Bella Bright is a circus kid. Often made fun of at school, called 'Crusty' and Dirty Tink', she tries to make herself invisible. To make matters worse, her parents are circus performers, her mum a trapeze artist, and they look forward to the time when she will be one too. But Bella is terribly afraid of heights - has nightmares about them - and would far rather read a book. At midnight on Halloween, she makes a wish: that she won't be scared anymore, and next day the 'strange shimmery little creature' that is Lilac Peabody appears. She calls herself an extraterrestrial busybody, but she most resembles a fairy - with bunches. She convinces Bella that what she needs is sparkle and puts her on a sparkle training programme, which works a treat. Lilac conjures up a blue balloon for Bella and says, 'when life hands you a balloon, try not to pop it'. Bella still has lessons to learn, one of which is how to handle bullies, and another is in getting over the fear she has of telling her parents she doesn't want to be a trapeze artist. But she conquers her fear of performing as a clown with two school friends, where she does indeed sparkle. A fun, easily read story with lots of angular black and white illustrations.