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My Very UnFairy Tale Life #3
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending
You think a trip to Fairy Land sounds fun? Clearly you've never been turned into a mouse by an Evil Queen.
This. Is. It. My most important mission as a magical adventurer ever. And probably my last. 'Cause I'm pretty sure if I defy the council and travel to Fairy Land to rescue my parents, I'm so fired. They say it's too dangerous. That the Queen Fairy is crazy, and she's hoarding all the magic to do unspeakable things (like steal the leprechauns' gold and make all of her subjects attend mandatory parades).
But none of that matters. I finally have a chance at happily ever after with my family. And crazy fairy or no crazy fairy, I'll do whatever it takes to bring them home.
-Jenny the Adventurer
This. Is. It. My most important mission as a magical adventurer ever. And probably my last. 'Cause I'm pretty sure if I defy the council and travel to Fairy Land to rescue my parents, I'm so fired. They say it's too dangerous. That the Queen Fairy is crazy, and she's hoarding all the magic to do unspeakable things (like steal the leprechauns' gold and make all of her subjects attend mandatory parades).
But none of that matters. I finally have a chance at happily ever after with my family. And crazy fairy or no crazy fairy, I'll do whatever it takes to bring them home.
-Jenny the Adventurer
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
12 people are currently reading
712 people want to read
About the author
Anna Staniszewski
34 books320 followersAnna Staniszewski lives in the Boston area and teaches in the MFA Writing for Children Program at Simmons University. She's the author of over twenty books for young readers, including the The Dirt Diary series and Clique Here series, the picture books DOGOSAURUS REX and BEAST IN SHOW, and the Once Upon a Fairy Tale chapter book series. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annastanisz.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 1, 2013
Jenny goes in search of her missing parents to the fairy world. But, if you imagine fairy world in your mind, just forget it and read on. It's just a worn out amusement park, where all magical being were - kind of - tortured. Well, Jenna is a prisoner now in the hands of the completely insane fairy queen. With some help from a fairy boy, will she bring down the entire rule and also save the magical community as well as her parents? Tough...
Great world building and great characterization. In so few pages, I started liking the characters so much.
I liked the way the story winded up. It was clean, just like a fairy tale. Nothing to be sad of; I finished it just with fond memories.
If I am still a kid at school, I would want my teacher to read/recommend these type of stories to me. It's fun and kids will love this. Highly recommended for those who love middle grade fantasy novels.
5 STARS!
Great world building and great characterization. In so few pages, I started liking the characters so much.
I liked the way the story winded up. It was clean, just like a fairy tale. Nothing to be sad of; I finished it just with fond memories.
If I am still a kid at school, I would want my teacher to read/recommend these type of stories to me. It's fun and kids will love this. Highly recommended for those who love middle grade fantasy novels.
5 STARS!
December 2, 2013
Jenny the Adventurer travels to Fairy Land to rescue her parents, but discovers that things are going very wrong. The population's magic is rationed, the laws are arbitrary, and travelers aren't allowed to leave.
I thought MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING was a fun, quick read for younger fantasy fans. I thought it played well with various familiar fairy tale tropes, and loved that Jenny didn't have a love interest. It's nothing overly different or edgy, but perfectly likeable. It will, of course, have the most impact if you've read the first two books. However, I haven't and thought it was still easy to follow along.
I thought MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING was a fun, quick read for younger fantasy fans. I thought it played well with various familiar fairy tale tropes, and loved that Jenny didn't have a love interest. It's nothing overly different or edgy, but perfectly likeable. It will, of course, have the most impact if you've read the first two books. However, I haven't and thought it was still easy to follow along.
December 24, 2017
Cute. Jenny and this magical world has grown on me. Takes a different turn from the previous books. The idea of tumbledown amusement park secretly harboring magic is fun. The leprechauns and aliens are a great addition. Good series for a third or fourth grader.
March 31, 2025
Definitely my favorite of the trilogy! The characters and the world really came to life in this humorous yet heartwarming page-turner.
June 28, 2015
This review was first posted at Thoughts and Pens.
