My Fair Godmother

I saw this at the book store and picked it up because it sounded cute. I love anything remotely connected to time travel but this sounded like a new and creative twist. I read this quickly and thought it was one of the cutest books I had read in a long time. I am a teacher and I enjoy reading young adult fiction that is good, well written and clean, which is somewhat hard to find these days. This books fulfills all of the above criteria. I don't want to spoil the plot but one of my favorite parts was when Savannah went back in time to be Snow White. I actually laughed out loud. I enjoyed the back story and personal touch the author gave to the fairy tales; Snow White was especially enjoyable. The main character grew and matured through the book which had a happy ending, of course. The twists and turns were funny and took some thought to keep track of. I loved the authors sense of humor in the book. (I checked out her website and her sense of humor is evident there as well.) This is one book that I highly recommend and I would use it in a Literature class; it would have a fun tie in to History as well. Highly recommended as a book a mom and daughter can read, share and discuss.

If, after looking at the cover and reading the book jacket, you decide this might be a fun, modern take on the usual high school angsts with some fairy tale highjinks thrown in, well, you'd be right. Rallison writes an enertaining, well-imagined romp that is both light-hearted and deceptively thoughtful. After a little bit of living, or at least reading, we all learn to be careful what we wish for, but as we follow Savannah on her adventures through love and time, the lesson is learned all over again. This one is fun and should satisfy readers looking for modern fantasy with some fairy tales thrown in for good measure.

Janette Rallison has produced a wonderfully fractured fairy tale here with enough twists to surprise and delight even the most jaded and cynical of readers. The surprises begin with the choice of protagonists. You'd think it would be Jane Delano, the shy, studious older sister who has long loved Hunter Delmont from afar, not Savannah Delano, the flirtatious, air-head, shopaholic younger sister whom Hunter is dating and taking to the prom. But no, a furious Jane sets out to do a total makeover, with the help of a delighted and clueless Savannah, in order to punish Hunter for ignoring her. Instead Jane accidentally wins Hunter's heart, and a devastated Savannah is the one who gets a fairy godmother, one Chrysanthemum Everstar, Chrissy for short, to grant her three wishes ensuring that she AND Jane lived happily ever after.... Of course it isn't QUITE that simple. Problem number one is that Chrissy is about as flighty and immature as Savannah is. As a result, two half heard wishes have Savannah experiencing the Middle Ages up close and personal in decidedly unromantic and disturbingly realistic versions of the Cinderella and Snow White stories, which feature Savannah learning how to cook and clean the peasant way. A sadder but wiser Savannah makes a very careful third and final wish, which results in a boy who had expressed some interest in dating her being sent back to the Middle Ages with orders to come back a prince... or not at all. So with the help of a disgruntled leprechaun a horrified Savannah must figure out a way to be sent back as well in order to help Tristan Hawkins complete his assignment. Hilarity and chaos ensue. The first half of the book with Savannah bemoaning her fate, then making a hash out of Cinderella and Snow White drags a bit because her whining, even accompanied as it is by considerable humor, begins to grate, but hang in there. Lessons are being learned, character is being built, and as Howard R. Garis would have put it, pipes are being laid. The last half, in which Savannah desperately tries to help Tristan, whether he wants her help or not, is much better. Besides a brilliant job of tying all the loose ends into a perfect bow, I also appreciated Rallison's delicate balancing act. This is neither the traditional male hero saves useless heroine nor the modern PC female hero saves useless male heroine. Rather, to their considerable surprise, the efforts of BOTH are needed to save the day. This is Janette Rallison's first fantasy novel; I hope it isn't her last!

I can't help it; I have a weird addiction to fairy tales. Which is pretty much the only reason I got this book. While I loved fractured fairy tales, the entire teeny-bopper aura of this book was a little nauseating. How happy I am to report that if one can put up with the nauesating sweetness she will be in love with this book! It's cutesy, it involves annoying teenagers, and it's a freakin' fairy tale on top of everything. If that is your thing, you will love this book and fortunately I was sucked in. And all the aforementioned compliments are not to suggest Rallison isn't a gifted writer (I am aware that the aforementioned adjectives can be "bad".) On the contrary, Rallision has a gift with words. She has a fun, simple, and fluid style that is brimming with personality and charm. I'm sure some will complain that her characters are not the tragically three-dimensional heroes and heroines of drama, but for the nature of this adorable little romantic comedy, they were perfect. I love the approach of the story. It's probably been done before, but I don't care and neither will readers. The "fair"y godmother is nothing but a might-as-well-be modern-day ditz who would rather shop than complete her education in magically assisting poor damsels. What I liked, however, is that this fairy happened to be a reflection of the main character Savannah, who upon observation of her disaster-causing godmother begins to change for the better. I like stuff like that. And as a fairy tale fan, I love how Rallison knew her tales and was able to offer some hilarious-yet-keen insight into them (of course a poisoned apple would be tempting in the winter when no fresh fruit is available!). It does wonders for the plot. "My Fair Godmother" is clever, fresh, and romantic with a great plot and endearing characters. I will recommend this to any girl I meet.

This was such a fun book! It had all the things a teenage girl, (or any enjoyer of romance light), could 'wish' for! The story telling was simple, but with fun and unique little asides, such as communications between the fairy world. The plot line was exciting, and had enough twists to keep the pages turning. It was a fast read, but completely enjoyable. The ending left it open for a sequel, and I really hope that there is!