How to Ditch Your Fairy

by Justine Larbalestier, Kate Atkinson (Narrator)

Grade Level: 7-9 Age Level: 12-14 Listening Level: Grades 7-9

If you lived in a world where everyone had a personal fairy, what kind would you want?

* A clothes-shopping fairy (The perfect outfit will always be on sale!)
* A loose-change fairy (Pretty self-explanatory.)
* A never-getting-caught fairy (You can get away with anything. . . .)

Unfortunately for Charlie, she’s stuck with a parking fairy — if she’s in the car, the driver will find the perfect parking spot. Tired of being treated like a personal parking pass, Charlie devises a plan to ditch her fairy for a more useful model. At first, teaming up with her archenemy (who has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy) seems like a good idea. But Charlie soon learns there are consequences for messing with fairies — and she will have to resort to extraordinary measures to set things right again.

“Welcome to your new obsession! Not only will you believe in fairies after reading this book, you will know what kind you have.” — Maureen Johnson, author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Teen, Fairies, Romance, Urban Fantasy

7 pages, MP3 CD

First published September 16, 2008

About the author

Justine Larbalestier is an Australian young-adult fiction author. She is best known for the Magic or Madness trilogy: Magic or Madness, Magic Lessons and the newly released Magic's Child. She also wrote one adult non-fiction book, the Hugo-nominated The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction (Best Related Book, 2003), and edited another, Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century.

Her surname has been pronounced in several different ways, but the FAQ on her website says that Lar-bal-est-ee-air is correct:

Q: How do you pronounce your surname? A: Lar-bal-est-ee-air. It can also be pronounced Lar-bal-est-ee-ay or Lar-bal-est-ee-er. Those are all fine by me. Friends at school used to pronounce it: Lavaworm. I have to really like you to let you get away with that one, but.

Larbalestier was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She now alternates living between Sydney and New York City.

In 2001, Justine married fellow author Scott Westerfeld.

Reviews

[Steph (Reviewer X) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, crap, this is gonna be a long one.

Favorite thing: The world building. Top notch. Now, I’m not sure this is fantasy so much as it is ... I don’t know. Supernatural? Futuristic...something? What’s the term?! It didn’t feel like fantasy anyhow, this New Avalon place. In many ways, it was inspiring to read about it—not only because of what was original (fairies), but also because certain aspects of their society are blatantly (or subtly, depending on how you view it...) parallel to existent ones of nowadays. Ahem:

Prefixing any and all celebrity names with Our (example: Our Hilary Swank), thus indicating that they belong to the general public.

Many celebrities only gaining such status because they’re charismatic (cue charisma fairy) rather than because they’re talented. (Though this would’ve been interesting to see some Ours whose only claim to fame was their family’s money. ;))

New Avalon being the world’s richest city, with the highest number of native kick-ass athletes, scientists, celebrities, etc. In turn, its citizens are rather ignorant about cities beyond theirs and are pretty much hated by outsiders.

This last one is why Steffi (nickname: really?), a boy (again, really? With that nickname??) from the west coast, was one of my favorite characters—his didn’t take their shit. That was downright useful because, as Leila of bookshelves of doom noted, Steffi “allows for more explanation of How Things Work in New Avalon [and] also allows the reader to get a bit of a picture about [how] it is viewed from the outside” through his social criticisms.

The fairies were also a nice touch. (Also the first I’ve seen in a while spelled “fairy” rather than “faerie”—anyone know the difference? Is it like vampire and vampyre?) I especially liked that some people didn’t believe in them, and some didn’t even have them. I think at one point one of the characters was described as “agnostic” about their existence, which made me think of fairies as something higher than just luck-induced.

But, all of this brought on this novel’s shortcomings.

The first half introduced all of this, which is why I was so excited—a story that’s fun to read but also carries a powerful thought-provoking undercurrents? Finally! *whiney voice* I wannnnniiiit! This is why I liked the Uglies books by Justine’s husband, Scott Westerfeld. I thought, Now see, that’s how it’s done.

...and then came the second half, which moved the plot forward but left any meaning this novel had behind.

I have no idea what the conclusion Steffi’s thing was. He has one major confrontation with Charlie and tells her to kindly remove her head from up her ass, but nothing comes of it, and then he just drops dead and becomes negative space for the rest of the novel. As far as I know, this is a standalone, so... I mean... I don’t understand. I didn’t expect Steffi to change the world, but aside from Charlie expressing interest in visiting his hometown one day, his spiel changed nothing. While momentarily interesting to read about, I’m left wondering, if nada came out of it, what was the point?

Then there’s the unmoving fairy situation. You get Fio’s mother, Tamsin, rambling on and on about the ethical nature of fairies, and how changing and/or ditching your fairy might have repercussions, but ultimately nothing happens. Charlie does everything you could possibly do with a fairy—trades it, loses it, and in the end, just grows a new one. If it’s that easy, then I can understand Tamsin’s hesitation with publishing her book—it would turn the nature of fairies commercial. Not satisfied? Oh, just get a new one. Forget what you were born with. Treat it like we people nowadays treat our bodies—plastic surgery all around. Which, come to think of it, would’ve been another nice lil’ parallel Justine could’ve drawn.

Point is, she didn’t. There are no consequences to switching fairies. The ideas introduced by characters who don’t believe in fairies in the first place were left untouched. Absolutely nothing happened other than Charlie ending up with a better fairy than she started out with, without losing sleep over it. So much for “possible consequences”.

And then there’s Andrew “Danders” Anders. ...what was with that subplot? What happens?!! We get no explanation for his bizarre behavior, no development on the charges that principal lady confided in Charlie about him, and no seemingly passable reason for his ... impediments. Again, there is no resolution!!

I loved the setup; I loved the writing; and I liked the characters well enough, despite many not getting nearly as much development as they should’ve (*cough* Steffi *cough*), not to mention some needing a new name (*cough* Fiorenze *cough*). (How do you pronounce that anyway??) I don’t feel like it was a waste of time to read this like I would’ve with any other novel with so many plot holes, but it still left me largely exasperated. Unless there’s a sequel in the works, I don’t understand how...like, what—I just don’t understand.

So if you do read it, focus on the witty nature of the language (shrug off any weird slang—there are some clever terms, but some of them are very ...), but don’t think too much about it. Even if your initial reaction is that it’s safe to be going deep over this, it’s not. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Not sure whether to recommend this one or not. I assume many have read it already, if the high sales rank on Amazon and BN are any indication, not to mention all the reviews. Take what you will from this review. Was I charmed with the surface, left untapped with the essence? I honestly don’t know how I feel about the whole of this book. It is a fun book; maybe it was never intended to be anything more. But that still doesn’t excuse some of the plot holes.

P.S. What was up with the teeth sucking? What the hell is that?

P.P.S. Who thinks the cover could have been better considering this is the title Bloomsbury is pushing this season?


Blog review link: http://reviewerx.blogspot.com/2008/10...