Whew! Finally! My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending is the third and last installment of the My Very Unfairy Tale Life series which means another sad goodbye again. The series may not be perfect but I enjoyed it…a lot. The main problem with this series is the fact that each book is very short so I practically finished all three books in one day while waiting for Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda to landfall. Yeah, whenever I’m extremely stressed about something, I usually cope up through reading or whatever activity that takes my mind to somewhere else. So while my mother and relatives are busy praying for Yolanda to vanish or to be merciful at least, I was also busy reading the My Very Unfairy Tale Life Series.
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending immediately picked up where it left off in the second book. But this time, Jennifer must go to Fairyland not only to save her missing parents but the Land of Tales as well. Armed only with her cheesy but funny sayings, Jennifer, Anthony and Dr. Bradley hurry to Fairyland to hamper the plans of the mad, Cinderella-wannabe Fairy Queen.
Similar to the previous two books, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending had me laughing. Jenny never lost her spunk although she’s gotten more serious as compared with the previous two books. In this third book, she becomes more mature and in authority. Sighs, sometimes I hate my favourite characters growing up.
Being in a new land, Jenny and the gang have to deal with a fresh bunch of characters including leprechauns, alien-like fairies, Cyclops-looking trolls and golden rats. The new characters were really quirky but I was kind of frustrated since they weren’t fully fleshed out. Even the villain’s potential got wasted. And it was such a shame because she’s the evil version of Cinderella. Imagine that? It’s a treat for all of us fairy tale fans but sadly Anna didn’t take the necessary time to explore how bad can Cinderella go.
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending’s narrative was sort of meh. I don’t know but I usually have high standards for last books because ahm… well, I believe in the adage that says “save the best for last.” Whenever I am reading a last book, my mind and heart automatically program themselves into the highest setting possible. They will automatically expect for their owner to be gutted and mindblown. Apparently, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending did neither of those. If truth be told, the plot was horribly predictable. It’s okay if it happened once (i.e. with book 2) but if it happens with the icing of the cake, it’s not cool anymore. Even the supposedlu epic battle between the Fairy Queen and the revolutionaries was sort of pathetic. It doesn’t have the force that I’ve anticipated. What I’m only thankful is that the plot maintained its consistency and never veered off from the path.
The world building was the same with the two books. I really thought that Ana would give WB department a massive overhaul on this last sequel but…sighs. Fairyland was once a theme park and converted to a kingdom. While that was cool and all, I was still unhappy to find myself on Earth despite my efforts to be transported. As a matter of fact, I had more fun imagining Disneyland and HP Theme Park rather than Fairy land.
In a nutshell, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending was a fun read. However, it really could have done a better job with the plot, characters and world building. Anna has already set the stage but she keeps on postponing the ceremony never taking the time to push the limits. The humor was already in place, the MC perfect but the flaws that I’ve mentioned sucked all the firepower to blast me into outer space.
Note: I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Whew! Finally! My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending is the third and last installment of the My Very Unfairy Tale Life series which means another sad goodbye again. The series may not be perfect but I enjoyed it…a lot. The main problem with this series is the fact that each book is very short so I practically finished all three books in one day while waiting for Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda to landfall. Yeah, whenever I’m extremely stressed about something, I usually cope up through reading or whatever activity that takes my mind to somewhere else. So while my mother and relatives are busy praying for Yolanda to vanish or to be merciful at least, I was also busy reading the My Very Unfairy Tale Life Series.
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending immediately picked up where it left off in the second book. But this time, Jennifer must go to Fairyland not only to save her missing parents but the Land of Tales as well. Armed only with her cheesy but funny sayings, Jennifer, Anthony and Dr. Bradley hurry to Fairyland to hamper the plans of the mad, Cinderella-wannabe Fairy Queen.
Similar to the previous two books, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending had me laughing. Jenny never lost her spunk although she’s gotten more serious as compared with the previous two books. In this third book, she becomes more mature and in authority. Sighs, sometimes I hate my favourite characters growing up.
