Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Bloomsbury USA Childrens (2008), 320 pages
Description
In a world in which everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie decides she does not want hers--a parking fairy--and embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite and replace it with a better one, like her friend Rochelle's shopping fairy.
Media reviews
Larbalastier's gift for language and dialect comes through as clearly here as it did in Magic and Madness, but this book is a lot lighter, more fun, and funnier, with tons of brilliant little comedy licks arising from the interplay of different fairies in Charlie's social circle.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bunnyjadwiga
In a world where most people have a invisible, unsensible 'fairy', which gives good luck in a particular thing, not all fairies are created equal; and some can be downright difficult. Our heroine, attending a high school for sports stars, finds her parking fairy especially difficult to live with,
This is a fun, funny, teenage angst novel with magic-like elements, which is why our 11-year-old picked it up and enjoyed it. While there's some moral in here (our heroine finds out first hand why having a boy-crazy fairy isn't a good thing, and why the owner of such a fairy has social troubles, not to mention that her big, famous hometown might be just a *little* parochial), there's no heavy-handedness here. This is a fun read, and at least to me, reads true to teen thought processes. Adults may be concerned about some remarkably stupid choices of some of the characters, but again, that's true to life too-- even if it merits a family discussion among the readers.
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and so she's taking steps-- by never riding in cars or other transport, she hopes to starve away her fairy. The unintended consequences of her plan tangle her up with a fairy expert, a girl with a boy-crazy fairy, and some difficult choices.This is a fun, funny, teenage angst novel with magic-like elements, which is why our 11-year-old picked it up and enjoyed it. While there's some moral in here (our heroine finds out first hand why having a boy-crazy fairy isn't a good thing, and why the owner of such a fairy has social troubles, not to mention that her big, famous hometown might be just a *little* parochial), there's no heavy-handedness here. This is a fun read, and at least to me, reads true to teen thought processes. Adults may be concerned about some remarkably stupid choices of some of the characters, but again, that's true to life too-- even if it merits a family discussion among the readers.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Set in a world that's not quite the U.S., and not quite Australia, Larbalestier has created a small city populated by self-centered folks who possess "fairies" which bless them with odd and interesting talents. A few people have no fairies. Some have relatively common sorts such as the "finding
Charlie is self-centered, has boys on the brain and an annoying vocabulary, and the plot is more than a bit weak. Just not that interesting.
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lost change" fairy or the "good hair" fairy. And some have helpful talents, for instance a "getting out of trouble" a.k.a. a "not getting caught" fairy. But fourteen-year-old Charlie's fairy is just awful - blessed with the ability to always find a parking place but lacking a license, Charlie's walking everywhere these days in an effort to starve her fairy. Her hope is that if she doesn't feed it's need to park, it'll eventually fade. But when circumstances conspire against her she's willing to try anything to get rid of the useless blessing. Only problem? Uncertain death may be her only way free.Charlie is self-centered, has boys on the brain and an annoying vocabulary, and the plot is more than a bit weak. Just not that interesting.
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LibraryThing member reconditereader
The main character thinks she has the wrong fairy, but actually what she has that's wrong is patriarchy. A weirdly dystopic utopia.
LibraryThing member theWallflower
It was a light and short book, but the title is misleading. I was looking forward to seeing the characters interact with little, clingy fairies like pet Tinkerbells. It turns out a "fairy" is more like an RPG ability. Like, you have an empty slot, and it gets filled with some perk, like being able
Apparently, this book was extended from a short story, and it feels like it. Not to mention, as far as being a YA for women, I did not like the message it sent -- trying to change something you are. I'm not sure what this says to teen girls, but I don't like it. A tiger can't change its stripes. You have to play the hand you're dealt. Attempting to change who you are results in the acceptability of plastic surgery and marrying for money.
Plus there's some disturbing stuff in here. Well, it doesn't seem disturbing until you look closer. The main character has a fairy that lets her get good parking spaces. She doesn't use cars or buses for two month's time to make her fairy get bored and go away. Until she's literally kidnapped by the big, dumb, senior jock character, nullifying all her work.
