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Diary of a Fairy Godmother
Hunky Dory is at the top of her class in charm school. She can make flowers wilt like wet spaghetti. She can make thunder rumble like a whale's bellyache. And she can turn any prince into a frog-but she always changes them back. That's when she knows there'll be a problem
170 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Esmé Raji Codell
23 books149 followersEsme Raji Codell is the recipient of a prestigious James Patterson Pageturner Award for spreading the excitement of books in an effective and original way. She has been a keynote speaker for the International Reading Association and the American Library Association, a “virtual” keynote for the National Education Association’s “Stay Afloat!” online conference for first-year teachers, and a featured speaker at the National Museum for Women in the Arts. She has appeared on CBS’s The Early Show, CNN, C-SPAN, and NPR, among other media outlets across the country. The author of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, as well as five award-winning books for children, Esmé runs the popular children’s literature website and the unique literary salon, PlanetEsme.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
January 29, 2026
Throughout Hunky Dory's life, that's all her mother said.
"...she'll be the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow."
But as she's nearing a hundred years old and finally (FINALLY) graduating school, Hunky Dory has to determine what she'll be for the rest of her witch-y life.
But the more she ponders upon it, the less she wants to do.
She doesn't particularly like cursing and scheming...she actually...kind of likes wish-granting.
But she can't tell her friends, her mother or well, anyone.
"Can a witch have a little fairy godmother in her?"
If anyone were to find out, she'd be thrown out of school and the witch-y world...so she resolves to become a
...but maybe she'll grant one more wish. Just one last one....and maybe one more after that...
I am revisiting a middle school favorite when I reread this one and wow - so happy that it held up over the years.
This book is overwhelmingly cute and I absolutely adored it.
I loved turning the "bad witch" trope on its head.
It was so much fun to see all of the classic fairytales weaving in and out of Hunky Dory's life. Aurora as a baby, Goldielocks as a young witch and the various other storyland aspects.
One of my favorite parts is watching Hunky Dory "rebel" by being good...and then all of her witchy friends reel back in abject horror.
A classic!
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March 23, 2009
Cute is the most fitting word I can think of. This book is just plain cute. Annoyingly cute at times. But also touching in its cuteness.
Make your own life, people. It's better than wishing for it.
Make your own life, people. It's better than wishing for it.
December 20, 2009
This book is soooo cute! It's about a young witch who is floating the idea of becoming a fairy godmother but her mom is really angry because, hey, she's supposed to be a witch! I love that Esme Raji Codell references a lot of of fairy tales like Cinderella, Rumplestilskin, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. If you've read/heard all those then you'd totally get a kick out of this novel. (I just wonder how many of today's kids have actually heard/been told those stories.) PLUS, there are songs in the book that are meant to be sang a la musical style! Very cool. I appreciate all of the hard work that had to go into writing this novel. It's very creative, so much so that I can kind of understand the mixed reviews. However, I highly recommend it, especially to parents of younger children who do read fairy tales to their kids. This is an excellent novel to read aloud to younger kids because they would LOVE it!
November 1, 2015
This was extremely cute! A very fast and enjoyable read. I love the author, so it was great reading another book by her.
I was really hoping to finish this book by Halloween, but I was one day late of that :p
I was really hoping to finish this book by Halloween, but I was one day late of that :p
April 20, 2024
The devil's bday party!!!!🤯🦹🌛👹🥳🎈🎉🎊
June 24, 2020
Found this book at an estate sale. Read it before giving it my future DIL for her classroom. It was a cute easy read story. You would have to know your Mother Goose stories in order to enjoy the humor in the storyline-Goldilocks, Rumpelstiltskin and Cinderella.
December 11, 2021
this is the funniest and best book in the world and i desperately wish i could go back to the days when i used to listen to the audiobook at least once a week. it would fix me
August 31, 2019
I have never reviewed a book before and don't see myself reviewing again, but this book is amazing. I read it many times growing up, my first read probably being in late elementary school. Then I grew up and moved onto the Young Adult genre, and this book stayed untouched on my shelf with its spine just barely holding together.
