Customer Reviews

The Genie Scheme

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I have split feelings on this one. On one hand, I thought it was really good - I think I read it in one afternoon. But, on the other hand, it was really "preachy" at times. (Not in the religious sense but that do-this-don't-do-that sense.)

Somehow, Janna managed to be realistic and so whiny I wanted to smack her at the same time. She constantly whined about not having enough and when she did get what she asked, it was never good enough. Then there were times when she dropped the whininess and turned into someone I could see as a friend.

The one thing I really liked about this was that everything Janna asked for just didn't come from nothing - whenever Janna wished for something, it was being taken from someone else. That put a unique twist on the story and I think a lot of the importance of not wishing for everything would have been lost on Janna. Genie Watts were also a cool idea.

The ending, to me, was very cheesy. It was pretty much expected to happen, after all of the "lessons" Janna goes through.

I recommend this to younger tweens and maybe teachers looking for something to read to their grade school classes but definitely not to older teens.

Janna hates being poor. That's how she sees herself. Her mother makes her shop in second-hand stores. And the car that her mom drives, nicknamed Maybe (maybe it will start, maybe it won't) has definitely seen better days. It's on the afternoon that her mom takes her shopping for a new (used) coat, that Janna's world changes.

When she witnesses the store clerk refusing to sell a used purple hat to a bag lady that doesn't have enough money, Janna takes the money she was going to use to buy The Secret Princess, the latest book in her favorite Medieval Maids series, and buys the hat for the bag lady. It turns out that Janna's selfless act has consequences. Those consequences show up in her bedroom hours later.

A genie appears on her top bunk out of nowhere. Apparently, the bag lady had been wandering around waiting for someone to show her an act of kindness. It had taken a while, but to show her gratitude, she is now indebted to Janna.

As would be the reaction of anyone, Janna begins wishing for everything she's ever wanted. Her first wish is to have a wardrobe like Elizabeth Newby, a popular neighbor girl. But it turns out there are "rules" with wishes. She literally gets Elizabeth's clothing. Elizabeth's family freaks out, thinking Elizabeth has run away because everything is suddenly gone in her bedroom. Janna retracts the wish, and tries to learn the rules of genie wishing.

Eugenie (the name Janna gives her genie) explains that she is only allotted 1000 Genie watts. When they're gone, that's it. But Eugenie has a conscience, and soon makes Janna realize that her wishes are silly and meaningless.

THE GENIE SCHEME uses a similar concept found in PAY IT FORWARD. When Eugenie makes Janna aware of the world around her, it's up to Janna to do something with that knowledge. Taking her Genie Watts and using them for something good creates a cascade of events that even Eugenie and Janna couldn't foresee.

Told in an enchanting and non-preachy way, THE GENIE SCHEME will make everyone feel good by the last page. And maybe, it will have a magic of its own...making everyone that reads it want to do a random act of kindness themselves.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr