Customer Reviews

Diary of a Fairy Godmother

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

DIARY OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER is told in first person by Hunky Dory, a young witch who attends Harbinger's Charm School for Young Witches. Hunky is at the head of her class in charm school. She can turn princes into dragons and make teacups and hats appear out of thin air. Her classmates are jealous of Hunky's ability to cast any spell without disaster. Her mother, a brewer of magic potions, thinks Hunky will grow up to be the most wicked witch wherever the four winds blow.

It isn't long before trouble begins. At first, her classmate, Frantic Search, notices Hunky undoing an evil charm. Then Hunky is invited to a baby christening at the castle. She watches fairy godmothers giving wonderful gifts to the newborn baby. After her Auntie casts a wicked spell on the new baby, Hunky uses her magic to undo the spell. When she does, she gets a warm, tingling sensation all over her body. She wonders if it would be possible to become a fairy godmother herself.

When Hunky's mother, Auntie, and Mrs. Harbinger learn that Hunky is considering changing careers, they try to discourage her. Despite their efforts, Hunky is more determined than ever to try granting wishes for a living. She sets up shop in the bottom of a wishing well and grants wishes to people who toss down coins. Eventually, Hunky decides that she wants to become a real fairy godmother, but it will take the help of a special girl named Cinderella to make it happen.

Esme Raji Codell, who has worked as a teacher, a children's librarian, and a bookseller, is the author of two previous books for children: SING A SONG OF TUNA FISH: Hard-to-Swallow Stories From Fifth Grade, and SAHARA SPECIAL, which was the winner of the IRA Children's Book Award.

DIARY OF A FAIRY GODMOTHER is a clever addition to her growing body of work. It is a story about empowerment and making things happen rather than just waiting and wishing for them to happen.
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The cover alone should be enough to convince any preteen female to read it! Hunky Dory is close to graduating from witch school. Her proud mother proclaims she will be the "wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." The problem is that Hunky isn't so into being bad. She drops out to practice "wishcraft" instead of witchcraft, to the dismay of her teacher. Hunky was the class star! Dropping out promptly gets Hunky kicked out of home, too. She sets up shop in a nearby forest, practicing as an amateur fairy godmother, doing good deeds in order to feel the warm satisfaction of a job well done fill her body. In her journey to turn good and become a legitimate fairy godmother, Hunky finds herself involved in various fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. This book has awesome illustrations that enliven the text, and it's fun from beginning to end. I would highly recommend it to a child of any age, especially ones that are a little goth, and to anyone who's interested in reading about witches and/or fairy tales.

this book was entertaining.............. is good for a rainy day

I am a teacher and a voracious children's book reader. This was a great one. I'm a big fan of Esme Raji Codell because: 1. She is an educatior 2. Her stories are well written 3. I could use her books as mentor texts with my students.

I'm a sucker for fairy tale themed books because it does activate your background knowledge. Kids love to get the "inside joke" and this book allows for that because they remember the literature from when they were little.

I love the lesson - fight the stereotypes!

I don't agree with the Audiofile review _at all_ and that's why I'm putting my two cents in! My eight year old loves this book and she and I both loved the audio version. The narrator is quite versatile and gives a thoughtful, imaginative and entertaining read. The story does slow down at times, but the narrator keeps the intrigue and I found myself listening to the CD's on my own all the way to the end because I really wanted to know how the book turned out!

The book is an unusual and clever twist on the rogue's gallery of classic fairy tale characters. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Codell and hearing more from Ms. Lillis.

Great for kids from 5 to 15. I think adults (Moms and Grandmoms) would enjoy it also.

JL

The book is awesome. Esme Raji Codell is the best young adult author writing today....she is an incredible talent.

I'm a fifth grade teacher. Several of my students read the book before I picked up the audiobook to listen to. My student didn't like the book, and listening to it, I can see why. The humor is way over the heads of even some of my better readers. I've enjoyed it, but it's not a book I'd recommend to students.

What initially attracted me to this book is its writing style, and this could have been a charming and funny book if it weren't for a few factors:

1) The author knows her protagonist. Or does she?

In the beginning, the protagonist sounds like she has an attitude. Then she sounds like a goody two shoes. Then she just sounds like an airhead as she swoons over Rumpelstilskin. Then she just sounds like a typical protagonist, complete with hopes and morals. Sure, since she is (more or less) a teenager, mood swings are to be expected, but I think she's really developing a multiple personality disorder.

2) Goldilocks, Aurora, Cinderella, and the rest of the Familiar Fairy Tales cast appear one too many times.

Now, I thought the Harry Potter reference in the beginning was cute, but the rest of the references in this book just isn't. The background/"untold" story (possibly with a twist) for Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella and many others has been told so many times that it's just getting old and not funny. It probably would be all right had Codell known where to stop. But of course Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Big Bad Wolf, that woodchopper, etc. etc. has to pop up (and Glinda the Good Witch is mentioned! heck forbids). I say no.

It also bothers me because there are supposed to be a LOT of fairiy godmothers around, so how is it this protagonist is the one who gets to kind of cancels out Sleeping Beauty's spell and helps out Cinderella and all that stuff?

3) Too poorly structured.

The beginning is all right though future authors may want to remember that introducing that many names at once in a rush is always a bad idea. Then it just purely goes downhill. First, the conflict that the protagonist is facing is really kind of complex, but Codell makes it so easy to solve and consequently not believable. Second, while I'm aware that this is supposed to be in a diary format, the later entries are so bad in form. The transitions are nonexistent, so it's really like reading a sporadic diary of a thirteen-year-old girl or something.

To sum up: At a glance this book looks better than the average teenage pulp fiction, and while it is pretty clean, I will not especially recommend it. Rumpelstilskin clearly is there for a romance subplot, and that he and the protagonist doesn't end up together may be there to show that a romantic relationship is not everything, which is a good message in this love-crazed world, in my opinion. Still, the book is so terrible as a book that any positive messages are outweighed.