[Kiri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was lent to me on audio which was a mistake - not the lending the having to listen. I was looking forward to this book because it just sounded cute. Not to mention the cover looked interesting. (yes I know.. reading a book for the cover is like trying wine for the label/bottle - dicey at best) The story started out well then fell apart. By the end it felt like the author had gotten a phone call about the deadline and went uh.. ok we'll do this and this and ok done! and popped it in the mail. *sigh* That isn't even going into the plot entrails that never got off the ground or resolved. But what really made this a chore to get through was the narrator. I kept turning this off just to get a break from the voice.

Heads up to the audiobook industry - there are people with lovely voices who have taken the time to train those voices and are amazing at doing audio work. PLEASE USE THEM. Please do not use this woman again or I will have to come down to your offices and explain exactly why this is a bad business decision for your company in person. As a bonus I'll bring audio and powerpoint presentation - there will not be cookies.

Gee.. wasn't this a cheery review.

[Maven_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier is a quirky, imaginative young adult fantasy set in the unusual city of New Avalon, where every teenager has a personal fairy that bestows a very specific kind of luck, everything from perfect parking spots to loose change to all the boys liking you. Fourteen‑year‑old Charlie (Charlotte) Steele is stuck with a parking fairy, which feels nearly useless to her (especially since she hates cars and can’t even drive), and she’s desperate to trade it for something she thinks will improve her life, like a clothes‑shopping fairy or one that helps with romantic attention.

When Charlie teams up with her rival Fiorenze (whose “all‑the‑boys‑like‑you” fairy has already won her the attention of Charlie’s crush), she discovers that trying to ditch or swap fairies leads to a series of escalating and often hilarious mishaps that make her rethink what she truly wants, how she feels about her friends, and what “magic” really means in her world.

This book charmed me with its off‑beat humor and vibrant imagination: Larbalestier builds a world that feels familiar yet delightfully strange, where adolescence is literalized through fairies that solve mundane problems (or create them) and where teenage insecurity meets magical wish‑fulfillment in sharp, witty prose. Charlie’s voice feels totally alive with dry humor, irritation, and that honest mix of self‑doubt and boldness that makes her a protagonist you can root for even when her schemes go spectacularly sideways.

I was especially taken by how the story uses these fairies not just as fun fantasy mechanics but as a clever mirror for teen anxieties about belonging, popularity, and desire: Charlie’s fixation on someone else’s fairy is both funny and sincere, and her growth toward appreciating what she has felt genuinely touching. The invented slang and glossary add texture and laughter to the reading experience, making New Avalon feel like a place full of its own language and logic rather than a simple alternative Earth.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars. I’m giving How to Ditch Your Fairy four stars because it’s a refreshingly funny, creative coming‑of‑age story that made me smile and think about how often we wish for what we don’t have, only to discover that what matters most is learning to appreciate ourselves and the people around us.

Charlie’s journey toward that realization and the strange, magical chaos that accompanies it made this one feel like a genuinely fun and thoughtful read, especially for lovers of character‑driven YA with a whimsical twist.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to think that Larbalestier should give up the novel business and become a professional blogger. Other than Liar (which was phenomenal), it looks like her novels are going to be mostly mediocre. Her blog, however, is actually really cool. It's probably my favorite author blog since Phoebe North stopped blogging, and it's the primary reason I'm gonna continue reading Larbalestier novels. But I've accepted, at this point, that none of them are going to be even remotely as good as Liar was. This book isn't bad, but it is very boring.

Really, I'm having a lot of trouble thinking of anything to say at all. It's a little like Maureen Johnson in that there's just a lack of notable content here. (Magic or Madness was the same way.) The premise is pretty forgettable: in Charlie's world, everybody has a fairy that helps them with different things. Charlie has a fairy that helps her get parking spots, and the book is about her wacky hi-jinks trying to get a better one. Maybe this book would've worked better if said hi-jinks were actually funny, but the tone is more just light. Charlie is a pretty well-developed character, but her story is so trivial that it's hard to get any real investment in her, and the book isn't funny enough to make up for it. There's just nothing that makes it stand out.

From my general criteria, this isn't a bad book. The worldbuilding is logical and avoids infodumps; Charlie is a well-rendered character with a nice voice; the plot moves briskly; the prose isn't bad. But there's not enough memorable content. This is probably the shortest review I've written in the last couple years, simply because there's so little to say. I do strongly recommend Liar, and Larbalestier's blog is a real gem. Alas, this is not a gem at all.

This review can also be found on my blog.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Ditch Your Fairy is a very cute book!
It's for a middle grade audience.
Our protagonist is Charlie (short for Charlotte), who is 14.
In Charlie's world, many people have fairies -- unseen beings who help their human in some way.
Charlie's best friend has a shopping fairy.
Another friend has a never-get-into-trouble fairy.
But Charlie has a parking fairy -- no matter where she goes, she will get the perfect parking spot.
Charlie can't drive, and she's sick of being a passenger for anyone who wants a great parking spot.

So this story is about how Charlie tries to get rid of her fairy.
It's pretty funny, and the things Charlie does get a little more outrageous as the book goes on.
And of course, there is the usual teen angst & parental issues that go with being a new teen.
I really liked this story!

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

The story was face paced at times and really dragged through other parts. Overall, it's cute and those interested in "other worlds" and magic would like this read.

However, the "other world" is poorly constructed. The invented language is not done well and not interesting (in fact, it's just frustrating to read since it's so poorly done). The characters are hit and miss, and I didn't find myself caring a bit about Charlie. I thought she was a bit of a whiner. Perhaps most irritating, though, were the lists starting each chapter. It was like Briget Jones and even the Georgia Nicolson series, but, it had no purpose and no introduction. It was trying to be trendy and fell flat. Larbalestier's writing and story telling leave a lot to be desired, but the concept is enough to hold readers. Although it could have been moralistic and in a sense did get that way (in thinking that what someone else has is better than what you have), she avoids it at the end with some other strange lesson akin to if you whine enough, you'll get what you want without repercussion. Hmmm...

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a true giggle, set in a country that's not really Australia and not really the United States but sure seems similar to both. At New Avalon, kids work hard and go to very specialized schools, the center of this book being New Avalon Sports High, where they spend 10 hour days being monitored for everything (including calorie and protein intake, etc) and training in all manner of sports (well, mostly summer sports since it doesn't ever snow in NA) and taking classes like statistics (such as figuring batting averages) and PR (how to spin it when your client tests positive for drugs after wining a big bike race), etc. Most of them, however, are helped out by their fairies (not everyone has them, but most do). But not Charlie--her fairy is a parking fairy, and since she's 14 so therefore doesn't drive and actually hates cars, this fairy is useless to her but results in her getting drug along by all and sundry who want to get a parking space when they go places. Not her idea of a good time. She wants a fairy like her best friend's (a shopping fairy, making she finds the best outfits for pennies) or the new kid around the block who has a "never get into trouble" fairy. She's been trying to starve her fairy (60 days walking everywhere when the book opens), but it just isn't working fast enough for her. Her desperation has her turning to some unexpected people and suffering some very wild consequences--all very funny.

