(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for My Unfair Godmother, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from My Fair Godmother. Although the books both work well as standalones, as always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Considering what a mess her life has been lately, 17-year-old Tansy Miller isn't all that surprised to discover that even her fairy godmother is defective. Chrysanthemum "Chrissy" Everstar is nothing like the kindly old soul who granted Cinderella her heart's desire—she's more like a ditzy prom queen who doesn't know her tiara from her glass slippers. Which isn't too far off the mark. Chrissy is, in fact, not the brightest of students at fairy godmother school. Unless Chrissy can pull off some quick extra credit projects, her grades won't be good enough to get her into university. Which is where Tansy comes in. If Chrissy can change her from pathetic to princess, it will do wonders for both of them.

Tansy's not sure what to think of Chrissy, but she's not about to say no to the three wishes she's offering. It's only when the wishes start going horribly wrong that Tansy remembers she's dealing with a godmother who's only fair. Now, Tansy's stuck in the Middle Ages trying to outfox the trickster Rumpelstiltskin on her own. Okay, she's not exactly alone, but that's an even bigger problem—not only is she responsible for getting herself home, she has to worry about returning her family and a cute guy from her high school, none of whom are too happy with their one-way ticket to fairy tale land. With Chrissy off flitting around somewhere, Tansy can't count on magic. All she has is her own wit and determination. If that's not enough, she'll be stuck in a drafty old castle spinning straw into gold—for the rest of her life.

Popular MG/YA author Janette Rallison infuses My Unfair Godmother with the same warmth and humor that made the first book in the series (My Fair Godmother) such an enjoyable read. Tansy's a funny, sympathetic heroine whose adventures are original and entertaining. While she learns some important lessons from her adventures, the book never feels preachy. It's just pure, vintage Rallison—warm, upbeat and lots of fun. I loved it.

(Readalikes: My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison and Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG

To the FTC, with love: I bought My Fair Godmother at last year's LDS Storymakers conference with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Tori Hampton has it all—beauty, wealth, athleticism, popularity and the prestige of being a senator's daughter. Her only quirk? The 16-year-old has a weird, inexplicable obsession with dragons. Ever since she was a kid, she's had the urge not only to understand them, but also to destroy them.

Tori's fixation leads her to a rundown dragon-themed summer camp in the D.C. area. At first glance, it looks like a normal camp—dingier than the Cancun resort she vacationed at last year, of course, but normal nonetheless. Then, things start getting strange. Tori's led to a secluded, secret part of camp, where a group of not-very-friendly teens sneers at her million dollar wardrobe, salon-styled hair and obvious lack of camping know-how. Her suspicion mounts as they put her through a rigorous course, testing her skills with rifles, horses and physical fitness. It's only after she proves herself capable that she's told the truth: Tori, along with the other kids in the special camp, are dragon slayers. An evil dragon lord is raising the beasts with the intention of using them to take over the U.S. It's up to Tori and her cohorts to save the country.

It's all so unbelievable that Tori's not sure she even wants to stay at camp, let alone be a Slayer. She wants to understand her powers, yes, but to go up against a real, live dragon? That's crazy. And it's not like the other Slayers care a fig about her, so why shouldn't she march right on back to her McMansion and forget all about ancient monsters attacking the U.S.? While Tori's deciding what to do, she's also struggling to prove herself to the other Slayers, resist the attentions of not just one, but two boys, and to understand the unbreakable connection she feels to the dragons. Does she have the courage to be a Slayer? Does she have a choice? When the inevitable happens, she'll have to decide who she really is and what she really wants—before it's too late for her country and everyone in it.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for violence and very mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I bought Slayers from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

A fairy godmother is one thing; a fair (as in not excellent, not great, not even good - just fair) godmother is quite another. Ask Savannah Delano. She's stuck with Chrissy Everstar, a ditzy, shopping-obessed fairy who didn't exactly make the honor roll in Fairy Godmother School. Nevertheless, she's standing in Savannah's bedroom ready and willing to grant three wishes. And Savannah's got wishes. Boy, does she ever. She doesn't need beauty - she has that - or friends - she's got those, too. She doesn't even really need to wish for male attention - she could probably find a prom date on her own - but ever since Hunter Delmont dumped her (for her older, smarter sister, no less), her self-confidence has taken a major nosedive. Arriving at Prom on the arm of a prince would change that. If she made Hunter jealous in the process - well, she wouldn't complain.