Being in a new land, Jenny and the gang have to deal with a fresh bunch of characters including leprechauns, alien-like fairies, Cyclops-looking trolls and golden rats. The new characters were really quirky but I was kind of frustrated since they weren’t fully fleshed out. Even the villain’s potential got wasted. And it was such a shame because she’s the evil version of Cinderella. Imagine that? It’s a treat for all of us fairy tale fans but sadly Anna didn’t take the necessary time to explore how bad can Cinderella go.
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending’s narrative was sort of meh. I don’t know but I usually have high standards for last books because ahm… well, I believe in the adage that says “save the best for last.” Whenever I am reading a last book, my mind and heart automatically program themselves into the highest setting possible. They will automatically expect for their owner to be gutted and mindblown. Apparently, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending did neither of those. If truth be told, the plot was horribly predictable. It’s okay if it happened once (i.e. with book 2) but if it happens with the icing of the cake, it’s not cool anymore. Even the supposedlu epic battle between the Fairy Queen and the revolutionaries was sort of pathetic. It doesn’t have the force that I’ve anticipated. What I’m only thankful is that the plot maintained its consistency and never veered off from the path.
The world building was the same with the two books. I really thought that Ana would give WB department a massive overhaul on this last sequel but…sighs. Fairyland was once a theme park and converted to a kingdom. While that was cool and all, I was still unhappy to find myself on Earth despite my efforts to be transported. As a matter of fact, I had more fun imagining Disneyland and HP Theme Park rather than Fairy land.
In a nutshell, My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending was a fun read. However, it really could have done a better job with the plot, characters and world building. Anna has already set the stage but she keeps on postponing the ceremony never taking the time to push the limits. The humor was already in place, the MC perfect but the flaws that I’ve mentioned sucked all the firepower to blast me into outer space.
Note: I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2013
My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending is the third and final book in the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series by Anna Staniszewski. It is scheduled for release on November 5 2013. This is a series best read in order, so if you are just starting out I would take a look at My Very UnFairy Tale Life first.
Jenny the adventurer works hard to fix problem in fairy tale worlds. However, her search for her missing parents now takes precedence since she the information that they were last seen in Fairyland, which turns out to be a rundown amusement park filled with creepily happy fairies and disgruntled leprechaun. Jenny needs to discover the truth within Fairlyland and how the Fairy Queen seems to be glowing with power while other lands are fading away. With the help of a fairy-boy and some rebellious leprechauns, Jenny finds a way to rescue her parents. However the price might be putting all magical worlds in danger. Jenny needs to decide how far she is willing to go to put her family back together.
My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending is the final installment of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, and it wraps up everything nicely without being overly predictable. As you might expect, Jenny finds her parents, but the journey to find and free them is far from simple. I enjoyed the complications and twists that the story took. The Fairy Queen was a wonderful 'big bad', and the creepy factor of an amusement park with no actual amusement but elevators in which even the guards need to throw up their arms and scream as if they are on a roller coaster and the obsession with the Cinderella's story worked perfectly. The characters, new and old, kept me on my toes and made for an entertaining and exciting conclusion to the story.
I would definitely recommend My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending, and the series as a whole to middle grade readers. Jenny is a great character and serves as a good role model as well as someone readers can relate to. I look forward to seeing the next series from Staniszewski, which starts with The Dirt Diary, which is currently scheduled for release in January of 2014.
Jenny the adventurer works hard to fix problem in fairy tale worlds. However, her search for her missing parents now takes precedence since she the information that they were last seen in Fairyland, which turns out to be a rundown amusement park filled with creepily happy fairies and disgruntled leprechaun. Jenny needs to discover the truth within Fairlyland and how the Fairy Queen seems to be glowing with power while other lands are fading away. With the help of a fairy-boy and some rebellious leprechauns, Jenny finds a way to rescue her parents. However the price might be putting all magical worlds in danger. Jenny needs to decide how far she is willing to go to put her family back together.