I like the fact that the kids in this book are all tremendous achievers who are very dedicated to the lives they have chosen. I did struggle with some of the made up vocabulary in the book because I didn't discover the glossary until I finished the book (though I was happy to discover I wasn't as old and out of the slang loops as I thought--I had harbored deep suspicions that all teenagers used these words and just didn't know it. lol) I also found it interesting trivia that Larbalestier is Scott Westerfeld's (author of the hugely popular Uglies series for young adults) wife. I've never read him, so I have no idea how their writing styles compare, but talk about your successful households!

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie has a parking fairy. For a fourteen-year-old who can’t even drive, a parking fairy is pretty useless. Charlie would much rather have a shopping fairy like her best friend or even a bathroom fairy. At least that way she’d never have to go to the restroom in the middle of a movie. Charlie always smells like gasoline and people constantly bug her to go places with them so they can benefit from her fairy and get great parking spaces. Charlie has had enough. She has decided - NO - vowed to get rid of her fairy.

One way Charlie thinks she can ditch her fairy is to prevent it from doing its job. She isn’t going to ride in any vehicle until her fairy is gone. The problem? Walking everywhere is causing her to be late to school so she is racking up demerits faster than she can get ride of them.

Another situation causing Charlie stress is a new boy at school. Steffi is handsome, interesting, and seems to be showing interest in her. UNTIL he sees Fiorenza and her stupid “All The Boys Like You” fairy.

Charlie develops a drastic plan. She even teams up with her nemesis, Fiorenza, to take care of her fairy problem once and for all.

HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY by Justine Larbalestier is a delightful story about fairies, friendship, and first love. Some nonsense words are interspersed throughout the book to replace selected vocabulary. Determining the meaning of a word is easy by using the context of the sentence, but for those who want to be sure, there is a glossary at the back of the book. The author has even included a cool list of common fairies.

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

You had me at parking fairy, but you lost me with the rest of the book.

Charlie is a sports loving girl in the city of New Avalon who has a problem. You see, everyone seems to have a fairy. These fairies are invisible, and are like the angels in Timothy Zahn's Angelmass in that they influence things. What they do varies from fairy to fairy. One girl has a shopping fairy, which lets her get beautiful clothing for criminally low prices. Another has one that makes all the boys her age like her.

Charlie has a fairy that lets her get a good parking spot.

She wants to get rid of it, and this starts off an adventure.

But God, there are so many problems with this book that it's not funny.

First is Charlie. I'm going to be blunt here, she's as dumb as a sack of rocks. Fairies in this book can be horrible curses. The boy catching one winds up making the girl totally isolated, unable to even talk to boys as well as hated by girls. Yet Charlie dislikes the girl who has it because it gets in the way of the boy she has a crush on. There's worse, later on: Not only does she willingly trade fairies with the girl, she actually likes the attention despite knowing how the girl was hated. It takes her nearly getting attacked to change her mind. This isn't all. The ending is a big WTF because of this. She begs for another fairy and gets one. Why after all the hell the last two made her suffer?

She also didn't seem to have much of a core to her. She has personality, but her only goal seems to be to get rid of her fairy. This ties in with another bad thing, her school. Honestly, her school could easily be seen as a dystopia. You can get suspended or expelled with enough demerits, but you get demerits for doing things like not eating enough protein, wearing smelly gym clothes, being late to class, talking in class, passing notes, and a lot more. Around 800 offenses total. The only way to get rid of them is by public service. Apparently this is an elite sports school in a popular city, but Charlie never gives a reason why she is there. She's just likes the rules and buys into the school's philosophy, but it's not stated she wants to be anything that would make her want to put up with it. It makes her feel empty.

The fairy idea isn't handled well, either. The fairies are invisible and only interact with the world by whatever talent they bestow. It's not explained why they do this, what their origin is, what rules exist if any save for banishing them, in which the rules are so arbitrary as to be inconsistent. Why would carrots do anything? or why the larger society does little to nothing to regulate them. You'd think a society which has members whose fairies can violate causality in some seriously insane matters would be regulated more. Get any boy your age to fall in love with you, regardless of their true feelings, for example. No matter what the original price, force any shop to sell you at not even below cost goods. Somehow reserve in space and time a specific parking space. Force every authority figure to ignore punishing you or punish you lightly.

They are inconsistent too, especially the ending. Good Lord, the ending is bad. Charlie asks for and gets easily a new fairy that makes her perfect at sports. This is idiotic-wasn't the point of the boy catching bad because it prevented people from falling in love naturally? Wont the sports fairy make it impossible for her to enjoy the discipline of sports she loves so? The ending makes hash of any moral or unity the book had. But it wasn't consistent to begin with; are fairies a curse or a blessing? Clothes shopping okay, boy catching bad? The book doesn't pick a side, and it suffers for it.

She also creates some slang, which I get the idea of-she wants to make teens that sound vaguely British-but it's silly at times. Pulchritudinous-try even saying that. She has a good grasp on what teens sound like, but the slang makes it a little hard to take.

It just doesn't work well. There's a single jock who bugs Charlie to use her parking talent, but he literally speaks in two word sentences. He comes across like he's mentally retarded, for an odd reason that doesn't make any sense. The plot is weird-the girls turn to luge as a solution, and apparently academics write their books and lock them in boxes. I guess word processors don't exist. The love interest, Stefan aka Steffi feels odd too-he wavers between kissing and berating Charlie's city.

I was looking forwards to the unique theme, but the rest of the book disappointed me hard. I'd say pass on this, unless you like really quirky fiction.

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly as bad as I remember. This is a middle grade book and I have to keep that in mind, but it is still awful. The MC is obsessed with herself and her town in a weird way, she’s oh so small and no one likes her and she HATES her fairy for a stupid reason so she’s being stupid about it. And there’s a weird kidnapping plot that’s kind of like brushed off as this is supposed to be funny, and while the guy is sort of caught it’s NOT FOR THAT? For a school with so many rules it’s insane that somehow they let people get away with that. I hated the weird slang and the worldbuilding “oh it’s not America or Australia but something different” you don’t need to be special just pick one. The parents were also absent and there in that way that it’s clear the author didn’t know how to write them in. They’re “gone all the time” but conveniently there when the MC needs them, and that’s it.

So I hated it. Disliked book is supposed to be maybe you’ll see something differently the second time around but tbh it was as I expected

[pauliree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't initially put this on my to-read list for the AWW2012 challenge as I hadn't heard of Justine before, but I found this at the library and decided to go ahead and add it.

The story is set in New Avalon, a fictional city set in a mish-mash world of Australian and Americanisms. There is cricket, rugby, luge and waterpolo, as well as quokkas and other odd things so it is a little more Australian than anything else, but there is something there that doesn't appear in our world, fairies.

