Book Review: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Finding your one true love can be a Grimm experience! After her boyfriend dumps her for her older sister, sophomore Savannah Delano wishes she could find a true prince to take her to the prom. Enter Chrissy (Chrysanthemum) Everstar: Savannah’s gum-chewing, cell phone–carrying, high heel-wearing Fair Godmother. Showing why she’s only Fair—because she’s not a very good fairy student—Chrissy mistakenly sends Savannah back in time to the Middle Ages, first as Cinderella, then as Snow White. Finally she sends Tristan, a boy in Savannah’s class, back instead to turn him into her prom-worthy prince. When Savannah returns to the Middle Ages to save Tristan, they must team up to defeat a troll, a dragon, and the mysterious and undeniably sexy Black Knight.


If you are a fan of disjointed fairy tales, or like a little bit of historical adventure, I would suggest picking up a copy of My Fair Godmother. At the start of the book, the superficial "airhead" Savannah seems to have the perfect life. She has a good-looking boyfriend, Hunter, and doesn't really seem to be bothered with anything other than shopping and prom. Her older sister, Jane, is completely different from Savannah. Jane concentrates on her schoolwork rather than her appearance, and had been crushing on Hunter even before he started dating Savannah. Refusing to give up, Jane undergoes a total makeover, and in the process she gets Hunter. That's breaking the most cardinal rule of sisterhood...never steal your sister's boyfriend. It's an unwritten rule. Luckily, Savannah has a fair(y) godmother to help save the day.

Or not. Savannah's fairy godmother, Chrysanthemum Everstar, isn't what one might imagine. She's just like Savannah, shallow and immature. Her wishes go haywire, and she doesn't really seem to care whether Savannah gets her prince charming or not. For her first two wishes Savannah is sent back in time, once as Cinderella, and once as Snow White. Rallison doesn't Disney-ify these princesses, they lived in the middle ages, and it was miserable. Plus, the princes don't seem very prince-like, they're rather rude and egotistical.

For her third wish, Savannah inadvertently sends a classmate back in time, and she has to go back to help him become a prince, otherwise they'll both be stuck there forever. While there they encounter a dragon, a cyclops, and a dark knight who is more than he seems.

I really enjoyed this book, it had all the elements I look for in good YA fiction. There was a little bit of romance, some fantasy, and it was funny. It also made me appreciate shampoo, and being able to bathe on a regular basis. In other words, I didn't want to set it down. While this was Rallison's first fantasy novel, I hope to read more like this from her.

My Fair Godmother
by Janette Rallison
320 Pages
Published by Walker Books for Young Readers
Rating: A