canterbury but Maisie couldn’t afford it. 

All of the fairy books in Michaels Bookshop in Ramsgate, where Maisie lives, were 99p apart from a scruffy one which was 50p, Maisie didn’t want a scruffy one and had £1, fairy books came and went, but not “The Moonbeam Fairy”.

Michael looked very old, he had grey hair, so it was a long time before Maisie asked him when “Maisie The Moonbeam Fairy” would appear on the shelf at 99p.

Michael said. “Rainbow Magic, Daisy Meadows” and looked at the computer, then he said. “How do you spell Maisie?”

“M A I S I E” said Maisie.

“Fairly soon.” Said Michael, who had been here before on several occasions and knew there was no way out of this one but to get the book.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday Maisie went to the bookshop and it wasn’t there.

On Thursday Michael went to Ashford and it wasn’t there.

On Friday Maisie came to the bookshop and it wasn’t there.

On Saturday Michael went to Faversham and it was there and there, then he went to Herne Bay and it was there too.

On Monday Maisie went to the bookshop and it was there, so she bought it and said to Michael. “I’m called Maisie too.”

Michael said. “Do you want a bag” and gave Maisie a shiny new penny for change.

Back to a post for grownups now? Perhaps.

I did manage to buy a fair proportion of this series on my travels last week, I long ago stopped worrying about profit and loss with this type of thing which makes it much easier.

I should point out here that children's book prices in my bookshop are aimed at walk in customers only, I have no wish to sell children's books through the post so I don't have good cheap children's books for my younger customers.

I honestly don't have the answer to the children's book situation, am doing my bit and one day I hope to expand our children's book section. Sorry some of the pictures are a bit blurry, but most should expand if clicked on, enough to read the writing? Perhaps!

Oh I forgot! Here are the books that went on the shelves in the bookshop today, click on the link to see them http://michaelsbookshop.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/phil-collins-in-bookshop.html there may even be some children’s books. Perhaps.