This is basically rape. Being assaulted and taken against your will because of who you are? It's not literally rape, but the subtext is there. But the main character does nothing about it, doesn't tell anyone. She doesn't even react. I would be crying in my pillow if that was me. And I'm a guy.
But she doesn't even go through feelings of guilt. She does nothing because the jock is supposedly 'untouchable', but shouldn't the story be about that? She tells no one. She does nothing about it. She doesn't even appear to care, she just goes on trying to get rid of her fairy in ridiculous ways. In the end, the jock guy is implied to get come-uppance, but that's hardly important by that point.
And this comes from an author who writes all the time about equality on her blog. I can hardly believe she didn't take this into consideration when she was writing it. This is a pretty scary message to be sending out. I wouldn't want my daughter to read this. Justine Larbaleister, what were you thinking?
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to get out of trouble or find loose change. But you don't get to choose. Some of these abilities are useful, some are not. Some don't have fairies, and some try to get a new one, which is where the story comes from.Apparently, this book was extended from a short story, and it feels like it. Not to mention, as far as being a YA for women, I did not like the message it sent -- trying to change something you are. I'm not sure what this says to teen girls, but I don't like it. A tiger can't change its stripes. You have to play the hand you're dealt. Attempting to change who you are results in the acceptability of plastic surgery and marrying for money.
Plus there's some disturbing stuff in here. Well, it doesn't seem disturbing until you look closer. The main character has a fairy that lets her get good parking spaces. She doesn't use cars or buses for two month's time to make her fairy get bored and go away. Until she's literally kidnapped by the big, dumb, senior jock character, nullifying all her work.
This is basically rape. Being assaulted and taken against your will because of who you are? It's not literally rape, but the subtext is there. But the main character does nothing about it, doesn't tell anyone. She doesn't even react. I would be crying in my pillow if that was me. And I'm a guy.
But she doesn't even go through feelings of guilt. She does nothing because the jock is supposedly 'untouchable', but shouldn't the story be about that? She tells no one. She does nothing about it. She doesn't even appear to care, she just goes on trying to get rid of her fairy in ridiculous ways. In the end, the jock guy is implied to get come-uppance, but that's hardly important by that point.
And this comes from an author who writes all the time about equality on her blog. I can hardly believe she didn't take this into consideration when she was writing it. This is a pretty scary message to be sending out. I wouldn't want my daughter to read this. Justine Larbaleister, what were you thinking?
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LibraryThing member resugo
Charlie is a great character. I adored her. She is dedicated to her cause, funny, and has attitude. I loved watching (reading) her grow and change through the course of the book. Everything Charlie wanted at the beginning, by the end she has a new perspective of and appreciation for.
Ms.
I did find the repetitive counting of events/demerits at the beginning of each chapter rather tedious, especially near the end.
I loved listening to the book. Kate Atkinson was fabulous. I believed I was listening to a fourteen-year-old. I especially loved listening to her Australian accent. And the accent is necessary with all the Australian slang. (At least I'm assuming it's Aussie slang, I wouldn't really know. I suppose Ms. Larbalestier could have made it up?)
Ms.
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Larbalestier builds a cool, made-up country, as well as a cool, made-up school. (At least I think it's a made up school. I'd never heard of a sports school like Charlie attends, but maybe they exist?) Both are believable, as are the fairies. I love how the fairies are accepted as a fact of life by most, but that there are still skeptics who believe it's a bunch of phooey.I did find the repetitive counting of events/demerits at the beginning of each chapter rather tedious, especially near the end.
I loved listening to the book. Kate Atkinson was fabulous. I believed I was listening to a fourteen-year-old. I especially loved listening to her Australian accent. And the accent is necessary with all the Australian slang. (At least I'm assuming it's Aussie slang, I wouldn't really know. I suppose Ms. Larbalestier could have made it up?)
