The Magic Mistake

December 15, 2013
The return of fairy godmother Katarina once again casts 12-year-old Lacey's life into disorder. When Katarina arrives with the momentous news that Lacey has been selected to join the Godmother Academy as a trainee, Lacey declines the offer. However, her cat accidentally commits her to a godmother task, and Lacey learns that if she does not fulfill her assigned client's dream, both she and her client will suffer lasting consequences. In less than a week's time, Lacey has to discover the client's true love and host a dream wedding. As in series opener The Glitter Trap (2013), Lacey's spells go comically awry as she struggles to master the intricacies of magic. Returning characters Sunny and Paige have strong supportive roles in this sequel, aiding Lacey in her efforts. With wry humor, Brauner and Mattson alter traditional fairy-tale lore, as when Lacey sets hordes of love-struck frogs in pursuit of her client by mistake. In the middle of the magical chaos, Lacey must also contend with life as a sixth-grader. She copes with her evolving friendship with Scott, inadvertently enters her school's mascot competition and conquers her dread of basketball. Halpin's winsome, lighthearted illustrations enhance the merry exuberance of the tale. Quick-witted and spunky, Lacey beguiles readers in her second adventure. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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February 1, 2014
Grades 3-5 After successfully acting as Paige's fairy godmother in The Glitter Trap (2013), Lacey Unger-Ware has been invited to train at the Godmother Academy. What is an honor to most is horrifying to Lacey, as it means leaving her friends and family. To make matters worse, Lacey must find one woman's true love and plan her dream wedding all in one week. Thankfully, she is not in it alone; friends Sunny and Paige come to help, as does her own fairy godmother, Katarina. This story is full enough with the wedding test; there are plenty of side plots to keep readers engaged, like an innocent love interest and a big basketball game. The real draw here is Lacey, whose relatively normal life just happens to be touched with unexpected magic. She is the type of character that readers will cheer for and could see as their own best friend as well. With a story full of friendship and magical mishaps, this is certainly not the end for the Oh My Godmother series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Lacey Unger-Ware, a fairy-godmother-in-training at Godmother Academy, has six days to make her client's wish of a dream wedding to her true love come true, with life-altering consequences hinging on her success. Hasty spells and a major error in assumption create the drama in this otherwise lightweight fantasy grounded in the reality of middle school. Cutesy illustrations underscore the levity.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)