Review: MY FAIR GODMOTHER by Janette Rallison

MY FAIR GODMOTHER
by Janette Rallison
Published January 6th 2009 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 320 pages

Placement in the Pile: Reaching New Heights

Summary:
Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience!

After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah's gum-chewing, cell phone carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she's only Fair because she's not a very good fairy student, Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White.

Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah's class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight. Laughs abound in this clever fairy tale twist from a master of romantic comedy.

Review:

(This picture is Janette with the Chrissy doll that was our gift to her from the conference in June!)

In this off-beat modern fairy tale Janette creates a funny world where Chrissy, a Godmother in training -- only tested at a level "fair" -- repeatedly puts her character in bad fairy tale situations in order to fulfill her wishes. I found the writing true to a teenager's life and thoughts, the situation unbelievably adorable (meaning that I thought it was adorable even though it was pure fantasy).

The book will surprise you, with several narrators setting up the situation and world. I expected at first the story to not be Savannah's story but Jane, her sister's. When it switched at first I was mildly irriated because I related to Jane a lot. But as I got into Savannah's world and her situation I was in love with the characters, the story, and wholly engrossed.

This is a feel-good read that will also teach you that in the end it is on the inside not the outside that counts. If you love a good fairy tale and need a lighthearted read, this is the book for you!