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LibraryThing member callmecayce
My sister told me I was going to love this book, and she was right. Larbalestier has created a wonderful world within the confines of her novel. In some ways, it reminded me of her husband's (Scott Westerfeld) Uglies series -- but in all the good ways. The story focuses on Charlie and her problems
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with her fairy. She runs into trouble: with friends, boys and, of course, trying to get rid of her fairy. But Larbalestier writes Charlie in such a way that you never really get annoyed with her problems. Instead, you want her to win -- to figure out how to ditch that fairy of hers and get the boy in the end. I almost hope she writes more in this universe, maybe not the same characters, but the same world. Even if she doesn't, this is a great and fun fantasy novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member cammykitty
In how to ditch your fairy, Charlie needs to get rid of her parking fairy because other people keep "borrowing" her fairy's help which means they need to borrow Charlie too. She's worked very hard to get rid of her fairy by never giving it a chance to do its thing, but other people aren't helping
This story is very amusing, but I expected more from Justine Larbalestier since she's well known for her feminism. The story almost went further, but then didn't quite. Worth reading, but not worth a reread.
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her. Her attempts are earning her demerits in her Sports High School.This story is very amusing, but I expected more from Justine Larbalestier since she's well known for her feminism. The story almost went further, but then didn't quite. Worth reading, but not worth a reread.
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LibraryThing member norabelle414
In Charlie's world, (almost) everyone has a fairy that provides them with some kind of minor magical power, like always finding loose change or always having good hair. Charlie has a fairy that allows whatever car she is in to always find the best parking spot. She hates it, because a big dumb
YA books always sound so much better to me in theory than in practice. The writing wasn't great, the plot had holes, and the main character was very self-centered. But then I finished the whole book in less than 24 hours and I remembered what I DO like about YA books.
Overall the book wasn't bad, and I particularly liked a few things that Larbalestier did:
1) The stuck-up rich girl that everyone hates is actually just super shy
2) There are pretty much zero traditional gender roles. This is difficult to do in a sports-centered community but it's well done here.
3) Sexuality: most boys like girls and most girls like boys but some boys like boys and some girls like girls and some girls aren't sure if they like boys or girls. The words "gay" and "lesbian" aren't even mentioned; people just like who they like. No one is grouped or labeled; everyone is friends with everyone else. It's awesome
4) Institutionalized corruption and complacency in sports: There are all kinds of weird rules at Charlie's school that must be followed at all times (even when not at school) for pretty much no reason, but everyone just accepts them. There is rampant gambling and bullying which are just overlooked because tattling is against the rules. The sports stars of the school are allowed to do whatever they want, and they don't get in trouble because the administration wants to keep them happy so they will keep playing well. (I have seen all of this in real life in college, and it is horribly corrupt but no one will do anything about it because sports = $$$$ and fame)
In conclusion, the plot fell flat but the subtler parts of the story made up for it. I'm really interested in reading more by this author.
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water polo player at her all-sports high school keeps kidnapping her so he can get the best parking spots while he runs around town. So Charlie comes up with a plan to get rid of her fairy and get a better one, like the every-boy-will-like-you fairy. This proves to be difficult because almost no one knows anything about what the fairies actually are or how they work.YA books always sound so much better to me in theory than in practice. The writing wasn't great, the plot had holes, and the main character was very self-centered. But then I finished the whole book in less than 24 hours and I remembered what I DO like about YA books.
Overall the book wasn't bad, and I particularly liked a few things that Larbalestier did:
1) The stuck-up rich girl that everyone hates is actually just super shy
2) There are pretty much zero traditional gender roles. This is difficult to do in a sports-centered community but it's well done here.
