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The Fairy Godmother Academy #1: Birdie's Book (by Andrea Burden, Jan Bozarth)

common sense media says

Delightful, exciting adventure for girls who love fantasy.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that there are some scary incidents, including a girl falling from high in the air, girls being attacked by plants, and girls being chased by a large sea creature. Also, a child has a rocky relationship with a parent.

Educational value: Readers will learn more about plant life. The title character has a love of plants, and often describes the scientific name of plants. It's a great companion to kids who like gardening or biological science.
Positive messages: The novel has great positive messages on friendship, the importance of family relationships, and perseverance, as well as lessons about trusting and believing in yourself.
Positive role models: There are several positive role models, including adults, who are open, kind, and attentive to the children. The children themselves offer positive examples of what it means to be a friend and to have courage.
Violence: There are some scary situations, including fights with plants that attack and vicious balls of light, but most of it is quite mild.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: While there isn't a lot of consumerism in the novel itself, the media campaign surrounding the book is a bit heavy. The book comes with a trading card and has a Web site where reader can log on and chose their own adventure, dress up their fictional character, and more. The marketing behind the book has the potential to go viral, so parents should be prepared to be a part of the Adventurine world for a while.
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More on The Fairy Godmother Academy #1: Birdie's Book

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about how to settle family disputes. Come up with some creative ideas: a talking stick, family meeting, etc., that will help your family resolve issues.
  • How can you be a good friend? Birdie and Kerka don't always get along, but true friends work through their problems. Can you point out examples of Birdie being a good friend? What about Kerka?
  • How do you overcome obstacles? Birdie had to push past many of her fears before she could try to reunite her family. What are some fears that are keeping you away from your goals? What steps can you take to overcome them?

What's the story?

What's the story?
When Birdie's family moved from California to New York, she knew she would never get used to the concrete-covered world. When Birdie's workaholic mom goes overseas for business, her father allows her to visit the grandmother she's never met. What starts as a simple trip turns into the adventure of a lifetime, giving Birdie the opportunity and awesome responsibility of reconnecting her family and saving a dying world at the same time. Will she be able to do it?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

Author Jan Bozarth has written an adventure story with a lot going for it. The characters are strong, lovable, and come with all the vunerabilities real girls have. Instead of creating a fluffy novel that concentrates on pretty fairies and magical river maidens, Bozarth imagined a fantasy world twith depth and complexity, much like the real world where our heroes Birdie and Kerka live. There is danger, wonderful twists and turns, disappointments, triumphs, and heroic fights.

Audiences will love seeing young girls in a true adventure story where they aren't relagated to damsels in distress or side kicks. There are great lessons in friendship, loyalty, and the special bonds families share, and even some botany lessons sneaked in for good measure. It appears with the Fairy Godmothers series that Bozarth seeks to show that every girl has a special talent that makes her who she is and allows her to shine. In this novel, Birdie's green thumb is the focus, and surely readers will clamor to get the next book to find out where the other fairy godmothers' talents lie.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Andrea Burden, Jan Bozarth
Publisher: Random House
Publication date: August 25, 2009
Number of pages: 224
Paperback price: $7.99
Read Aloud: 9
Read Alone: 9
This review was written by Terreece Clarke
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

dragonsrule
kid, 12 years old
9
 
Loved it!!!
AMAZING!!! A great story. This book is an exciting fairy adventure with two girls (Birdie and Kerka) who are training to be fairy godmothers. The girls have some arguments because of their big personality differences. Kids will learn about plants. I think this is best for girls 9 and up because the girls are starting to try to figure out what they want to do and who they want to be, and girls are more likely to enjoy this as the main characters are girls and the story is about magic and fairies.
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