“Tansy Miller has always felt that her divorced father has never had enough time for her. But mistakenly getting caught on the wrong side of the law wasn’t exactly how she wanted to get his attention. Enter Chrysanthemum “Chrissy” Everstar, Tansy’s fairy in shining, er, high heels. Chrissy is only a fair godmother, of course, so Tansy’s three wishes don’t exactly go according to plan. And if bringing Robin Hood to the twenty-first century isn’t bad enough for Tansy, being transported back to the Middle Ages to deal with Rumpelstiltskin certainly is. She’ll need the help of her blended family, her wits, and especially the cute police chief ‘s son to stop the gold-spinning story from spinning wildly out of control. Janette Rallison pulls out all the stops in this fresh, fun-filled follow-up to the popular My Fair Godmother.” ~ Goodreads description 

Title: My Unfair Godmother

Author: Janette Rallison

Published by: Walker Books for Young Readers

Publishing Date: April 12th, 2011

Pages: 352

Ages: 10 and up

ISBN-10: 0802722369

ISBN-13: 9780802722362

Adorable. That’s the first word that comes to mind when I think about this book. Other words that come to mind include ‘witty’, ‘heartfelt’, and ‘charming’. My Unfair Godmother is the type of book you want at your ice cream party.

I loved almost every character in this book (I did say ‘almost’, because some villains like Rumpelstiltskin are just too creepy). The protagonists feel real: They’re flawed and they’re funny, they have hard decisions to make and issues to conquer.

The beginning and end have hilarious letters from Chrissy, the Honorable Master Sagewick Goldengill, and the Department of Fairy Advancement (“I remind you that sending Memoir Elves into teenage girls’ minds is unhealthy for the elves. Even after short amounts of exposure to the jumble of impulses and hormones that make up a teenage girl’s mind, the Memoir Elves are apt to pick up bad habits, grow obsessive about their hair, and giggle when boys pass by.”).

The beginning report by Chrissy manages to be both hilarious, touching, and has some wise observations on ‘mortals’. I think that’s what I love most about this book: it balances a strong sense of wit with heartfelt situations. Learning about a younger Tansy through Chrissy really made me feel for Tansy and understand why she acts the way she does. I also enjoyed the way Tansy’s step family was portrayed. I liked seeing a stepfamily that wasn’t portrayed as evil or as nauseatingly sweet.

   Cynical Cindy Says:

   It won’t be hard for many readers to see the ending coming: both the outcome between Tansy and Rumpelstiltskin, and then the (very sweet) thing that Tansy does in the end. But, overall, that doesn’t affect the rating of this book. 

This book is guaranteed to have you smiling.

5 out of 5 teacups.

   Extras:

Check out Janette Rallison’s website at www.janetterallison.com and her hilarious blog at www.janette-rallison.blogspot.com