3) Sexuality: most boys like girls and most girls like boys but some boys like boys and some girls like girls and some girls aren't sure if they like boys or girls. The words "gay" and "lesbian" aren't even mentioned; people just like who they like. No one is grouped or labeled; everyone is friends with everyone else. It's awesome
4) Institutionalized corruption and complacency in sports: There are all kinds of weird rules at Charlie's school that must be followed at all times (even when not at school) for pretty much no reason, but everyone just accepts them. There is rampant gambling and bullying which are just overlooked because tattling is against the rules. The sports stars of the school are allowed to do whatever they want, and they don't get in trouble because the administration wants to keep them happy so they will keep playing well. (I have seen all of this in real life in college, and it is horribly corrupt but no one will do anything about it because sports = $$$$ and fame)
In conclusion, the plot fell flat but the subtler parts of the story made up for it. I'm really interested in reading more by this author.
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LibraryThing member MickyFine
In a world where almost everyone has a fairy (loose-change fairy, good hair fairy, never late fairy), Charlie is stuck with a parking fairy. Whichever car she rides in will always find a prime parking spot. Charlie detests her fairy and is desperate to get rid of it. But when she teams up with her
If you're not a fan of traditional fantasy fairies, don't bypass this book. While fairies play a major role in the novel, not once does one talk or appear so don't let this being a "fairy book" keep you away. The novel is far more about the delightful alternate reality Larbalestier has created and watching as Charlie discovers that people are more complex than she had imagined and that Fiorenze in particular may not be as odious as she appears. Charlie's nascent romance with the new boy, Stefan is also very adorable. A fun, fluffy read that won't tax you much.
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least favourite person in the world, Fiorenze, who also wants to ditch her fairy, they end up with far more trouble than they bargained for.If you're not a fan of traditional fantasy fairies, don't bypass this book. While fairies play a major role in the novel, not once does one talk or appear so don't let this being a "fairy book" keep you away. The novel is far more about the delightful alternate reality Larbalestier has created and watching as Charlie discovers that people are more complex than she had imagined and that Fiorenze in particular may not be as odious as she appears. Charlie's nascent romance with the new boy, Stefan is also very adorable. A fun, fluffy read that won't tax you much.
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LibraryThing member roguelibrarian
Plot: Charlie has a parking fairy and she hates it. Everyone is always hijacking her to get the perfect parking space and she doesn’t even like cars. So she decides to get rid of her fairy. Unfortunately she isn’t sure how to go about it and trying is getting her into a lot of trouble.
This book
This book
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is a lot of fun. I really got caught up in it. And though the plot sounds silly (and is written with great humour) getting a new fairy really matters to Charlie and Larbalestier makes you care about it too. There are elements of a near future state that is very problematic beneath the shiny exterior (which made me think of her husband’s Uglies series) but she doesn’t dwell to much on that. She hints at the problems with the society and then lets it go. I’d be curious to read a different book set in the same world that addresses these issues. My one big issue was the made-up slang which bothered me a lot at first, it could at times make the dialogue seem really clunky, but I got use to it at length. Very fun, definitely recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
I really enjoyed this book. It is fairly light and playful and has a refreshingly new premise. The characters act believably - incredibly stupidly at times, but believably, especially for high school students - and I love the universe that it envisions.
LibraryThing member stephxsu
In the city of New Avalon, located in an alternate world, where people have personal specified fairies, fourteen-year-old Charlie (Charlotte) Steele is having a hard time. She’s a first-year at the highly prestigious and strict New Avalon Sports High, and she has a parking fairy. She guarantees
A parking fairy is so NOT what a girl like Charlie wants. Not only is it not fun, it also attracts attention from Danders Anders, a slow-minded star athlete who loves to “borrow” Charlie for his car rides. Charlie would much rather have something like an all-the-boys-like-you fairy, the one Fiorenze Stupid-Name has. Stupid-Name is so nicknamed because she is annoying when she attracts attention from all the guys. It gets even worse when the new boy, Steffi, whom Charlie befriends, falls for Fiorenze as well because of her fairy.
How far is Charlie willing to go in order to ditch her fairy? And what’ll happen if she succeeds?
HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY was so much fun to read! Justine Larbalestier does a great job of creating engaging characters who act their age. Charlie is a genuinely relatable fourteen-year-old who worry about making the team and whether or not people like her. The world in which this story is set is fabulous, a success brought forth by the combination of language (lots of slang here, maybe Aussie? Not exactly sure but they add to the book’s atmosphere), description, and quirks (have you ever encountered such a regimented and sports-oriented high school? I didn’t think so). Overall, a story well done and highly recommended.
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that whatever car Charlie is in, that car will find the perfect parking space, right when you need it.A parking fairy is so NOT what a girl like Charlie wants. Not only is it not fun, it also attracts attention from Danders Anders, a slow-minded star athlete who loves to “borrow” Charlie for his car rides. Charlie would much rather have something like an all-the-boys-like-you fairy, the one Fiorenze Stupid-Name has. Stupid-Name is so nicknamed because she is annoying when she attracts attention from all the guys. It gets even worse when the new boy, Steffi, whom Charlie befriends, falls for Fiorenze as well because of her fairy.
How far is Charlie willing to go in order to ditch her fairy? And what’ll happen if she succeeds?
HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY was so much fun to read! Justine Larbalestier does a great job of creating engaging characters who act their age. Charlie is a genuinely relatable fourteen-year-old who worry about making the team and whether or not people like her. The world in which this story is set is fabulous, a success brought forth by the combination of language (lots of slang here, maybe Aussie? Not exactly sure but they add to the book’s atmosphere), description, and quirks (have you ever encountered such a regimented and sports-oriented high school? I didn’t think so). Overall, a story well done and highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member knielsen83
I don't know why, but I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and had an interesting setting that kept me involved. Basically, in this world everyone has an invisible fairy (most everyone) and they do certain things for you such as - find a parking spot every where you go, or make all the boys
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your age fall in love with you. There's problems that arise with these two fairies in particular and two girls team up to figure out how to rid themselves of these nuisances of fairies. Show Less
LibraryThing member ohioyalibrarian
This one's fun fun fun! In a world where many people have personal fairies granting them the ability to have all the boys like them, never drop a football, always find the perfect clothes at the perfect price, Charlie is mortified at having a parking fairy (guarantees her a parking spot.) Charlie
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doesn't even have a car! But everyone, including the school bully wants her to ride with them so they can get parking spots. So Charlie hatches a plan to trade fairies with someone else and when that doesn't go as planned she risks her own safety to try to ditch her fairy. You'll be laughing aloud at this one and trying to figure out what kind of fairy you have. By the way, I have a every-cat-in-the-world-likes-me fairy! Show Less
LibraryThing member sleepydumpling
What a load of crap! From the ridiculous made up slang language (no teenager would talk like that, even in a fictional setting!) to the fact that none of the absurdities of "New Avalon" are explained at all through the book, I really wanted to just throw this one against the wall.
LibraryThing member ELBrown
This was a great book! Very light and incredibly funny. I loved poor Charlie and her parking fairy. Who wouldn't want to live in a place where there are little fairies that help you, even when their help can be on the bad side.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of Charlie's ways to get rid of
It was nice to see that Larbalestier, showed that just cause another fairy, like the All the Boys like you fairy, looks good, doesn't really mean that it is. I definitely wouldn't mind having Rochelle's shopping fairy.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of Charlie's ways to get rid of
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her troublesome Fairy. And the headings at the beginning of each chapter was cute and a nice look way to keep up with the events in Charlie's life. My favorite part of the book would have to be with Charlie and Fiorenze and the bobsled.It was nice to see that Larbalestier, showed that just cause another fairy, like the All the Boys like you fairy, looks good, doesn't really mean that it is. I definitely wouldn't mind having Rochelle's shopping fairy.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Charlie has a parking fairy. She's 14, and she hates cars, but whenever she gets in one whoever is driving gets the perfect parking spot. Why can't she have a cool fairy like Rochelle, who has a shopping fairy, or Fiorenze, who has an all-the-boys-like-me fairy? So she's been walking everywhere for
This was a fun, light story that I gulped down in about two days. It was funny, and though the premise sounds somewhat silly it's still something you can relate to. I wouldn't call it quite fantasy, but I would recommend it to those who didn't mind stretching credulity a bit (the sort-of "nowhere place" some time in the future helps).