When her basic Cinderella wish goes horribly wrong, Savannah realizes that fairy tales might not be all they're cracked up to be. Castles, knights and royal balls are nice, but so are electricty, daily showers, and cell phones. Cleaning chimneys, cooking for dwarves, dining on hard bread, dodging angry goats - well, where's the magic in that? After her Cinderella and Snow White adventures, Savannah's ready to wash her hands of the whole godmother mess once and for all. There's just one problem: thanks to another blunder from Chrissy, Tristan Hawkins is now stuck in medieval times. And it's all Savannah's fault. She has no choice, she has to help him get home.

A little magic and poof! she's back in the smelly, rat-infested Middle Ages. This time, she's not after a prince - her one wish is for Tristan to return home safe and sound. The only thing standing in her way is the mysterious Black Knight. And a fire-breathing dragon. And an evil queen who's trying to kill her with a poison apple. And an ogre. Well, at least she brought shampoo.

Each misadventure teaches Savannah something new about her own talents, strengths and weaknesses. Chrissy's screwed up royally, make no mistake, but the closer Savannah gets to the kind-hearted Tristan, the more she wonders about her fair godmother - Could the airheaded fairy be wiser than anyone ever suspected? Does Savannah really have all the magic she needs inside herself or is that another one of Chrissy's tricks? There's only one way to find out. Unfortunately, it involves a dragon. A big, scary dragon. All she's got is a bottle of Pantene and a godmother who couldn't perform a spell to save her own life, let alone Savannah's. What's a 21st Century high schooler (with very shiny hair) to do?

(Readalikes: reminded me of Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt and a little of Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG simply because it's a teen romance most suitable for readers 10 and older (although my 8-year-old loves it)

To the FTC, with love: I bought this book with some of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Hee hee.

(From left to right: Julie Wright, Janette Rallison, Josi S. Kilpack)

(Thanks to Sandra, our fearless book club leader, for the photos. If you don't recognize me, I'm the dorky one on the top row with the glasses and oatmeal-colored sweater.)

LDS book clubs are a funny thing. A lot of them started a few years ago when Relief Society (the church's organization for women) was restructured and we were urged to plan small group activities. I think most of the clubs have moved away from church "sponsorship" for various reasons, but still exist as groups of friends who want to read books that are in keeping with their common morals. I'm not sure exactly how The Bookworms got started - I've only been in the ward (my local congregation) for a year and a half - but I've enjoyed my brief association with these ladies.

Since our group's been a little defunct as of late, our leader organized a fun kick-off. We gathered to hear Josi S. Kilpack and Julie Wright, two LDS authors, speak. Since they were staying with Janette Rallison (who, I didn't realize, lives here locally), she came along as well. The trio talked about their lives, their writing, and the unique experience of writing for an LDS market. It was fascinating, even though I have only read Kilpack, and only one of her books.

Some of the interesting things they said were:

Josi talked about how writing her own novels has stolen much of the pleasure out of reading others' books. She mentioned a 50-page rule - if a story hasn't grabbed her by then, she abandons it. I know a lot of us bloggers do this, too. My question, though, is this: Have you had this same experience with blogging? Does reviewing books steal some of the pleasure out of reading? It has for me, although I feel like critiquing others' work has been more instructive than destructive. What do you think?

Someone asked how the authors "found" the time to write. I thought Julie's answer was interesting. She said she writes in 15 minute increments. I don't know about you, but I can take just about anything for 15 minutes, be it a sports competition or a dentist drilling (which are equally torturous for me). Her advice has inspired me to work on all those novels that have been germinating in the back of my brain.

Mostly, I appreciated hearing the women talk about why it's so important to them to write clean novels. My reading always vascillates between G reads and R reads, but I love the fact that I can walk into a church bookstore knowing I don't have to worry about the content in the books I choose. Now, you know how I feel about LDS lit, but listening to these ladies convinced me to give it another go. I love that there is this new crop of writers who are making the genre better and better every day. So, for those of you who are sick to death of hearing me talk LDS lit, I apologize, because I'm not done yet :)