My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison (Review by Bella Aire)

Savannah really can’t believe her luck. Her gorgeous boyfriend just left her for her studious older sister. And one horrific bikini incidence later, Savannah really can’t imagine her life getting any worse.

So when Chrissy, Savannah’s Fair Godmother (Chrissy is only a mediocre student so she hasn’t achieved the level of “Fairy Godmother” yet), shows up, Savannah thinks maybe her luck has changed. After having Chrissy grant her a wish, Savannah realizes her luck has changed: unfortunately for the worse.

When Savannah wishes to go to a ball with a charming prince, Chrissy sets her up as a servant Cinderella, during a time months in advance of the ball. After a few weeks of servitude, Savannah escapes using her second wish. Sadly, it lands her in the part of Snow White, whom everyone believes is an airhead. Her third wish is so misinterpreted by Chrissy, that Savannah’s classmate Tristan is sent to the middle ages. To return, he must complete a series of tasks, including the slaying of a dragon. Savannah realizes that to get Tristan back to where he belongs, she will have to go back to save him…

I picked up My Fair Godmother mainly because I am a huge fairytale fan. I expected something light, fun, and fluffy with little or no substance. I wouldn’t have been disappointed if the book had ended up that way since light books are a great way to clear the mind. But I was pleasantly surprised by My Fair Godmother’s true nature.

I really got into the story, and I really liked the characters of Savannah and Tristan. Their conversations sounded pretty realistic in tone. It’s the way two classmates would really act if dumped together into such a strange situation.

But what impressed me most was Rallison’s handling of Savannah. It seems like every book I read nowadays features grade-smart main characters. I’ve noticed that the kids who don’t make the best grades are pushed into the roles of flat, ditzy characters. This upsets me because I have some friends who don’t make the best grades but are really funny and aren’t ditzy. They are totally round character material. Plus, this discourages reading for kids who don’t have the highest GPAs. I like reading books that I can relate to. So do all readers.

Savannah didn’t make the best grades. She didn’t put a lot of effort into school. But she wasn’t pushed into a flat role. Instead, Rallison dumped the traditional story on its side and made Savannah’s studious older sister the flat character. And in a story of twisted fairytales, this really worked.

I highly commend Rallison for creating a book with such an original, wonderful heroine.

This book itself had good substance, and I found myself really caring about what would happen to Savannah and Tristan. My Fair Godmother wasn’t difficult to read, but I really enjoyed the fact that Rallison never talked down to her readers. Overall, an impressive novel. I look forward to reading more from Rallison in this vein in the future.

My Fair Godmother can be purchased on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/My-Fair-Godmother-Janette-Rallison/dp/0802797806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232387887&sr=8-1

To learn more about Janette Rallison and her books, check here: http://www.janetterallison.com/ and http://www.janette-rallison.blogspot.com/


always,
~bella aire~