No Flying in the House

Interestingly, among "Other Books You May Enjoy" on the jacket are two whose particular, almost antithetical strains - skepticism in The Mummy Market, awe in the case of The Diamond in the Window this combines or rather fluctuates between, seldom achieving either. The basis is pure fairy tale a mortal who marries one, their child to choose between this world and the other; but Annabel is unaware of her identity until the competition between tiny talking dog Gloria (representing earthly life) and tiny gold cat Belinda (who'd entice her to fairyland) enables her to force the truth from them. Quite condescendingly present is rich Mrs. Vancourt, who has the necessary connections - she collects miniatures, lost a son who ran away: she wouldn't have taken in three-year-old Annabel except for three-inch Gloria, Annabel's proclaimed protectress. It is not until Annabel, turned six, becomes somebody instead of "the little girl," first hears tell (from Belinda) that she may be a fairy, tries to see if she is and finds out - meanwhile going to school and making a friend who doesn't believe a bit of it - that this takes on a funny, fondly mocking cast. And only when devoted Gloria, to give Annabel a foretaste of fairyland's loneliness, turns herself into a toy, does it approach tragedy. The ending reverts to form - snugly: freed by her decision to remain human, Annabel's parents appear, and her father is the long-missing person. Dispensable. (Kirkus Reviews)