A few years ago, I donated the entirety of my bookshelf because I was off to college and didn't reread books anymore anyway, so why keep them? But this was one of the two books I kept. Couldn't part with it. I thought, if there's any book I'd reread, it's these two.
I'm 20 years old now and just reread this for the first time in many years, and wow. Honestly, there's been other books I LOVED as a kid, but when I reread when older, I realized that I could not enjoy reading them—they just felt too juvenile for me now, and I wondered how I ever loved that book so deeply. But this book?? SO GOOD. STILL SO ENJOYABLE. The things said in this book, and the struggles that protagonist Hunky goes through still feel relevant, written in a way that still feels engaging to me at this age. It's a fun read. The prose is beautiful and witty. Seriously, some of the rhymes in this book are so clever. For a children's book, this is spectacular. Esmé is a gifted storyteller.
This book looks out of place on my shelf surrounded by thick volumes that have not been read enough to give it that well-loved look that this thin, nearly falling-apart thing has. I've already decided that when my siblings or whomever have children, I will be getting the kids a copy of this book!
A few years ago, I donated the entirety of my bookshelf because I was off to college and didn't reread books anymore anyway, so why keep them? But this was one of the two books I kept. Couldn't part with it. I thought, if there's any book I'd reread, it's these two.
I'm 20 years old now and just reread this for the first time in many years, and wow. Honestly, there's been other books I LOVED as a kid, but when I reread when older, I realized that I could not enjoy reading them—they just felt too juvenile for me now, and I wondered how I ever loved that book so deeply. But this book?? SO GOOD. STILL SO ENJOYABLE. The things said in this book, and the struggles that protagonist Hunky goes through still feel relevant, written in a way that still feels engaging to me at this age. It's a fun read. The prose is beautiful and witty. Seriously, some of the rhymes in this book are so clever. For a children's book, this is spectacular. Esmé is a gifted storyteller.
This book looks out of place on my shelf surrounded by thick volumes that have not been read enough to give it that well-loved look that this thin, nearly falling-apart thing has. I've already decided that when my siblings or whomever have children, I will be getting the kids a copy of this book!
May 13, 2012
This is a cute and fast read about a young witch (she’s only 100), Hunky Dory, and how she discovers who she really is. She’s going to school to learn how to be the best and most evil witch there is, but she discovers that she really likes granting people’s wishes – an absolutely no-no for the truly wicked. So she starts doing it on the sly, and finds that she likes the rush she gets from helping people. This odd fairy godmother streak in her gets her tossed out of school and home to find her own way, and Hunky is pretty savvy about this, too. Eventually she comes to the realization that she’s got a bit of witch in her fairy godmother tendencies, and that her friends and family love her anyway, even though she’s become a bit of a black sheep.
Wit and wisdom abound in these pages (sometimes a bit too transparently). There’s a list at the back of the book in case you missed any of these lessons and for the most part they are GOOD lessons and aren’t too preachy: “There’s no voice on the outside that can tell you more than the voice on the inside.” There are some long verse sections which can also be irritating – but like Lord of the Rings, you can skip them easily enough. Younger teens and tweens will probably enjoy this the most.
Wit and wisdom abound in these pages (sometimes a bit too transparently). There’s a list at the back of the book in case you missed any of these lessons and for the most part they are GOOD lessons and aren’t too preachy: “There’s no voice on the outside that can tell you more than the voice on the inside.” There are some long verse sections which can also be irritating – but like Lord of the Rings, you can skip them easily enough. Younger teens and tweens will probably enjoy this the most.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2011
Started out funny but stopped. It's like the side of the bad villians and monster in fairtales. Her whole family is bad and she is expected to be also, but kind of isn't sure to be bad or good yet. The main character's aunt is the villian in Sleeping Beauty and they go crash baby Aurora's (Sleeping Beauty) baby shower. One of the other funny parts is when the Aunt and her niece (the main charater)are at the party the Aunt gets sick of it she decides to put a curse on the child to make the party intersting. The Aunt really cracked me up. It goes through tons of other fairtales too but it's her point of view like a diary.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2008
This book is so much fun to read! It's about a ypung witch who wants to become a fairy godmother. But along the way, you notice that Hunky Dory meets some famous Disney characters you all know and love.
