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Jeanie & Genie #1
The First Wish
In the first book of the Jeanie and Genie series, new student Willow Davis turns fellow second grader Jeanie Bell’s life upside down with her unbelievable, magical secret!
For Jeanie Bell, things at Rivertown Elementary are nice, normal, and totally average—just the way she likes it. But when a new girl, Willow Davis, joins the school, all of a sudden strange things start happening. Will Willow’s big secret ruin the girls’ friendship—and change life in Rivertown forever?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Jeanie & Genie chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
For Jeanie Bell, things at Rivertown Elementary are nice, normal, and totally average—just the way she likes it. But when a new girl, Willow Davis, joins the school, all of a sudden strange things start happening. Will Willow’s big secret ruin the girls’ friendship—and change life in Rivertown forever?
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Jeanie & Genie chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
128 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2021
5 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 13, 2021
Gah! This is SO cute! I loved it and smiled all the way through. It's so sweet and fun and heartwarming. To be fair, some of the world building was a tad fuzzy and my questions about exactly how and why genies are able to interact in the human world (and how they are apparently free agents not controlled by only one master) were not answered, but perhaps the target audience wouldn't have these quibbles. Overall, it's a darling story of friendship and magic and I look forward to checking out more in the series. My eight-year-old really enjoyed it, too.
(Mehsi already wrote an excellent review full of details so I won't reinvent the wheel here.)
(Mehsi already wrote an excellent review full of details so I won't reinvent the wheel here.)
February 22, 2021
A fun book with tons of friendship, glitter, and wishes!
I spotted these gorgeous and very colourful books on Twitter and decided to immediately buy them on Amazon. I just knew that I would love this series. I have now finished one book and I had so much fun. I flew through the book. Laughed, giggled, and more! It was cute!
Meet Jeanie, a girl who likes normal, average, and not having too much adventure. She prefers a good book over most things. I really liked Jeanie. It can be tricky writing a character who is so neat and focused on studies, it can very easily go to boring. However, Jeanie was never boring. I loved that she loved reading and I totally approve of what she is reading and wish I could read the same books. I loved that despite that Willow is a chatterbox and gets Jeanie in trouble at times, she tries to be friends with her, help her feel comfortable in this new environment.
Then there is Willow, a new girl who is full of chatter and bubbles, but also wishes and magic. I loved finding out more about her and what she is and how things work in the genie world. I loved that she tried to fulfil wishes but didn’t always get it right immediately (I can only imagine how weird it must be for everyone when it started snowing after rain and then there is sun 😛 ). But she is trying her best and I know I will be rooting for her and I am curious what kind of wishes she will fulfil and what badges she will get!
The friendship was so sweet and I am happy that these two girls found each other and have so much fun! They are opposites in quite a few things, but that doesn’t seem to stand between their friendship.
I love that instead of calling the Genie Jeanie they called her Willow and have her be friends with a girl named Jeanie. I hope that makes sense, in my head it kind of does. Haha.
The book is told from two POV, Jeanie and Willow. They both have very distinct voices so I never had trouble with keeping them apart, but to make things even easier each girl has her own font in her chapters. Willow’s is bubbly and round and Jeanie is neat and pointy (I have another word in my head, but I just cannot find it at the moment).
The art, OMG, that is so cute and adorable and fits with the story perfectly. The characters are wonderfully done, I love their expressions.
I still have book 2 and 3 left, and then it is hoping that book 4 and further come out soon because I definitely think this is a series I want to read for a long long time. I would highly recommend this book to all looking for some glitter and fun and sweet friendship.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I spotted these gorgeous and very colourful books on Twitter and decided to immediately buy them on Amazon. I just knew that I would love this series. I have now finished one book and I had so much fun. I flew through the book. Laughed, giggled, and more! It was cute!
Meet Jeanie, a girl who likes normal, average, and not having too much adventure. She prefers a good book over most things. I really liked Jeanie. It can be tricky writing a character who is so neat and focused on studies, it can very easily go to boring. However, Jeanie was never boring. I loved that she loved reading and I totally approve of what she is reading and wish I could read the same books. I loved that despite that Willow is a chatterbox and gets Jeanie in trouble at times, she tries to be friends with her, help her feel comfortable in this new environment.