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about two months, hoping to get rid of her fairy and attract a new one, but it's been making her late everywhere and she's been racking up demerits like crazy. Meanwhile, she wasn't able to make the basketball team, a boy she likes has been all over Fiorenze (because of her fairy), and if she keeps getting demerits, she'll be suspended from her games. What's a girl to do?This was a fun, light story that I gulped down in about two days. It was funny, and though the premise sounds somewhat silly it's still something you can relate to. I wouldn't call it quite fantasy, but I would recommend it to those who didn't mind stretching credulity a bit (the sort-of "nowhere place" some time in the future helps).
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LibraryThing member Jellyn
There's some really cool things in this one. This is my second Larbalestier, having just read Liar.It takes place in a country and city that doesn't really exist -- that she says is sort of a cross between the US and Australia. And it's also slightly in the future. So it has somewhat of a science
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fiction feel to it.. and actually, if she'd provided more of a scientific explanation for the fairies, it could be science fiction. So I classify it in the same camp I put Diane Duane's Wizardry series. Technically fantasy, but it really reads like science fiction to me.Charlie goes to a sports school, so her entire curriculum is centered around sports, and she's on several different sports teams simultaneously. And of course with a school like that, you're health and diet is pretty regulated and all. And it's also very disciplined, so she keeps racking up demerits.At the same time, almost everyone has a fairy. And she has a parking fairy. Whatever car she's in, it always gets a really good parking spot. She thinks this is a lame fairy, so hence the title of the book. She's trying to get rid of it, so she can get a better one. Like one of her friends has a shopping fairy and helps her get really cool clothes for great prices.I was intrigued by the idea and I liked the world. The book did leave me a little confused by the end. I wasn't quite sure what was up with that Andrew kid. And it also left me wanting to know more about the fairies, so I hope she's planning a sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
The world building in this is really interesting, a city where kids go to schools according to any talent they might show, a sports school, or an arts school, and where all the emphasis is on becoming a famous person, an 'Our'. Also, some people have invisible fairies, that give them help, being
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charming, or never dropping a ball. Charlie's parking fairy is nothing but trouble - and she is desperate to get rid of it. Show Less
LibraryThing member deslivres5
A fun, quick read from the author of the "Magic or Madness" trilogy. The author creates a world where some people believe they have personal fairies, with varying success. Having a fairy endows you with one particular type of luck -- a great parking space in the case of the main character, Charlie.
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Even though this may seem like an innocuous piece of luck, it has its downsides. Charlie works hard at various schemes to rid herself of her fairy, hence the title of this novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member susiesharp
This was a cute YA book. Its set in ,as the author says “an imaginary country perhaps a little in the future.” It had some interesting slang and am glad she put a glossary in the back to explain what these words meant but she did use one of my favorite words “ discombobulated” and it was
This was a light fun read I liked the different fairies the “Parking Fairy”, ’The Shopping Fairy”, “The All-Boys-Will-Like-You Fairy”. It was cute to see how you can be jealous of someone and find out that what they have is not all its cracked up to be. If you have teenagers who like a light fun read I recommend this one!
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fun to see someone else use it.This was a light fun read I liked the different fairies the “Parking Fairy”, ’The Shopping Fairy”, “The All-Boys-Will-Like-You Fairy”. It was cute to see how you can be jealous of someone and find out that what they have is not all its cracked up to be. If you have teenagers who like a light fun read I recommend this one!