May 25, 2023
Why was this one of the best books I have ever read
June 21, 2019
This book was a little boring in the beginning and I almost stopped reading it, but I am glad I did not stop. This is about Hunky Dory who is supposed to grow up as a wicked witch. Her mother and Aunt think she will be the best one. They go to school for this and they have to turn people into animals, etc. The only problem is she didn't like doing that so she would turn them back. She got to meet the FG's - Fairy Godmothers's and she really like what they did better. So her Mom and Aunt got mad at her and stopped talking to her so she had to figure things out on her own. I am glad that she did this. I would not want to be a mean witch.
March 1, 2023
This book taught me the phrase “hunky dory.” I bought this book without its slipcover and I imagined the main characters so differently. It was a shock when I bought it back and saw that she was blonde the whole time.
June 12, 2017
Hunky Dory is a witch who really wants to be a fairy godmother
August 12, 2017
Decent, YA (more middle-school than anything), and the ending was actually pretty solid/sweet.
June 25, 2018
Cute little book! Loved the ‘backwardness’ of it!
August 22, 2019
This was a fun twist on a variety of fairy tales with some great messages.
March 21, 2020
An absolute favorite! Cheeky and delightful!
May 26, 2020
Really cute!
February 27, 2021
Had I read it at a younger age then I may have rated it higher. This book is annoyingly cute and has some good lessons to ponder on.
Read
August 31, 2024I finally found this book again 😭 I used to check out the audiobook CD from the library and listen to this book while I fell asleep. Just as cute as a remembered
September 15, 2025
I read this book YEARS AGO when I was a little girl and I literally read it so many times it fell apart. I can’t wait to read re-read it with my daughter. Definitely recommend.
March 3, 2020
This is an amazing book bout a small wich that wants to grant wishes. She wants to be a Fairy Godmother. But her mom always said she would be the wickedest wich where ever the fore winds blow. Will she follow in her mother's footsteps or follow her passion.
November 1, 2015
When I picked this up at a library book sale for ten cents, my expectations were low. I mean, look at the cover. It couldn't be more obvious that it's trying to appeal to a younger crowd. But I bit my tongue; after all, there's a certain kind of magic to be found in children's books. They're among the first thing a soon-to-be avid reader comes into contact with. There's a reason why kids read books like "Diary of a Fairy Godmother" that are supposed to kindle a love for the English language and continue reading thereafter. Something hooks them. And when I was finished reading, let me tell you, I could understand full-heartedly how this book could do such a thing for a child.
The first thing I noticed is that it's rather beautifully written, especially for a standard children's book. Before I receive any sort of wrath for that statement, let me say explain. Many children's novel authors seem to have this idea that they need to boil all of their sentences down to practically nothing to get their stories across, with perhaps a few metaphors thrown around like stale sprinkles if they want to splurge. You find this writing most commonly in mass-series books like "The Babysitters Club", but it's also present in other children's novels. This book is not like that. The writing is simple enough for a child to understand but certainly retains its own unique, recognizable style. There's a particularly awesome sequence where our main character looks into the dreams of one of her best friends; this is the text:
"Adorned in an armor of emerald scales and talon-like white fingertips with a matching bony crown, she looked quite beautiful and fearsome at once, wielding a scepter topped with a poison apple. Who dared approach this mighty queen? Oh, a Chameleon Prince, who wound his graceful tail around her and unsheathed his sword, lifting it high in her honor before slashing the hands off of a clock...on rows of shelves behind him, jars full of newts in every color swam in joyous circles at the prospect of their union...the scene was as dizzying to watch as the turning of a kaleidoscope."
That is way more detail than I expected this book to bring to the table in general, and that's only in the first thirty or so pages. When I read this from the eyes of a child, I don't feel like I'm being talked down to in the least. It's refreshing.
Now, don't get me wrong. It's still a children's book, not Hemmingway. The descriptive language at the beginning falls kind of flat, as the author needs to introduce her readers to the topsy-turvy world of witches where bad is good and good is bad. This partially isn't her fault, but talking about poison mushroom pizza and a Hogwarts joke doesn't flow very well. But that's minor, as the book picks up very fast from there. It is also important to mention that the story is fairly predictable. It doesn't make it any less worth reading, but it's still there. You know that our lead is going to become a fairy godmother despite being raised as a witch. You know that everyone is eventually going to accept her. And those are our two major plot points.
Regardless, this is something I would definitely give to a a child reader. It's relatively short for an adult, only clocking in at 167 pages, but it might prove to be a good lengthy read for its younger audience. It's definitely worth to be the center of your kid's book report, or a check-out at the library, or really, just an addition to a classroom.
The first thing I noticed is that it's rather beautifully written, especially for a standard children's book. Before I receive any sort of wrath for that statement, let me say explain. Many children's novel authors seem to have this idea that they need to boil all of their sentences down to practically nothing to get their stories across, with perhaps a few metaphors thrown around like stale sprinkles if they want to splurge. You find this writing most commonly in mass-series books like "The Babysitters Club", but it's also present in other children's novels. This book is not like that. The writing is simple enough for a child to understand but certainly retains its own unique, recognizable style. There's a particularly awesome sequence where our main character looks into the dreams of one of her best friends; this is the text:
"Adorned in an armor of emerald scales and talon-like white fingertips with a matching bony crown, she looked quite beautiful and fearsome at once, wielding a scepter topped with a poison apple. Who dared approach this mighty queen? Oh, a Chameleon Prince, who wound his graceful tail around her and unsheathed his sword, lifting it high in her honor before slashing the hands off of a clock...on rows of shelves behind him, jars full of newts in every color swam in joyous circles at the prospect of their union...the scene was as dizzying to watch as the turning of a kaleidoscope."
That is way more detail than I expected this book to bring to the table in general, and that's only in the first thirty or so pages. When I read this from the eyes of a child, I don't feel like I'm being talked down to in the least. It's refreshing.
Now, don't get me wrong. It's still a children's book, not Hemmingway. The descriptive language at the beginning falls kind of flat, as the author needs to introduce her readers to the topsy-turvy world of witches where bad is good and good is bad. This partially isn't her fault, but talking about poison mushroom pizza and a Hogwarts joke doesn't flow very well. But that's minor, as the book picks up very fast from there. It is also important to mention that the story is fairly predictable. It doesn't make it any less worth reading, but it's still there. You know that our lead is going to become a fairy godmother despite being raised as a witch. You know that everyone is eventually going to accept her. And those are our two major plot points.
Regardless, this is something I would definitely give to a a child reader. It's relatively short for an adult, only clocking in at 167 pages, but it might prove to be a good lengthy read for its younger audience. It's definitely worth to be the center of your kid's book report, or a check-out at the library, or really, just an addition to a classroom.
November 23, 2008
The following is a booktalk I prepared for this book. It includes several quotes from the book that I believe would work very well to lure in some reluctant readers.
Diary of a Fairy Godmother
By: Esmé Raji Codell
Illustrated by: Drazen Kozjan
Hyperion, 2005
Grades 4-5, Ages 9-12
Booktalk:
I have not been alive very long, but I already have met a lot of nincompoops, and they come in all shapes and sizes and are hard to recognize by just looking; usually you have to talk with one for a while before you find out you are in the company of one. (Pp. 18-19)
Hunky Dory speaks her mind and charts her own path, passing spelling tests (yes, by changing a knight into a dragon—THAT kind of spelling). She is top of her class in charm school (and no, I don’t mean manners) and slated to be “…the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow!” But (and isn’t there always a but?)—there’s just one tiny problem. Wicked witches don’t normally undo their curses and spells, and they aren’t normally very considerate in general. It just isn’t done—unless you’re Hunky Dory. or—horrors!--an F.G. (a fairy godmother).