Then there is Willow, a new girl who is full of chatter and bubbles, but also wishes and magic. I loved finding out more about her and what she is and how things work in the genie world. I loved that she tried to fulfil wishes but didn’t always get it right immediately (I can only imagine how weird it must be for everyone when it started snowing after rain and then there is sun 😛 ). But she is trying her best and I know I will be rooting for her and I am curious what kind of wishes she will fulfil and what badges she will get!
The friendship was so sweet and I am happy that these two girls found each other and have so much fun! They are opposites in quite a few things, but that doesn’t seem to stand between their friendship.
I love that instead of calling the Genie Jeanie they called her Willow and have her be friends with a girl named Jeanie. I hope that makes sense, in my head it kind of does. Haha.
The book is told from two POV, Jeanie and Willow. They both have very distinct voices so I never had trouble with keeping them apart, but to make things even easier each girl has her own font in her chapters. Willow’s is bubbly and round and Jeanie is neat and pointy (I have another word in my head, but I just cannot find it at the moment).
The art, OMG, that is so cute and adorable and fits with the story perfectly. The characters are wonderfully done, I love their expressions.
I still have book 2 and 3 left, and then it is hoping that book 4 and further come out soon because I definitely think this is a series I want to read for a long long time. I would highly recommend this book to all looking for some glitter and fun and sweet friendship.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
July 26, 2022
Hello Jeannie and genie Book series What is about a new student named Willow and she was really excited about going to school and the girl named Jeanie who’s been there for a while she thought that Willow was weird and a couple of days they started to be friends and then a couple of days they started to be best friends and then Willow had a secret behind Jeanie That Willow was a genie and then a couple of days later she told a secret to Jeannie and then they were talking about genie how it works and Jeanie Told Willow if she lived inside a lamp and then they were talking about how their houses look and then Jeannie said about houses do you want to come over this afternoon and Willow said yes then they lived happily ever after the end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2023
Jeanie & Genie Book 1: The First Wish
By Trish Granted
This book is so adorable! We meet Jeanie who is the perfect student and loves school! She is a planner and a bit of a perfectionist in all aspects of life. One day a new girl arrives in class. Her name is Willow and she is free-spirited and loves art! Willow sits next to Jeanie and happens to talk a lot during class, which bothers Jeanie. She tells Willow that they can’t talk during class and Willow follows the rules after that. They start sitting together at lunch and soon become friends!
Willow has a huge secret. She’s a genie in training! As a genie in training, Willow has to practice granting wishes. While in gym class she hears Jeanie wish they were playing anything other than dodgeball. Poof! Wish granted! Thanks to the magic lamp necklace around Willow’s neck, they no longer need to play dodgeball. This earns Willow a badge from the genie organization that tracks her progress and makes Jeanie extremely happy. Jeanie finds out that Willow is a genie and agrees to not tell anyone as that would mean Willow couldn’t become a genie anymore. From them on, they become even closer friends.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is all about learning to make new friends with someone who is your complete opposite. There are also extremely cute illustrations by Manuela Lopez. This is definitely a great, fast and easy read for the summer! I look forward to reading the next book!
By Trish Granted
This book is so adorable! We meet Jeanie who is the perfect student and loves school! She is a planner and a bit of a perfectionist in all aspects of life. One day a new girl arrives in class. Her name is Willow and she is free-spirited and loves art! Willow sits next to Jeanie and happens to talk a lot during class, which bothers Jeanie. She tells Willow that they can’t talk during class and Willow follows the rules after that. They start sitting together at lunch and soon become friends!
Willow has a huge secret. She’s a genie in training! As a genie in training, Willow has to practice granting wishes. While in gym class she hears Jeanie wish they were playing anything other than dodgeball. Poof! Wish granted! Thanks to the magic lamp necklace around Willow’s neck, they no longer need to play dodgeball. This earns Willow a badge from the genie organization that tracks her progress and makes Jeanie extremely happy. Jeanie finds out that Willow is a genie and agrees to not tell anyone as that would mean Willow couldn’t become a genie anymore. From them on, they become even closer friends.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is all about learning to make new friends with someone who is your complete opposite. There are also extremely cute illustrations by Manuela Lopez. This is definitely a great, fast and easy read for the summer! I look forward to reading the next book!
February 2, 2024
Why I chose this book: I chose this book for our library's Battle of the Books. I was looking for something that was on the shorter side for 3rd graders that had representation of characters of color.
Brief summary: Jeanie meets the new girl in school, Willow. At first, they don't get along because of their differences. Jeanie likes to be organized and follow the rules while Willow's energy and enthusiasm make it hard for her to notice rules. Jeanie gets annoyed by Willow, but she feels empathy for her being the new kid, so she reaches out to be her friend. Their friendship blooms, and Willow shares her secret with Jeanie: she's actually a . . . GENIE!
What I like about this book: This short book is the first in the series, Jeanie and Genie. I like that the book is a short chapter book, perfect for emerging readers who want something more interesting and fun than an Easy Reader, but aren't yet ready for bigger chapter books. There are illustrations on every page, and the font is big. I love finding books like this that have good stories because often times shorter chapter books for new readers don't have the most engaging storylines, but Jeanie and Willow are fun characters, and I like the fantastical element with Willow being a genie.
Brief summary: Jeanie meets the new girl in school, Willow. At first, they don't get along because of their differences. Jeanie likes to be organized and follow the rules while Willow's energy and enthusiasm make it hard for her to notice rules. Jeanie gets annoyed by Willow, but she feels empathy for her being the new kid, so she reaches out to be her friend. Their friendship blooms, and Willow shares her secret with Jeanie: she's actually a . . . GENIE!
What I like about this book: This short book is the first in the series, Jeanie and Genie. I like that the book is a short chapter book, perfect for emerging readers who want something more interesting and fun than an Easy Reader, but aren't yet ready for bigger chapter books. There are illustrations on every page, and the font is big. I love finding books like this that have good stories because often times shorter chapter books for new readers don't have the most engaging storylines, but Jeanie and Willow are fun characters, and I like the fantastical element with Willow being a genie.
September 15, 2021
Just finished this as a read aloud for my first grade class. The premise is great! Genies are an untapped market in kidlit in my opinion. However, the utter confusion between Jeanie the character and willow the genie made parts of this book really challenging for students to follow. I think sometimes adults come up with these ideas and yeah, it's cute for the genie to have a friend named Jeanie. But I also think it makes this book less accessible to some readers because of the unnecessary confusion.
I would also say this was not a particularly fast moving plot. We don't find out willow is a genie until chapter 7 or 8? And the hints aren't super apparent (though you could turn that into a good inferencing lesson).
We liked it overall, just didn't love it. .
I would also say this was not a particularly fast moving plot. We don't find out willow is a genie until chapter 7 or 8? And the hints aren't super apparent (though you could turn that into a good inferencing lesson).
We liked it overall, just didn't love it. .
October 7, 2022
The first in a series, this story about a second-grader and her new friend is told in unusual-for-chapter-books alternating points of view. It's what you'd expect for the target age, introductions to a bunch of characters and a first meeting of the main characters. Homework, dodgeball, new schools, and the all the other terrors of being 7-1/2. No flashes of brilliance in the art or the writing, but a perfectly recommendable story for new readers.
May 12, 2024
Cute story about friendship with a slight fantasy bent. I think, at least in this first book, the Genie aspect was handled really well without it being about getting lots of stuff or going overboard. This series has been popular at our library so I wanted to read at least the first one, and I was not disappointed for it being any early chapter book!
November 2, 2021
I thought this was so cute! I really enjoyed the differences between Jeanie and Willow and how they still found an adorable friendship. I also love how accessible the magical elements are. I think this is great for the younger kids at work!
September 5, 2023
Recommended by Emily! For lovers of Christine Evans' Wish Library series and Jennifer Torres' Catalina Incognito series.
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...
Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...
January 7, 2024
This book is called "Jeanie and Genie - The First Wish, By Trish Granted. This exclusive, magical, and elaborate book is amazing. This book is the story of two friends. What I like about this book is that there is magic and genies. I rate this book 5 golden stars. This book is my favorite.
March 7, 2021
This was a great read along, perfect for a second/third grade reader to read aloud with a parent. Cute story!
March 15, 2021
Such an adorable new series for 1st-3rd graders! Jeanie & Genie by Trish Granted is simple & sweet; full of magic & friendship. And the darling illustrations add so much to every page!
August 15, 2025
Because why not add books that Eliza and I read together? Love that this is about second graders.
October 30, 2025
This book is cute. I believe any young girl would love it.
March 17, 2022
They both were cute girls but I wish the pages were
LONGER and not as many pictures because I’m 8
LONGER and not as many pictures because I’m 8
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews