"A Modern Take on the Traditional Tale of a Fairy Godmother"
Reviewed by Diana Troldahl
Posted September 23, 2013
Fantasy | Young Adult
Lilliana Skye has just graduated from Fairy Godmother
school, and is slated to watch over one of Cinderella's
descendants to make certain she makes good choices.
This sounds like a recipe for a saccharine-sweet fairy tale
with gooey dogooders and heavy handed morality handed down
from on high. Nope, not even close. Sure, it's a fairy tale
complete with singing bees and talking animals but the
challenges facing Cinderella's descendant, one Jessica
Harrison are charged by grief and anger after the death of
one of her brothers and complicated by an ambitious fairy
with a selfish agenda.
It doesn't help that Lilliana strongly resembles the
girlfriend Jessica feels caused her brother's death, and
that Jessica's remaining brother seems fascinated by
Lilliana.
Kathleen Baldwin and Andrea Sisco have written a book that
will appeal to preteens as well as older teenagers, heaped
with fantasy but with some real issues underlying the
motivations of the teens involved. The chapters are short
and pithy, the evil-doer is a deliciously worthy opponent,
and the fight scenes are compelling and exciting without
being in the least gory.
DIARY OF A TEENAGE FAIRY GODMOTHER is the first in a new
series by authors Kathleen Baldwin and Andrea Sisco.
Although the setting is contemporary, the riviting battles
and connection to the characters remind me some of the best
scenes from Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Pyrdain. The
growth the characters experience is real and affirming
without being in the least preachy. I look forward to new
books in the series.
SUMMARY
A Fairy Godmother is not some pixie in a pink tutu. She\'s a
guardian and a warrior. Lilliana Skye is sent undercover to
a Texas high school to save one of Cinderella\'s troubled
descendants, but everything goes wrong.
Jessica Harrison hates Lilliana. She doesn\'t believe in
fairytale magic or happily–ever–afters. Jess is
tough, angry, and so intelligent it\'s scary. If she ever did
see a mythical fairy she would probably stomp it into
oblivion with her army boots. Matters go from bad to worse
when Jess\'s older brother meets Lilliana and falls hard for
the new girl. And Lilliana can\'t keep her wayward heart in
check. Jake is, well, just plain dangerous.
Falling in love with a human is forbidden, not to
mention... deadly.
ExcerptThe Music of the Mission
Waiting.
Watching.
Lilliana Skye stood in the upper branches of a tall oak
overlooking Lake Elm High and peered through the leaves. She
listened closely to the strange music of human emotions as
students shuffled through the front doors of the small Texas
high school. Some of them emitted low, plodding oboe sounds
with sad notes of doubt and aloneness. Others pulsated like
wild offbeat snare drums.
Her first mission. She\'d studied and prepared for this
day her whole life. Soon, very soon, she would walk among
the humans. Her own inner music soared up, whistling
excitedly, flying out of harmony with the trees and wind.
With a deep breath Lilliana calmed herself and tucked her
training manual securely under her arm. Any minute now her
orders would arrive.
She tugged down the short, uncomfortably tight
skirt—a perfect disguise. A new dress may not solve
any problems, but it sure was fun. Lilliana had duplicated
the outfit, every last detail, from page thirty–eight
of the latest Teen Vogue. She was totally prepared. Ready.
Nothing to worry about. After all, these humans were just
teenagers, like her. Well, except, none of them had a pair
of five–foot–seven–inch wings sprouting
out of their backs. Lilliana retracted hers.
Just then a bright red cardinal burst through the thick
canopy of the old oak tree. He swooped down and dropped a
small scroll into her hands.
\"Thank you, Napoleon.\"
The feathered messenger landed on Lilliana\'s shoulder as
she unrolled the parchment and read \"School records altered.
Proceed.\" Gryndelyn\'s official seal glowed on the bottom. As
soon as Lilliana finished reading it, the message
disintegrated into dandelion fluff and scattered on the breeze.
Suddenly, thunder shook the air. Except there wasn\'t a
cloud in the sky.
Lilliana\'s attention snapped back to the school. The deep
rumble blotted out the noise of the students. She searched
for the source of the explosive roar. There! The loud, angry
vibrations came from a girl in army boots and a camouflage
T–shirt, the one who resembled a third world dictator
stomping up the school steps.
Lilliana drew in a quick breath. She knew that girl.
She\'d memorized that profile, and she recognized the wild
unruly hair, hair the color of deep red autumn leaves. It
was Cinderella\'s offspring, Lilliana\'s C.O., the girl she
was supposed to help. It was Jessica Harrison whose soul
thundered as violent and black as a winter storm.
Yet, beneath Jess\'s throbbing drums of rage, Lilliana
heard the unmistakable strains of anguish—taut strings
of grief. Grief that resonated so sharply it hurt to listen.
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