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LibraryThing member twonickels
I have an ulterior motive for reviewing How to Ditch Your Fairy. Writing a review gives me a good excuse to post the book’s amazing paperback cover. Go ahead and take a minute - get a real good look at that sucker. Take that, Tinkerbell! Now, we all know what they say about books and covers. But
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we’re going to ignore that for the moment - I’m giving you permission to judge this one. Because this book is very funny, a little bit subversive, and just sweet enough for some bright purple cursive script.If you live in New Avalon and you’re unexpectedly good at something, you’ve probably got a fairy. It could be something amazing, like Rochelle’s clothes-shopping fairy. It could be something mostly useless, like a loose-change-finding fairy. Or it could be something that gets you unceremoniously stuffed into the back of a massive hockey player’s car every afternoon, like Charlie’s parking fairy. Charlie doesn’t have a car. Charlie doesn’t even LIKE cars, and she sure is sick of the smell of gasoline that seems to follow her around. When Charlie finds out that her arch-enemy Fiorenze is trying to get rid of her all-boys-like-you fairy, they hatch a plan to make a switch.New Avalon is just different enough to make things interesting in Larbalestier’s world - and Steffi, the love interest, is conveniently new to town. His presence both provides a way to add some exposition about the many quirks of New Avalon, and also gives a voice to the readers’ questions and frustrations about the local customs. Steffi makes a great voice of reason when everyone around him goes on about the Ours - New Avalon’s local celebrities - or when the rules and restrictions at Charlie’s school seem way over the top. He’s also helpful for translating the slang, which I found sometimes clever and sometimes just distracting.Charlie attends the local sports high school, where calorie counts are mandatory for all students, discipline is tight, and getting too many demerits means missing game time. And Charlie absolutely thrives on all of this. It was one thing that made her feel very different from character in many YA novels, where creativity and a quirkiness are the character traits that are glorified much of the time. Some people prefer having rules to follow and high standards to strive for - and it’s nice to see one of those people show up in a book every once in a while.The novel initially raised a lot of wonderful questions about the fairies. For one thing, not everyone in New Avalon believes that they exist, and no one really knows what they are, where they come from, or why some people have them. There seems to be some religious aspect to the fairies - people who don’t believe in them are not likely to have one, and are sometimes called “agnostics.” Fiorenze’s mother is a fairy expert, and Charlie and Fiorenze are guided by her extensive research. But Tamsin’s research is not just practical - it is ethical as well. She brings up some questions about the possible consequences of switching fairies. I was intrigued by a lot of these questions, and I wish they had been explored a little bit more - they mostly fall by the wayside as the story’s action takes off.In the end, this was a good light read that I thought had the potential to be something more. But don’t let that take away from the fun of the story. It’s well worth reading for the luge scene alone! Show Less
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Fairly cute book about a world where most people have a personal fairy. Charlie has a parking fairy, which she hates and is trying to get rid of. The moral is "the grass is always greener on the other side." Could have used some editing.
LibraryThing member pokylittlepuppy
Meg's other Christmas present! Thanks Meg!The thing I liked best about the story was that I didn't know how it would end until it ended. It is a younger read than other teen fiction books, so a lot of developments are pretty straightforward, but I liked being genuinely excited by whatever would
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happen to their fairies.Fairies huh? One of the weaker points I think was the handling of fairies as a religious idea, which makes sense but didn't really make sense. There's not really two ways about it based on the things that happen in the story, and there's a few more fascinating ideas mentioned once that I'd prefer hearing more about. (The idea that fairies have only existed for a few generations could be a good world-builder.)I liked how I read the first paragraph like five times because I didn't know if something magical was happening, something futuristic, something Australian, or something funny. (It's something funny.) Also, the book just has something about it that's great. I love the title, I love the cover. I love the little chapter header gimmick. It's just right. Show Less
LibraryThing member edspicer
This book is set in a whole different world. Fantasy fans would like it. The most compelling aspect of this book was when Chanie lost her fairy. It was more than I expected. I thought it would not have any substance whatsoever. AHS/BB
Awards
Locus Award (Nominee — Young Adult Novel — 2009)
Ditmar Award (Shortlist — Novel — 2009)
Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult — 2008)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2008-09-16
Physical description
320 p.; 5.79 inches
ISBN
1599903016 / 9781599903019