My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending is the final installment of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, and it wraps up everything nicely without being overly predictable. As you might expect, Jenny finds her parents, but the journey to find and free them is far from simple. I enjoyed the complications and twists that the story took. The Fairy Queen was a wonderful 'big bad', and the creepy factor of an amusement park with no actual amusement but elevators in which even the guards need to throw up their arms and scream as if they are on a roller coaster and the obsession with the Cinderella's story worked perfectly. The characters, new and old, kept me on my toes and made for an entertaining and exciting conclusion to the story.
I would definitely recommend My Sort Of Fairy Tale Ending, and the series as a whole to middle grade readers. Jenny is a great character and serves as a good role model as well as someone readers can relate to. I look forward to seeing the next series from Staniszewski, which starts with The Dirt Diary, which is currently scheduled for release in January of 2014.
November 15, 2013
The Story-
Jenny's search for her mom and dad have led her to fairy land, but things are very strange. The whole place is like a broken down amusement park. The fairy queen is stealing all of the magic from the people in the land and using comatose adventurers to spread it around to other fairies. Jenny is caught in the insane queen's quest to have all of the magic in the universe, and is offered a deal. The queen will free Jenny's parents if Jenny turns over the location of the Committee.
My thoughts-
I really love the fun and quirky attitude of Jenny. She is so enjoyable to read and her side comments are hilarious. In this final book she gets what she's always wanted- her parents, but the cost to have them is so high that it will mean betraying what she believes in. This betrayal ways heavy on Jenny and she progresses as a character as she makes her final decision.
I love all the humor that the author puts into the story. Even though the amusement park is shut down, the inhabitants of fairy land are forced to carry on its traditions. When they ride an elevator they have to put their arms in the air and scream. They are forced to line up and watch a parade full of empty trailers, and they have to use tickets to gain admission to different parts of the city. These things make the story nice and zany.
Another element that I liked is the description the author gives of the fairies. They aren't your typical elves. Instead they look like tall, skinny aliens with long arms. I thought this twist added a nice dimension to the story.
A great, fun read for teens. 4 stars!
Jenny's search for her mom and dad have led her to fairy land, but things are very strange. The whole place is like a broken down amusement park. The fairy queen is stealing all of the magic from the people in the land and using comatose adventurers to spread it around to other fairies. Jenny is caught in the insane queen's quest to have all of the magic in the universe, and is offered a deal. The queen will free Jenny's parents if Jenny turns over the location of the Committee.
My thoughts-
I really love the fun and quirky attitude of Jenny. She is so enjoyable to read and her side comments are hilarious. In this final book she gets what she's always wanted- her parents, but the cost to have them is so high that it will mean betraying what she believes in. This betrayal ways heavy on Jenny and she progresses as a character as she makes her final decision.
I love all the humor that the author puts into the story. Even though the amusement park is shut down, the inhabitants of fairy land are forced to carry on its traditions. When they ride an elevator they have to put their arms in the air and scream. They are forced to line up and watch a parade full of empty trailers, and they have to use tickets to gain admission to different parts of the city. These things make the story nice and zany.
Another element that I liked is the description the author gives of the fairies. They aren't your typical elves. Instead they look like tall, skinny aliens with long arms. I thought this twist added a nice dimension to the story.
A great, fun read for teens. 4 stars!
November 10, 2013
3.5 / 5 star rating
This review is also posted at http://readingnookandcranny.blogspot....
Full disclosure, I have not read the first two novels in this trilogy. I have never even heard of these novels before or the author and did not realize this book was the third in a series until after I have received the galley copy from the publisher.
Even though I hadn't read the first two in the series, I decided to give it a go. And while I know I would have enjoyed it more if I had more back story on the characters, it was still an enjoyable read. This book does not have much in the way of character development, but it hints at characteristics that sound as if they were introduced in the previous novels.
The comedy isn't as funny as Stanszewski probably intended, but it may have hit the target better with its target audience, which is quite a bit younger than myself. Indeed, I have the feeling I would have enjoyed this novel a lot more if I were about ten years younger. With that said, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my peers of my age, as the plot is a little silly and fast paced without a whole lot of development. But for preteen and young teenagers, I reckon they would be able to easily look over these obstacles and really enjoy this novel. I would recommend that they start from the beginning of the series, however, instead of just jumping in for this final novel.
