Book Review: How to Ditch Your Fairy

How to Ditch Your Fairy

By: Justine Larbalestier

Narrated By: Kate Atkinson

Published By: Brilliance Audio

Publication Date: September 2009

Audio Length: 6 hours, 56 minutes

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Library

Audience: Young Adult - Chick Lit, Fantasy

On the Writing & Story:

First, I love this cover. It just makes me laugh and perfectly captures the mood of this read. It's silly, fun, and teaches some valuable lessons.

Charlie lives in a world that is a combination of the US and Australia. What makes her world so different from ours is the existence of fairies. Some people are lucky enough to have fairies to assist them with some element in their life while others remain without a winged helper. Charlie loathes her fairy - its a car parking fairy - which isn't super important to a fourteen year old who walks everywhere and hates cars. To make matters worse, everyone knows about her fairy and wants her to ride with them when they need to be able to park at an important event. Charlie is fed up and starts out on a journey to rid herself from the irksome fairy.

I really liked that Charlie learned a lot about herself throughout her quest. She found that people weren't always as they seemed and that she could be quite moody and judgmental. It was nice to see her grow up a little bit and shed some of her immature ways. She also become more open minded as the book progressed. Her emotional journey is one of the biggest strengths of this read; it carries a strong message for younger teens. Charlie also was forced to really think about what was important to her. She learned to balance her own selfish nature with the needs and desires of family and friends.

Overall, this is a really cute, light hearted tale that made me laugh. I also couldn't help considering what type of fairy I would love to have. I think I would most like to have the shopping fairy. Who doesn't want great deals and clothes that fit you perfectly? I also think this book would be most enjoyable for younger teen readers and older middle grades readers. Its perfect for that age group. It's also a perfect summer read!

On the Audio:

There were several portions of this one that become tedious. My mind began to wonder and I would lose track of the plot. I loved the narrator's accent, but there were times when she was hard to understand. She also didn't do a lot of differentiation between the various characters' voices which made it difficult to follow at times.  It was also really hard to figure out some of the jargon in this one from the audio. I would suggest reading this one in a more traditional format.

One Last Gripe: If Charlie had said doos or malodorous one more time, I think I would have started throwing things. Seriously, she must have used those words at least fifty times.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The fairies and their functions in this society

First Sentence: My spoffs looked funny in the top, which is odd because my spoffs are tiny.

Favorite Character: Charlie

Least Favorite Character: Danders

Summary:

Welcome to New Avalon, where everyone has a personal fairy. Though invisible to the naked eye, a personal fairy, like a specialized good luck charm, is vital to success. And in the case of the students at New Avalon Sports High, it might just determine whether you make the team, pass a class, or find that perfect outfit. But for 14-year-old Charlie, having a Parking Fairy is worse than having nothing at all—especially when the school bully carts her around like his own personal parking pass. Enter: The Plan. At first, teaming up with arch-enemy Fiorenza (who has an All-The-Boys-Like-You Fairy) seems like a great idea. But when Charlie unexpectedly gets her heart’s desire, it isn’t at all what she thought it would be like, and she’ll have resort to extraordinary measures to ditch her fairy. The question is: will Charlie herself survive the fairy ditching experiment? From the author of the acclaimed Magic or Madnesstrilogy, this is a delightful story of fairies, friendships, and figuring out how to make your own magic.