According to her Aunty Malice, Fairy Godmothers are show-offs, “Giving the infant princess everything the parents have registered for. Grace. Beauty. Virtue.” Auntie clucked her tongue and narrowed her eyes, shaking her head back and forth very, very slowly.
“Vapid little underachievers, those F.G.s.”
“How so?” I couldn’t help asking. “Don’t they have any powers?”
“They grant wishes.”
“For a living?” Something inside of me plucked and sang like the string on a harp.
“I suppose so, but why darling, why—“ Auntie closed her eyes in exasperation. “…would anyone use their power to do good? The world is good in general! When you wake up, what do you hear? Birds singing! What do you see? Flowers blooming! Little animals scurrying to their little animal burrows! Streams tripping merrily over stones! Cows mooing to be milked! And so on and so forth, all the way to the end of the day, when even the craters of the moon appear to be smiling down upon the wonders of the earth! Don’t you see, carling, it’s so terribly trite! It’s been done! It’s all one big rerun! There’s nothing original about it!” (Pp. 20-21)
And therein lies the crux of the problem. How can a girl slated to be the wickedest witch of the four winds be so enamored of good deeds and, dare I say “Wish craft”—and expect things to come out well in the end?
To find out? Read the book.
Diary of a Fairy Godmother
By: Esmé Raji Codell
Illustrated by: Drazen Kozjan
Hyperion, 2005
Grades 4-5, Ages 9-12
Booktalk:
I have not been alive very long, but I already have met a lot of nincompoops, and they come in all shapes and sizes and are hard to recognize by just looking; usually you have to talk with one for a while before you find out you are in the company of one. (Pp. 18-19)
Hunky Dory speaks her mind and charts her own path, passing spelling tests (yes, by changing a knight into a dragon—THAT kind of spelling). She is top of her class in charm school (and no, I don’t mean manners) and slated to be “…the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow!” But (and isn’t there always a but?)—there’s just one tiny problem. Wicked witches don’t normally undo their curses and spells, and they aren’t normally very considerate in general. It just isn’t done—unless you’re Hunky Dory. or—horrors!--an F.G. (a fairy godmother).
According to her Aunty Malice, Fairy Godmothers are show-offs, “Giving the infant princess everything the parents have registered for. Grace. Beauty. Virtue.” Auntie clucked her tongue and narrowed her eyes, shaking her head back and forth very, very slowly.
“Vapid little underachievers, those F.G.s.”
“How so?” I couldn’t help asking. “Don’t they have any powers?”
“They grant wishes.”
“For a living?” Something inside of me plucked and sang like the string on a harp.
“I suppose so, but why darling, why—“ Auntie closed her eyes in exasperation. “…would anyone use their power to do good? The world is good in general! When you wake up, what do you hear? Birds singing! What do you see? Flowers blooming! Little animals scurrying to their little animal burrows! Streams tripping merrily over stones! Cows mooing to be milked! And so on and so forth, all the way to the end of the day, when even the craters of the moon appear to be smiling down upon the wonders of the earth! Don’t you see, carling, it’s so terribly trite! It’s been done! It’s all one big rerun! There’s nothing original about it!” (Pp. 20-21)
And therein lies the crux of the problem. How can a girl slated to be the wickedest witch of the four winds be so enamored of good deeds and, dare I say “Wish craft”—and expect things to come out well in the end?
To find out? Read the book.
March 2, 2012
I adore books that take classic fairy tales and turn them on their heads and Diary of a Fairy Godmother is certainly twisted enough. This book was a cute, quick read and perfect for a lazy afternoon and to ease me back into reading. The word games took a little bit of getting used to. Everything bad is good in Hunky’s world and being a little wicked is the whole point of the story. The characters and character names are amusing. There are names like Frantic Search and Velvet Underground and all the little witch girls are hilarious. The world building is half the fun.
A few different fairy tales sneak in throughout this story, including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. It’s sort of like what those fairy tales would be like if the characters made mistakes and had a healthy dose of attitude and snark. Hunky is trying to make her own way in the world and her fumbling is amusing. She is the original wishing well and even builds her own house out of cookie dough! (No children are eaten as a result. Sorry.) The main character appears to be a young child, about 13 or so to my estimate, and while we are told she is much older than that, I found it so odd with Hunky’s mother kicked her out of the house. It was weird. But then, Hunky is no ordinary kid and this is fairy tale world, so I should probably stop overthinking this.
Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esmé Raji Codell is a cute coming of age story that reminds readers to make their own way in the world and that if they want something, they have to work for it. Wishes are never a good short cut. A person needs to build character. (Of course, if my Aunt tried to give me conflict as a birth gift I’d probably turn her into a toad at the first possible moment. But then, my Aunt isn’t the evil queen so maybe not.) Diary of a Fairy Godmother was a swift, sweet read with a witty writing style and was perfect for a lazy afternoon.
A few different fairy tales sneak in throughout this story, including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. It’s sort of like what those fairy tales would be like if the characters made mistakes and had a healthy dose of attitude and snark. Hunky is trying to make her own way in the world and her fumbling is amusing. She is the original wishing well and even builds her own house out of cookie dough! (No children are eaten as a result. Sorry.) The main character appears to be a young child, about 13 or so to my estimate, and while we are told she is much older than that, I found it so odd with Hunky’s mother kicked her out of the house. It was weird. But then, Hunky is no ordinary kid and this is fairy tale world, so I should probably stop overthinking this.
Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esmé Raji Codell is a cute coming of age story that reminds readers to make their own way in the world and that if they want something, they have to work for it. Wishes are never a good short cut. A person needs to build character. (Of course, if my Aunt tried to give me conflict as a birth gift I’d probably turn her into a toad at the first possible moment. But then, my Aunt isn’t the evil queen so maybe not.) Diary of a Fairy Godmother was a swift, sweet read with a witty writing style and was perfect for a lazy afternoon.
February 10, 2008
If you haven't read any of Ms. Codell, you really ought to. Besides this one, I've read the fantastic "Sahara Special" and "Viva La Paris" (if only I could find a kid who went for one of these...one day). Like those, "Godmother" contains humor, pathos and a clever plot line. Unlike those, it plays on, and into, a number of well-known and not-so-well-known fairy tales. The "Sleeping Beauty" reference reminded me of a similarly irreverent usage of that tale in Linda Medley's delightful graphic novel, "Castle Waiting," which I read not too long ago. And if you're looking for even more stories and information about witches and fairy godmothers (the heroine of this book is both), Codell appendixes this work with a nice little bibliography (as well as a recipe for booger cookies). As with all her books, Codell also drops in bits of profound wisdom almost in passing, like:
"It occurred to me that it is a horrible day when you discover that the people you always thought were very happy are really not so happy after all. Then it is another horrible day when you realize that you’re not all that different from the people you think are unhappy.
"I guess when that happens, all that’s left to do is invent what happiness means all over again, from scratch.
"A lot of wishes are made from impatience…. A lot of children wish they were grown up…. When children wish for growing up, they’re not really after the age and the height. They are really wishing for respect and responsibility. They are wishing for the chance to grant their own wishes, too. So children are actually very smart. The chance to grant your own wishes is really the only wish worth making…."
"It occurred to me that it is a horrible day when you discover that the people you always thought were very happy are really not so happy after all. Then it is another horrible day when you realize that you’re not all that different from the people you think are unhappy.
"I guess when that happens, all that’s left to do is invent what happiness means all over again, from scratch.
"A lot of wishes are made from impatience…. A lot of children wish they were grown up…. When children wish for growing up, they’re not really after the age and the height. They are really wishing for respect and responsibility. They are wishing for the chance to grant their own wishes, too. So children are actually very smart. The chance to grant your own wishes is really the only wish worth making…."
December 2, 2007
The back of this book made it sound like it was going to be a retelling of Cinderella, which was why it interested me. Cinderella actually ended up having a rather small and unimpressive role near the end. This book relies quite a bit on being cutesy and clever as the author tries to address fairy tales in a hip way (example: Little Red Riding Hood swaps her cloak for a denim jacket). Esme inverts what we consider "good" or "bad" behavior in order to create the world that her main characters, witches, live in. For example, when Hunky Dory, the main character, talks back to her teacher, the teacher says, "No use trying to earn last minute extra credit by back-talking!" Again, cute but still not enough to carry the book.
The book does get its own legs beneath it about 2/3 of the way in -- and if you didn't like fairy-tale in-jokes, you wouldn't have stuck around that long -- when Hunky Dory begins questioning her path as a witch and wanting to explore the possibility of becoming a fairy godmother. Her struggle is painted with all the nuances of coming out -- denial, shocked family members, people wondering where this desire came from, her questioning whether it's worth it to be true to herself, etc. So once it gets going, Esme handles the identity quest story nicely. And whereas most book endings leave something to be desired, this one ends on a surprisingly sweet and satisfying note.
The book does get its own legs beneath it about 2/3 of the way in -- and if you didn't like fairy-tale in-jokes, you wouldn't have stuck around that long -- when Hunky Dory begins questioning her path as a witch and wanting to explore the possibility of becoming a fairy godmother. Her struggle is painted with all the nuances of coming out -- denial, shocked family members, people wondering where this desire came from, her questioning whether it's worth it to be true to herself, etc. So once it gets going, Esme handles the identity quest story nicely. And whereas most book endings leave something to be desired, this one ends on a surprisingly sweet and satisfying note.
February 1, 2015
This was a cute book. I liked the storyline, and the writing was good! However, there was one thing that bothered me... okay well, actually two things.
The first thing was the style the story was written in - it's called Diary of a Fairy Godmother and we're led to believe that it's Hunky's diary, however for the first half of the book, it is written for eloquently as if it was a normal novel, not the writings of a teenagers diary. But then about halfway through the story, when Hunky , suddenly the writing style changes and reflects a girl just writing in her diary. Then as the story progressed, it would switch back and forth from the eloquent story telling to the diary ramblings. I really didn't like that. I wish Ms. Codell could have just chosen one writing style. It made the story feel mistmatched almost.
The second thing I didn't like was that Aunty Malice was supposed to be Maleficent. In my mind, you just don't mess with Maleficent. And while I love over the top characters like Malice... Maleficent is nothing and will never be anything like that. It's just wrong.
Besides those personal preferences, I liked the book. I really enjoyed all the positive messages it had to give (like how being yourself is the best, and if you want something you should work at it to get it, and that you are in charge of making your own wishes come true, etc. and so forth). I really appreciated all those!
The first thing was the style the story was written in - it's called Diary of a Fairy Godmother and we're led to believe that it's Hunky's diary, however for the first half of the book, it is written for eloquently as if it was a normal novel, not the writings of a teenagers diary. But then about halfway through the story, when Hunky , suddenly the writing style changes and reflects a girl just writing in her diary. Then as the story progressed, it would switch back and forth from the eloquent story telling to the diary ramblings. I really didn't like that. I wish Ms. Codell could have just chosen one writing style. It made the story feel mistmatched almost.
The second thing I didn't like was that Aunty Malice was supposed to be Maleficent. In my mind, you just don't mess with Maleficent. And while I love over the top characters like Malice... Maleficent is nothing and will never be anything like that. It's just wrong.
Besides those personal preferences, I liked the book. I really enjoyed all the positive messages it had to give (like how being yourself is the best, and if you want something you should work at it to get it, and that you are in charge of making your own wishes come true, etc. and so forth). I really appreciated all those!
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