This review is also posted at http://readingnookandcranny.blogspot....
Full disclosure, I have not read the first two novels in this trilogy. I have never even heard of these novels before or the author and did not realize this book was the third in a series until after I have received the galley copy from the publisher.
Even though I hadn't read the first two in the series, I decided to give it a go. And while I know I would have enjoyed it more if I had more back story on the characters, it was still an enjoyable read. This book does not have much in the way of character development, but it hints at characteristics that sound as if they were introduced in the previous novels.
The comedy isn't as funny as Stanszewski probably intended, but it may have hit the target better with its target audience, which is quite a bit younger than myself. Indeed, I have the feeling I would have enjoyed this novel a lot more if I were about ten years younger. With that said, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my peers of my age, as the plot is a little silly and fast paced without a whole lot of development. But for preteen and young teenagers, I reckon they would be able to easily look over these obstacles and really enjoy this novel. I would recommend that they start from the beginning of the series, however, instead of just jumping in for this final novel.
August 5, 2016
Jenni is an adventurer searching for her parents that have been missing for seven years. She travels to the Land of Tales in order to search for them and finds herself rescuing an entire kingdom from an evil queen.
This book is really cute. It's a light, fun adventure aimed at lower YA and Middle Grade fans magic and fairy tales. Everything about the book is "light". Light plot, light suspense, light writing. It's very quick to read. There is nothing questionable or offensive is in this book. This is the third book in the series. I haven't read the first two, but I still enjoyed this one without knowing all the back story. If you plan on reading them, I would suggest starting at the beginning because this book does reference the first two quite a bit.
The characters are all a little eccentric and likable and there is a very predictable happy ending. It's a great book for kids that enjoy magic and adventure but that don't like anything too dark or heavy.
Content: clean
My Blog: Books for Kids
This book is really cute. It's a light, fun adventure aimed at lower YA and Middle Grade fans magic and fairy tales. Everything about the book is "light". Light plot, light suspense, light writing. It's very quick to read. There is nothing questionable or offensive is in this book. This is the third book in the series. I haven't read the first two, but I still enjoyed this one without knowing all the back story. If you plan on reading them, I would suggest starting at the beginning because this book does reference the first two quite a bit.
The characters are all a little eccentric and likable and there is a very predictable happy ending. It's a great book for kids that enjoy magic and adventure but that don't like anything too dark or heavy.
Content: clean
My Blog: Books for Kids
May 15, 2014
This is the third book in the Fairy Tale Saga of Jenny the Adventurer. This time Jenny is kicked out of being an adventurer as she refuses to follow directions and decides to go and rescue her parents. Jenny, Anthony and Dr. Bradley all go to Fairy Land to find Jenny's parents and Anthony and Jenny find themselves being held prisoner while Dr. Bradley manages to escape. Fairy Land looks like an old amusement park, but no one is having fun in Fairy Land but the Queen. Jenny with the help of Luken, a fairy boy, (Why does one always think of fairies being females, there must be male if the line is to continue, duh) finds ways of getting around the Castle and finding things out about where things are, between visits to see the Queen who wants her to take her to the 'committee.'
I enjoyed this book as much as the first too books, and I would love to get in an elevator and raise my hands and scream. Of course, don't think I will right at the moment. Read the book to find out why.
I enjoyed this book as much as the first too books, and I would love to get in an elevator and raise my hands and scream. Of course, don't think I will right at the moment. Read the book to find out why.
November 15, 2013
In searching for her parents and trying to help magical creatures, Jenny has ended up in fairyland which is now just a run down amusement park. The queen has been stealing all the magic from other creatures and using it for ultimate control. With the help of leprechauns and a fairy boy, Jenny must save the magical kingdoms and rescue her parents. Can she do it without destroying it all?
