My Very UnFairy Tale Life Series, Book 1

September 26, 2011
When unicorns, elves, or fairies fight, 12-year-old Jenny and her candy-crazed gnome sidekick, Anthony, swoop in to save the day. “Most of the time,” says Jenny, “I just had to say one of the cheesy things that popped into my head, like ‘Waste not, want not!’ and the magical creatures would think I was wise and great and do whatever I told them.” But Jenny is exhausted: in the three years since she was selected by the Committee to become an adventurer and protect magical kingdoms far and wide, her friends have forgotten her, and she has become more distant from her Aunt Evie. When a lamb prince is kidnapped by Klarr, an evil clown sorcerer who has cast a silence spell on the land of Speak (leaving all creatures without mouths), Jenny agrees to her riskiest mission yet. Staniszewski’s debut is a speedy and amusing ride that displays a confident, on-the-mark brand of humor, mostly through Jenny’s wisecracking narration. Though the plot unfolds predictably, the inventive and lighthearted premise will keep readers entertained. Ages 9–up.

October 15, 2011
In a light comic romp with a fantasy theme, 12-year-old Jenny, reluctant adventurer, decides to live a normal life, if she can. Jenny has spent the last three years traveling to magical lands, vanquishing foes by dispensing "cheesy" wisdom. She's in high demand as an adventurer. However, she yearns for a normal life, with friends and school. When she meets an enemy, the terrible clown monster Klarr, that appears too powerful for her skills, she quits. Her normal life, however, doesn't fulfill her hopes, as she just doesn't seem to fit in with ordinary kids her age. Jenny finds she can't get away from her magical adventures in any case. She goes back with her gnome sidekick Anthony to rescue her new friend Prince Lamb from Klarr's grasp. Staniszewski pitches her writing to a middle-school audience in her debut, emphasizing comedy along with non-threatening suspense, and keeps the tone chatty and frothy. She throws in some sweet animal characters along with the less interesting humans, although Jenny's Aunt Evie, always surrounded by animals, and her kindly magical protector, Dr. Bradley, stand out. An eye for imaginative detail mixes with these likable characters and a theme of empathy for others to keep the story appropriate to a younger audience, who easily will identify with Jenny. Charming. (Fantasy adventure. 9-14)

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December 1, 2011

Gr 5-7-Staniszewski throws a whole lot at readers in this debut novel, including unicorns, a scary clown, energy beams, talking frogs, a gnome, and a monster that looks something like "a dragonfly and a submarine" and has a penchant for jewelry. While this sounds like there's potential for a rollicking good time, the end result is more silly than funny. The book is a mishmash of ham-handed scenes, underdeveloped backstories, and tangential plot lines buzzing around the bizarre domination of a kingdom of talking animals by Klarr, the scary clown. As a designated "adventurer," Jenny has been commanded to save the kingdom. She travels back and forth between the magical world and that of a normal teen, and the two occasionally intersect. This book will likely elicit some goofy laughs from the tween set, so it can be considered for an additional purchase if there's money in the budget to spare.-Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

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