Charlie, the main protagonist, is stuck with a parking fairy (I personally would love a parking fairy). She hates travelling by car and her life is constantly interrupted by people wanting to travel with them just so they can get a good park. So she goes on a campaign to get rid of her fairy by walking everywhere. Unfortunately there are several things conspiring against her, such as Danders Anders who keeps kidnapping her so he can get a good park in the city.

She soon finds out that there are worse things in the world than a parking fairy and the basic moral of this tale is be careful what you wish for.

The book is quite juvenile, with the main protagonist around 14, so the romance is more puppy love than anything else. The problems are early teen, and there is not a lot of self reflection. The author has made an attempt to increase the alien style landscape by giving the characters different ways of saying things, such as instead of someone being a spunk they are pulchy (short for pulchitrudinous - excuse the spelling but I listened to this and couldn't be bothered looking up a dictionary)

There are a lot of things I liked about this but there were also a few things that annoyed me. Charlie's almost hatred of cars was something I was very unfamiliar with as most people I know can't wait to get their license and I guess my interest in getting my own parking fairy quite influenced me in thinking Charlie was a little mad.

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be really cute. It's definitely geared more towards younger teens I would say, but even as a 30 something I enjoyed it.

The author has created a whole new alternate world, that has similarities to ours, but vast differences as well. Of course, the most prominent being the existence of fairies, but also there is a whole new "slang" for the kids in the book. Doos is cool and injured is uncool and so on. Luckily, the author has put a glossary of sorts in the back of the book if you get confused. I found out I caught on fairly quickly however.

One of the things I love most about YA books, is how they somehow manage to sneak such valuable life lessons in what most teens would just consider a fun book. The lesson I loved the most in this book was that you don't always know what people are dealing with in their own life and you shouldn't judge them so harshly. The main character and at least one of the supporting characters learn this lesson first hand and bring to light that what you think is fantastic and wonderful, might be someone's worst nightmare. There's also a bit of "be careful what you wish for" in there.

I think this book is perfect for people who enjoy YA fiction, especially fantasy. If you like fairies you might enjoy this book, but the fairies weren't as prevalent as I imagined they would be.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie is more than a little obsessed with New Avalon Sport High, a school with a strict regime and little patience for infractions. Every student at New Avalon is or has proven to be a stellar athlete on their way to fame (at least New Avalon fame) and life in the public eye. They’re exceptional competitors, but there’s something even more curious about New Avalonians that separates them from the rest of society—even those living on the other side of the coast: they have personal fairies.

Fairies can do anything from keeping you from getting lost, making sure you never have a bad hair day, or, if you’re Charlie, will guarantee a great parking spot. Charlie doesn’t drive, nor does she have to be the one driving for her fairy to work. She is frequently exploited for her fairy not just by friends, but by her own mother. Charlie hates cars. Charlie hates her fairy and is willing to do whatever it takes to get rid of it. Call it her new obsession.

How to Ditch Your Fairy is a clever and sarcastic experiment combining the awkward horrors of adolescence with the magic of fairies. And it works. Charlie has enough trouble dealing with her own mediocrity in the sports arena—her fairy only makes things worse. This “everything goes wrong” tale is vaguely reminiscent of a teenage version of “Bridget Jones’ Diary” (sans Darcy). Danders Anders may not be Hugh Grant (the wicked and alluring Bad Boy who plays with Bridget’s emotions and then tramples them), but he’s certainly as vile and selfish, if in an incredulously unbelievable whack-a-doo way. His random kidnappings may be frightening when given more than a cursory thought, but Larbalestier’s sharp wit and command over the humor brings a desperate, yet resigned perspective to the situation. What else is Charlie to do when the authorities are notorious for favoring promising athletes like Danders Anders?

Larbalestier uses Charlie’s frustration to examine the grass on the other side—which, as I’m sure we all know, is always greener. There’s Fiorenze, the misunderstood girl who’s popular with the boys, but only because of her fairy and Charlie who can’t even get the friendly neighbor boy to notice her. Naturally Charlie loathes Fiorenze and her luck without realizing the poor girl might have problems of her own. It’s a touching comedy about overcoming prejudice, finding common ground, and doing the very thing teenagers struggle to do every day: make friends and realize the world is infinitely more complicated than might appear at first glance. Above and beyond all of that, it’s a hilarious take on one teen’s struggle to discover what she really wants.

The characters are equably entertaining, with humorous scenarios built to encourage Charlie’s antics while reminding us of how desperate she really is. The dynamic between her, best friend Rochelle, and later with Fiorenze gives the narrative a biting, polished appeal. Their dialogue is punctuated with enough Australian and New Avalonian slang to immerse readers into Larbalstier’s part-Australian, part-American world that’s every bit as fast-paced, mercurial, and confusing as any teenage domain. Although she doesn’t just leave these strange new words to context. The story benefits from a glossary that aptly describes Charlie’s language (charming words like “doos” or “pulchritudinous.”).

I was very impressed with Larbalestier’s command of the language—it’s difficult to capture dialogue and colloquialisms, let alone retain a touch of accent without throwing in absurdities like a Getting Out Of Trouble Fairy or impromptu bobsled endeavors and keep a sense of momentum and comedic timing. The laugh factor was fairly high in an endearing sort of way as Charlie never seems to get a break. I began to wonder if she didn’t have a Bad Luck Fairy for all the lousy situations she stumbled into. She didn’t even let her parents (obtuse and oblivious as they can be at this stage in a girl’s life) get in the way. Her determination is admirable as she plods on with her ludicrous schemes amidst what only adults could call outrageous solutions to minor, inconsequential problems. For Charlie it isn’t a matter of what, bur rather a facetious question of why her parents clearly don’t see the direness of the situation and switch their priorities accordingly.

The book is not without some fault. The idea of personal fairies isn’t developed further than what is required to navigate Charlie’s immediate world. Not everyone has one (there is little to no explanation for this, only theories), nor does it seem that the world outside of New Avalon is even aware of them. Their existence was sudden and unexplained, albeit an interesting take on the abstraction of “luck.” And the inward, obsessive eye of New Avalon disallows for any contextual world-building beyond the city limits. This, at least, makes sense and works well with the eventual conflict between Charlie and Steffi. A little more perspective would have been nice, but I’m perfectly fine believing Charlie’s little pocket of the world is every bit as weird and isolated in their self-obsession that Steffi states it is.

What if some kids had one thing that made them stand out compared to everyone else? What if others excelled at life’s little oddities (finding loose change, always being on time) and the rest believed in making their own luck? How to Ditch Your Fairy is all of this and more. It’s a light-hearted book about discovering one’s niche despite some of the most troubling aspects of adolescence with a seductively droll appeal sure to entice Louise Rennison fans (Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging and other Georgia Nicolson books) and new readers alike. Liar, Justine Larbalestier’s latest release, has the ambiance of a more serious story. Not having read it yet, I can’t compare the writing, but encourage trying this book for a change of pace.

[Eilonwy · Rating 2 out of 5]

14-year-old Charlie lives in the fabulous city of New Avalon in a world where most people have a personal fairy of some sort. The abilities granted by the fairies vary quite a bit, and include such things as allowing you to hear only music you like no matter what's playing, guaranteeing you'll never be late for anything, or you'll always find loose change when you need it, or granting you great hair every day. Charlie's fairy, however, is a parking fairy, and unlike her friend Rochelle's clothes shopping fairy, this fairy works well for other people, putting Charlie in high demand among her family members and neighbors who drive a lot. Charlie doesn't even like cars. So she decides to get rid of her fairy by walking everywhere -- which leads to the events of the story.

I don't know what to say about this book. It seems to be very cute and lighthearted, but I ended up getting absorbed by its weirdly dystopian vibe, which I wasn't sure was intentional on the author's part. I found a whole slew of things in this book uncomfortable and slightly disturbing, such as:

* The kids in New Avalon get streamed into specialized schools very early, at about 10 or 11 years old: you can go to a Sports school like Charlie does, or an Arts school, like her sister does. If you aren't outstanding at anything, you go to a Talentless school. There is apparently no such thing as being able to like both sports and arts, or being well-rounded.

* You go to school for 10 hours a day! And then have tons of homework after that. And the school has a gazillion rules, many of which continue to apply when you're not even on campus. And I mean rules about stuff that isn't any of the school's business. I don't think I would have lasted 10 minutes in this place.

* Charlie is incessantly bullied by a boy who needs her to help him get parking spaces while he does errands all over town, during the school day. She gets huge numbers of demerits for missing classes, but is terrified to complain about him because he's expected to be wildly famous as soon as he gets out of school and she's convinced she'll be in big trouble, but not him, because New Avalon is so celebrity-mad plus he'll probably give the school loads of money and the school will not want to alienate him. She, however, is only average by the school's lights, and is therefore not worthy of defense. Great social values, eh? I think this plot thread was supposed to be satirical, but I found Charlie's powerlessness in this situation extremely triggering, so I can't judge it objectively.

* Girls who have "all the boys will like you" fairies get into trouble for fighting off boys who go overboard in their reactions -- but the boys don't seem to get into trouble. Again, satirical, but also felt problematic.

* Last, and highly, highly offensive to me as an athlete, people with fairies who help them win at sports are considered perfectly legitimate, and are not shuffled off into leagues for people with unfair advantages. It's one thing to be naturally tall or small or well-coordinated, but it's another thing entirely to my mind to have a "can't lose your grip" fairy or a fairy that helps you catch every ball thrown your way without your having to even practice or try particularly hard. Arrrgh!

So, I don't think I read this book at all the way the author intended. I was rooting for some kind of overthrow of this shallow, authoritarian, fame-mad city, but sadly, it never happened. The story does have its charms, however, and I expect more people will find it cute than will see it with my twisted interpretation.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Ditch Your Fairy is more fun than popping bubble wrap but still offers brain food, making it a highly accessible book both in and out of the classroom.
In New Avalon, almost everyone has a personal fairy that gives a particular brand of luck – but 14-year-old Charlie’s perfect parking fairy is more harm than help; she’s not old enough to drive herself and she’s sick of people borrowing her when they need to find a good parking spot. The lengths she’ll go to in order to ditch her fairy and (hopefully) find a new one make for a hilarious novel.
Every character – from Charlie’s friend Rochelle, with an enviable clothes-shopping fairy, to Steffi, with an even more enviable never-getting-into-trouble fairy he’s convinced isn’t real – crackles with personality. Dialogue is fresh, fast and funny, and Charlie sparkles with dry humour – you can’t help but be drawn to this unlikely heroine. The usage of invented words gives the novel added individuality – HTDYF is a great read for girls in lower secondary years, with adventure, romance, friendship and sport adding to the appeal of this wonderful novel.
The concept of a world much like our own except with personal fairies (equalling added troubles) prompts reflection into our own lives. In the classroom, discussion topics may be based around what life would be like in a society like New Avalon (having a fairy, regimented life at the Sports High, their self-obsession) as well as looking into Charlie’s personal journey throughout the novel (from hating Fiorenze to experiencing life in her shoes, the questionable validity of things earned through fairy-magic).
Overall, HTDYF is a superb novel, further confirming Larbalestier as an exceptional author of young adult literature.

[Narrelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book! Vivid characters - strong gals, lively guys, flawed parental figures, all facing challenges and working out how to be better people. I suppose the theme could be summarised as 'be careful what you wish for'. The world-building is terrific - it's a very clear, well laid-out universe, populated with a multicultural cast and all genders and persuasions. What's particularly good about that last part is that it's very fluid and natural and never becomes burdened by being heavy-handed and 'worthy'. I love Larbalestier's use of sophisticated vocab as slang for the students at New Avalon. I suppose I should say what it's about. It's about a girl who has a parking fairy, and she doesn't want it. The rest of the book is her trying to divest herself of this unseen and unwanted helper, acquire a better one (like, say, a clothes-buying fairy, or an 'always has good hair' fairy), attract the attentions of the boy she likes, make the basketball team at school, stop earning demerit points and thus be able to play her other sports, and otherwise survive the school term.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

How To Ditch Your Fairy is written by such a great author - so what went wrong? I was excited to read this book but now I have I am so thankful that I borrowed it from the library. Because, truth be told, I don't think I want to pay money for it.

Oh it's sweet, quirky and blah blah. But sort of 'sweet' in a *gag* kind of way and quirky in a *raise an eyebrow* kind of way.

In short, I could not relate to any of the characters and wanted to tell Charlie to suck it up. She was extremely whinny. I want to introduce her to, say, Tyler from Laurie Halse Anderson's 'Twisted' and say, "You think YOU'VE got troubles?"

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just all out fun. It is a futuristic society where people have fairies that attach to them. The fairies give them gifts. Some fairies can be good to have, such as the Shopping fairy. Other fairies are not so good to have, such as the All Boys Will Like You Fairy or the Parking Fairy. Charlie and her friends learn all the good and not so good things about fairies in this book. There is a glossary in the back that would be useful to read first. Too bad they didn't put it at the beginning of the book....

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and had an interesting setting that kept me involved. Basically, in this world everyone has an invisible fairy (most everyone) and they do certain things for you such as - find a parking spot every where you go, or make all the boys your age fall in love with you. There's problems that arise with these two fairies in particular and two girls team up to figure out how to rid themselves of these nuisances of fairies.

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to listen to. Especially since I was recently in Australia and the reader's accent was Australian. The plot was funny and different - in this world everyone has a fairy and the main character wants to get rid of her parking fairy (always finds the perfect parking spot) for something better - like a shopping fairy or boy fairy. Worth the read...er...listen.

[Yacine N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

CHARACTER

The people that you least expect in the story, turn out to relate to the character more than ever. Even if they are the villain or archenemy.

Example: “I don’t have any friends,” Fiorenze said. “Except boys. And Rochelle. But she’s friends with everyone.”
“So why me?” I said again, to make her answer my question.
“Because you know what it’s like to have a fairy you hate. You’re serious about getting rid of it. You’re the only one I can share this with.”

Fiorenze was Charlie’s archenemy, but it turns out that both of them can relate to each other and also the problems that they each face.


The characters or mostly main characters almost always have a love interest.

Example: I looked at him. He was smiling. The warmth of it made me smile too. I wished I could stop liking him.
ALSO
He shifted a little closer to me and I got this weird sensation like I could feel where he was even though we weren’t actually touching. Tingly I told myself to shift away, but my body didn’t listen.

Even though Charlie tries not to show that she likes Steffi, her thoughts and her actions just say it all. So without saying it, the author shows it to us.


Magical creatures that are not visible, and cause problems for the characters. Even though they are not real creatures in the real world they are based on myths, legends, and even real animals.

Example: I stared at it in despair. Buried in there might be a way to get rid of my parking fairy that danced white in the mirror. But finding the magical fairy destroyer suddenly looked even harder than it had before.

The fairy is not visible but is based on a myth and legend. The fairy is causing trouble for Charlie because she really wants to get rid of it but she can’t. When Charlie is talking about the white in the mirror she is talking about the fairies aura. So she can see that it’s there but she can’t actually see its features and things.






PLOT

The characters always hate themselves or something that they have. With that feeling they feel insecure and jealous of what they don’t have.

Example: My spoffs looked funny in the top, which is odd because my spoffs are tiny. I pulled the top up and tried to push them back where they belonged. Didn’t work. Somehow the top was pushing my right spoff under my armpit and my left toward my neck. Mom says having any at my age is lucky. Except that all my friends have them. Anyway, up until now they’d shown no indication of straying far from my chest.
“Your fairy hates me,” I said to my best friend, Rochelle.

It shows that Charlie is upset with what she has and how her body is developed. She shows that she feels unsecure because she doesn’t have what she wants. And she decides to take it out on her best friend’s fairy because Charlie is jealous of her.


Usually later on in the book the character starts to feel better about them and feel secure around their friends and family. By not showing their jealousy and letting them be who they are.

Example: Lucinda dribbled to my left. I went with her, waving my hands at her chin. She switched right, then left, the back again. I stayed with her, keeping my hands and feet moving. She bounced the ball between her legs, feinted left, and then shot.
I was already jumping, already swatting away.
“Shot-blocking fairy.” I thought as I landed.

Charlie now feels good about herself because in the book she always wanted to be in the basketball team. But since she was so short she couldn’t make it and was teased. But after she changed her fairy, she believes in herself and feels good about herself now.


Sometimes the character has an enemy that later on in the book they become very close, and in the end turns out to become good friends.

Example: I stared at her. “You don’t want a fairy? That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I hate fairies,” Fiorenze said. “I just want to be on my own without their help. Their help is malodorous. I hope the parking fairy is truly gone.”

At the beginning of the book Charlie hated Fiorenze because of her fairy. But as the book went along they ended up needing each other, and each others help. Without them helping one another they would both be stuck with the fairies they wanted to get rid of in the first place.



SETTING

In the setting it is in a different world and dimension. It doesn’t matter how you get there but it’s always in a different world. Not the real world.

Example: There’s no place like New Avalon. It’s one of the biggest cities in the world for one, and we have more sports, arts, designs, and science stars than anywhere else. More of the politicians make it to the capital, and we have the strongest economy of any city of the world.

The story tells that this is not the U.S. or any other place in the world. It is a made up place in the book probably based on a little country or city in the world. This section tells you where it is and helps explain a little bit of where they are, so that you can get a better perspective.


Also in the setting they are always in a different time period, the past, sometimes the present, or the future.

Example: “How to Ditch Your Fairy” isn’t set in Australia or the United States of America but in an imaginary country, perhaps a little in the future, that might be an amalgam of the two. Like both countries, it has an East Coast and a West Coast and there are islands too. But no one eats apple pie or Vegemite sandwiches and they play cricket as well as baseball.

This little part in the introduction/prologue explained when this story takes place and how it is not in the real world but a fantasy /Sci-Fi world. It explains that it is in the future and is not in present day or the past.


The setting in books can sometimes help you predict what is going to happen next. Whether it is good, bad, or even dangerous.

Example: “On three. One. Two. Three.” We took off running on the tips of our toes. Mine cramped up instantly. The pain was so much. I screamed. I tried to switch to running normally. My feet slipped from under me. I lost grip on the sled and went flying down the track on my stomach. Fiorenze skidded beside me, screaming.

The first time I read that Fiorenze and Charlie were going to get rid of their fairies at the Luge track. I knew that it wouldn’t be a good sign. And it turned out that I was right. They tried to get rid of their fairies by “Nearly Dying” and they almost did. That’s why the setting helped me predict what would happen next.




CONFLICT

In books sometimes the conflict is actually a realistic issue that is put into an unrealistic story. One example is jealousy.

Example: I have a parking fairy. I’m fourteen years old. I can’t drive. I don’t like cars and I have a parking fairy.
Rochelle gets a clothes-shopping fairy and is always well attired; I always smell faintly of gasoline. How is that fair?

Charlie is always looking at what other people have when she should be happy with what she has. She is even lucky that she has a fairy but she is still jealous of Rochelle. This jealousy issue is a realistic issue, because many people are jealous of each other. But this issue is put into a fantasy /Sci-Fi story.


In some fantasy stories the character wants to do something but they can’t. even if they want it so badly.

Example: As long as I could remember all I’ve ever wanted to do is play cricket and basketball. I couldn’t wait for the New Avalon Sports High tryouts. It had never occurred to me I wouldn’t blitz in basketball. I’d actually worried that by the time I got to the final year of high school and had to pick one, I wouldn’t want to do. But I might not even make that choice. My next chance to try out for basketball wasn’t until the beginning of next year!

Well throughout the book Charlie really wants to be in basketball. But because of her height she couldn’t make the team. She really wanted to but it was something that she couldn’t get. A want that all characters have but sometimes can’t get.


Conflicts in most books are sometimes between the love interest and the main character. But in most books at the end they end up in love again.

Example: “If you like Fiorenze so much then why did you kiss me?”
“I…,” Steffi began, his grin finally going away. “It’s hard to explain. I don’t like Fiorenze. Not really—” it was too much. “She has a fairy! It makes you like her! Why can’t you resist it?”
“It’s not like that,” he said. “When she’s around—”
“It’s exactly like that!” I yelled, turning back to the house, but Steffi grabbed me. “Don’t touch me! Don’t speak to me! I don’t want to see you ever again!” I screamed as loud as I could…

Since Fiorenze has the “All-the-boys-like-you fairy” Steffi is falling for her, even though he doesn’t really like her. That is causing problems with his relationship with
Charlie. But in the end they will get back together and live happily ever after.
THEME

When you want to achieve something keep trying, because you will soon get there even if it does take a while.

Example: “There’s only one way to find out.”
Back in the magic room the mirrors reflected a dirty, sweaty me surrounded by a brilliant green aura. I squealed. “Fairy! I have a new fairy!”

This small section showed that all of Charlie’s troubles in getting a new fairy all paid off in the end. Charlie got her dream fairy and worked hard for it, by never giving up her hope.


Most stories with magical creatures and things like that are usually from a fantasy genre. Also if the story takes place in a futuristic place/area it is Sci-Fi. So this book is a little bit of both.

Example: “Set in a futuristic fantasy city, this book puts a fun spin on fairy tales: fairies exist, but you may wish they did not….This vividly imagined story will charm readers.”—publishers weekly

This praise for the book shows that this book is not only fantasy but also Sci-Fi as I had said before.


Another theme in books is to believe in things that are impossible. Because sometimes if you don’t it can affect others.

Example: It was a disaster. Everything that Rochelle found that fit ludicrously expensive, or if she could afford it, then it made her look like the most horrendous bug-eyed troll ever to live. She was so dirty on dad that I was amazed he didn’t notice. That’s what comes from not believing in fairies. You rob people of a new dress for their school dance.

Since Charlie’s father had a big disbelief in fairies it affected other people. In this case it affected Rochelle and her fairy. It shows that you have to believe in the things unimaginable so that you can see them for yourself. If Charlie’s father had believed, then Rochelle’s fairy would have most likely worked and affect Rochelle in a good way. And help her get a nice cheap new dress for her school dance.

[Natalie Fry]

Another cousin book-annotation club reread! I LOVED this book as a kid. Cassie didn't like it on the reread but honestly I thought it held up! Even though I would love to have a parking fairy (getting the perfect parking spot wherever you go? Say less!!) it makes sense why Charlie, our 14-year old protagonist wants to get rid of hers. Between people always taking her along on their shopping trips and a school bully LITERALLY KIDNAPPING her to get good parking spots, I'd want to get rid of it too. I liked the worldbuilding of the insulated, celebrity-obsessed city of New Avalon. It added a richness to the story that wouldn't be there if the setting was just early 2000s California or something. The fairy lore is also very fun. The dynamics between the characters in their elite sports school were delightful and Charlie's family is great. The ending is silly but Charlie's character arc is pretty solid, if basic. Honestly I'd recommend this book for a fun and fast young adult read even without the nostalgia factor.

[Kai (CuriousCompass) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book YEARS ago but I still think about it all the time. It's hardly the best thing I've ever read and in fact it gets a mediocre 3 stars from me for some serious flaws and plot holes, but the world is intriguing and the concept in general is just so good and weird. It feels like someone smoked a ton of crack and wrote some speculative fiction and somewhere along the road a publisher caught wind, slapped an inappropriately girly middle grade style cover on it, and called it a day. This book is just weird, okay? It's a weirdo. It doesn't fit in and it doesn't want to fit in.

[Lindsey Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a part of our cousin/sister book club and it was a lot of fun! I had actually never read this book before but I knew the plot. I figured I would be irritated by the main character’s quest to get rid of her parking fairy but I actually didn’t mind it at all! The characters were very fun and very realistic of young high schoolers. I could relate in a very fun way and I loved it!

[Melani · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am... not impressed. I would go so far as to say disappointed. I was so looking forward to this book, I’d seen it recced a few places and those people loved it. But yea, this was not the book for me.

Lets start with the thing that bothered me the most, the fictional slang. Fictional slang is not something I normally have a problem with, in fact sometimes it’s really cool to see how authors play with language. The Uglies Trilogy used words differently and A Clockwork Orange smashed together several languages (or is it just the two, it’s been a while since I’ve read it?). I think the reason I had this major problem with it is that the slang came out of nowhere and it wasn’t any type of play on words it was just your basic nonsense substitution. The slang is basically totally new words used in place of modern slang: i.e. dooes for cool. I get that it was supposed to be some sort of indication of the setting, but it didn’t really work. In fact, hearing the new kid, who apparently sounded outdated to the narrator, was refreshing.

And that brings me to the next thing that didn’t work for me in the book, the setting. Ok, it’s a modern setting fantasy? In a fictional city? Where the fairies have only been around for a few generations? I don’t think it was supposed to be our world in the future. But that’s really all dressing, because what didn’t work for me the most about the setting was the fairies. Yea, that major thing the whole book was about and it didn’t work for me. Partly because there was no reason given for them, they just were, and partly because they majorly squicked me.

The fact that they just existed shouldn’t have bothered me. It should have just been covered by the ‘fantasy novel hand waving’ and yet it wasn’t. I think because they’re a mystery inside the story as well. No one inside the story really knows much about them either, they just showed up a few generations ago and some people still don’t believe in them and so you just have this question hanging over the book, and not in a way which indicates that the characters know it and you don’t or you know it and the characters don’t, just a mystery. It’s like the author said, well I need so and so to be good at this, and for so and so to learn this, oh I know lets make their talents the fault of some outside agency and that way I can shift them around.

And having shiftable talents sounds like a cool idea, until you start to think about the consequences. And those consequences are just brushed over feather light in the book. And that’s why the fairies majorly squicked me. I mean first of all we are presented with what is possibly the most horrifying magical ability ever, which is to make another human being totally give up their agency whenever they are around you and fall head-over-heals in romance novel love with you. And you can’t tell me that if a fairy exists that does it for boys, there isn’t also one that does that for girls. And guys, that’s just ew. And again, that ewness factor is brushed over. The main character, when she gets that fairy, is all, ‘well it sucks that the guy I like doesn’t really like me for me and it’s annoying that the boys follow me around’ but there doesn’t go further then that. And that leaves me with the nastiest feeling.

But then you also have the fact that the idea of shiftable talents takes away something from the individual. When you have a ‘shopping’ fairy, then someone who really is good at finding bargains is denied that talent, it becomes the fault of an outside force and nothing to do with the individual.

My final beef with the book is this; I wanted to know what happened with the trial. No really, I thought it would be so much more interesting then the whole ditching the fairy thing. Because that is something you can relate to. A young kid who is going to go against the expectations of the society she exists in, one that worships their celebrities and testify against one of those celebrities. However the book is about ditching your fairy and once that’s done then the major plot of the book is over. I just think the more interesting novel is the one that happens after the fairy is ditched.

I did like some things about the book. I liked the characters. Once I got past the annoying slang, Charlie is a very engaging narrator. And I liked her friends and the support group. And that’s why I wanted to see what happens in the trial. You could have Charlie realize New Avalon isn’t the center of the world (it happened rather quickly in the book, one sentence, and so it’s unbelievable) along with the drama of going against her societies expectations. But no.