In this wacky and fun book, Jenny risks it all to try to save the day. With fairyland seeming more like Disneyland gone wrong and things so sickly fairy princess, Jenny just wants to gag, but instead ends up sliding down shoots and trying to run in full on princess dresses. It is a fun and zany, wild ride to the finish that kid and tweens will gobble up.
The best part isn't the satisfying finish, but the possiblity that a new chapter could open up for Jenny once again.
In this wacky and fun book, Jenny risks it all to try to save the day. With fairyland seeming more like Disneyland gone wrong and things so sickly fairy princess, Jenny just wants to gag, but instead ends up sliding down shoots and trying to run in full on princess dresses. It is a fun and zany, wild ride to the finish that kid and tweens will gobble up.
The best part isn't the satisfying finish, but the possiblity that a new chapter could open up for Jenny once again.
December 30, 2013
This is a great frolic for kids as they accompany Jenny in her attempt to rescue her parents from a deranged fairy queen. The writing is crisp and clear, without any of the minor errors that can make young readers stumble. Although it's part of a series, it's fully enjoyable if the previous parts haven't been read. I always like to see children's books that won't bore the pants off parents...the author has managed that superbly. Are there lessons to be learned? Sure, but they're a seamless part of the story, so kids won't feel they're being knocked in the head with them. This one is being sent off straightaway to my granddaughter.
I received the book for free from Goodreads.
I received the book for free from Goodreads.
December 21, 2013
Jenny is an adventurer who is sent on missions to various fairy-tale lands to help solve problems/avert crises in those lands. She has followed the adventurer footsteps of her parents who have unfortunately disappeared. In the final installment of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life trilogy, Jenny goes against the Committee (the adventurers governing body) and follows a lead which might lead her to her parents--an abandoned theme park-like land run by a tyrannical, magic-greedy, queen.
Fun book with a quirky sense of humor for those folks who have outgrown the Disney Princess phase. I do recommend reading the trilogy in order, starting with My Very UnFairy Tale Life.
Fun book with a quirky sense of humor for those folks who have outgrown the Disney Princess phase. I do recommend reading the trilogy in order, starting with My Very UnFairy Tale Life.
December 22, 2013
As far as I know this is the last in the series, there is room for future adventures but My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending brings Jenny’s adventures to a nice close. Finally she has found her parents but in order to rescue them she needs to make a deal with the Fairy Queen.
Everything I’ve enjoyed about this series is still there, Jenny’s commentary, varied and interesting characters. Not to mention Anna Staniszewski re-imaginings for Fairyland.
I’ve enjoyed this series and plan to read more books by the author.
Everything I’ve enjoyed about this series is still there, Jenny’s commentary, varied and interesting characters. Not to mention Anna Staniszewski re-imaginings for Fairyland.
I’ve enjoyed this series and plan to read more books by the author.
June 10, 2017
A surprising and interesting finish to the "Fairy Tale" series. The ending IS fairy tale, since things end up on a very good note, but this volume is surprising and interesting, because while still funny, it contains slightly more menacing elements, and the humor is darker here. I would love to see Anna Staniszewski write some fantasy that's not middle grade, but young adult. I'm sure it would be quite an enjoyable read, since in this volume the author has proven that she can write not only funny, and sweet, but twisted and complicated as well.
October 4, 2015
I read that book a few years ago, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The book was pretty confusing, this is pretty much all I understood: Jenny went to fairyland and stuck there. The queen trapped her parents. Jenny got some help from an elf. And she united with her parents. It was a waste of time reading this crap :C
November 7, 2014
a gr8 ending to a gr8 book
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September 26, 2013Adorable read. Fun and entertaining! This will be going on my classroom shelf.
February 3, 2014
This book was great! Many twists and turns in a very interesting fantasy world!
September 12, 2016
A fun end to the series.
May 5, 2014
The book My sort of fairy tale ending was a pretty good book. It had lots of good and bad moments. The best part, it included a lot of magic, which I love. It was also combined with funny.
April 4, 2016
Good ending, wraps the trilogy up nicely.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews