Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he's a fairy godmother—an f.g.—and he can prove it. And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary. Meaning there's a good chance that New Jersey tough girl Delaney is someone's fairy godmother.
But what happens when a fairy godmother needs a wish of her own?
This book had a ton of potential - it was a great idea - and it had moments that felt like they held importance. But much of it was fashioned as a sieve and those important moments fell through very quickly. It started out so strong - it felt carefully planned, tightly written, and the protagonist was one that had awesome power (even if it was only in saying whatever she wanted to say), but it felt like as the story went on the threads were knit together more loosely.
I love the idea of telling a story about a fairy godmother - but I wanted to know more about where their magic came from and why there are few fairy godmothers left. The magic, though, was so much fun. Watching Delaney practice was the best part of this book. There were great moments where she's trying to help people with small magic and she's stalking around trying to practice magical movements. It was like watching an episode of I Love Lucy - if Lucy were 15 and liked to wear black. I kept thinking that this would probably be a great TV show - there's great comedy and something really great in a gothic - I hate the world - kind of girl who has to fix other people's problems.
One thing that did really bother me was the fact that the book jumps off when Delany's mother dies and she has to move from New Jersey to Southern California to live with her estranged father. I figured her tough girl act was a front to try to deal with the death of her mother. I expected her to confront those feelings once her walls started to come down, but it rarely goes there. It didn't feel at all like her mother died and it feels a little wrong that that aspect was so glossed over.
I do wish this story had been fleshed out more - there could have been more elaboration and it has the potential to be a really rich story. However, the one thing it tries to get across is eventually apparent, only because it's repeated quite a bit. That is that getting to know people is to open yourself up to others - and that people might surprise you with all the things the keep hidden under the surface. I'd recommend it to both fans of fantasy or contemporary, as it blends the two - and I encourage you to read it for yourself (as I'm realizing now that my issues with the book may be because I read it with the wrong age group in mind - it may be better suited for middle grade readers).