To sum up: I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t even like it while I was reading it and I was even more disappointed when it was over. BLEH.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your average paranormal YA, even though it involves fairies. Well, it sort of involves fairies. You'll never see one, hear one, or fall in love with one in this book. They have no personality, no form or appearance, but they do cause havoc in teenager's lives.

This is a world very similiar to ours, where almost everyone admits to the existence of fairies, but no one has ever been able to prove their existence by actually catching one. When a fairy attaches itself to you, it gives you very specific gifts. Before you even start reading this book, or least before you get past the first chapter, go to the very back and read the List of Known Fairies. There's a Clothes-shopping fairy, who will also find you amazing clothes and great deals; a Bladder fairy, who gives you the ability to never have to go to the bathroom during a movie, or when you DO have to go, there's always a bathroom nearby. A Getting-out-of-trouble fairy. A Good-hair fairy, a Photogenic fairy, a Grip fairy (very handy for sports: whatever you grasp stays in your hands until you decide to let it go), a Knowing-what-your-children-are-up-to fairy (I could use this), and your very basic common Loose-change-finding-fairy.

There is also a very handy glossary at the back of this book, which I highly recommend, otherwise you will be somewhat frustrated by all the unsual terms that the teenagers use in this book - I was almost tempted to give up on the book at one point and this glossary would have helped. For instance, "doos" means cool, ace, brilliant; a "doxhead" is an annoying person; "pulchy" means beautiful, good-looking.

Okay, enough about the particulars. The bottom line is that once you get all the terms sorted, this is a great book about learning the consequences of wishing for someone else's gift and getting to see that it doesn't work out for you.

For someone who had devoured high adventure books recently like Hunger Games, the Iron King and the Red Pyramid, this book was a definite change of pace. This is just the plain old real world, don't let the fairies or the funny terms decieve you. Fourteen-year-old Charlie goes to a sports school where she's just failed to get on the basketball team - her dream. This school is also absolutely crazy about rules. There are rules for everything. And the weird thing, the kids seem okay with this - but you really need to read this because there is a very good reason WHY they live with all the rules. At first you're going to be scratching your head wondering why they put up with all the crap, but keep reading, there's a good reason! As a nice counterpoint to the sports school, Charlie's little sister goes to an art school. Both Charlie's sister and her parents are very well done - humorous and supportive but annoying enough to be realisitic.

Another thing I liked about this book is how the author works in a lesson about how we all have the tendency, at times, to get too self-focused and to think that our own little corner of the world is the best and brightest. She doesn't do it in a heavy-handed way. The writing is light with great voice and full of high-school mischief.

Each chapter begins with a list that Charlie keeps: Number of demerits, number of conversations with her crush, number of cool "doos" clothes acquired... and as the book progresses there's some interesting additions to this list: "kidnappings thwarted" "boys who like me" "girls who hate me", etc.

There's a touch of romance, but don't expect anything that'll make you swoon. Once I made the adjustment, it was kind of a nice break from the high stakes YA/MG books I've been reading lately.

[Andrea at Reading Lark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review Posted on Reading Lark 7/22/12: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2012/...

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!

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

[Soseh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book ' How To Ditch Your Fairy ' by Justine Larbaleister, is about a fourteen year old girl who lives in a world alot like ours but with some major differences. Charlie is an average high school student who lives in New Avalon and attends her local high school. In this book, some of the people who live there were born with invisible fairies which give them extra talents some good and some bad. Charlie got a parking fairy when she was born. She's fourteen, can't drive, doesn't like cars, and is always borrowed when people need to go somewhere where the parking is scarce. Charlie hates her fairy in every way, because she doesn't like to go somewhere with someone just because they need a parking spot for their car. In the beginning of the book, Charlie has decided that she is going to walk everywhere so that her parking fairy will slowly disappear and she will not be bothered anymore. So the book starts off with Charlie already walking for about sixty days. She gets late for almost every class. And when a big bully takes her with him so he can find a parking, all of her hard work is thrown away. Charlie gets so angry, that she switches fairies with one of the cool girls in school. Carlie switches her parking fairy for a all boys will like you fairy. Not everything turns out well. So Charlie decides that with the help of a new friend, she is going to get rid of her parking fairy and get a new fairy. In the end, Charlie succeeds, and gets a shoot every hoop fairy. I really liked this book and when I was done with it, I was disappointed to have to return to reality and realize that there are no such things as fairness. Overall, I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes Fantasy books.

[Steph | bookedinsaigon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the city of New Avalon, located in an alternate world, where people have personal specified fairies, fourteen-year-old Charlie (Charlotte) Steele is having a hard time. She’s a first-year at the highly prestigious and strict New Avalon Sports High, and she has a parking fairy. She guarantees that whatever car Charlie is in, that car will find the perfect parking space, right when you need it.

A parking fairy is so NOT what a girl like Charlie wants. Not only is it not fun, it also attracts attention from Danders Anders, a slow-minded star athlete who loves to “borrow” Charlie for his car rides. Charlie would much rather have something like an all-the-boys-like-you fairy, the one Fiorenze Stupid-Name has. Stupid-Name is so nicknamed because she is annoying when she attracts attention from all the guys. It gets even worse when the new boy, Steffi, whom Charlie befriends, falls for Fiorenze as well because of her fairy.

How far is Charlie willing to go in order to ditch her fairy? And what’ll happen if she succeeds?

HOW TO DITCH YOUR FAIRY was so much fun to read! Justine Larbalestier does a great job of creating engaging characters who act their age. Charlie is a genuinely relatable fourteen-year-old who worry about making the team and whether or not people like her. The world in which this story is set is fabulous, a success brought forth by the combination of language (lots of slang here, maybe Aussie? Not exactly sure but they add to the book’s atmosphere), description, and quirks (have you ever encountered such a regimented and sports-oriented high school? I didn’t think so). Overall, a story well done and highly recommended.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was clever and fun. It opened with a lot of futuristic slang, which usually turns me right off, but I kept going. In New Avalon, a futuristic hybrid of Australia and the US, citizens have fairies that help them in their lives - never get cold fairy, find loose change fairy, etc. Charlie is stuck with a finding a parking space fairy, but at age 14, she can't even drive. She's stuck being borrowed by drivers, including school bully Danders.

At the start, this seemed to be setting up a lot of really interesting parallels and insights. What are the fairies? Why do only some have them, or believe in them? What exactly are the ethical issues with fairies and trying to change them? Why is New Avalon so removed from the rest of the country? It really seemed like a sort of Hollywood parallel, with celebrities and such, and why we regard them for often doing so very little.

And then all those undertones were forgotten and it turned into a story about friendship and love. Which is great, and I enjoyed it a lot, but wonder why the two parts of the stories couldn't co-exist. All the set up about the consequences for getting rid of your given fairy and zero follow through. Huh.

Still, good writing, amazing world building, interesting characters and some very funny situations. I also liked the way gay characters and relationships were seamlessly woven into the school setting, without them being a big deal. It really was well done, but I think it could have been even better.