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lashesss's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
books_inthewild's review against another edition
4.0
What a delightful book! I really enjoyed it, and would recommend to readers grade 4 and up.
A cute fantasy story about fairies and wishes- and an adventure with a funny dog and the deserving people they encounter when trying to grant a wish!
A cute fantasy story about fairies and wishes- and an adventure with a funny dog and the deserving people they encounter when trying to grant a wish!
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
If someone had told me I would read, and enjoy, a book featuring fairies as the main characters, I would have thought they were nuts. I listened to this through Libro for booksellers and really liked it. Ophelia Delphinium Fidgets is a "granter" living in the "haven." She is a straight-A student and she's more than ready to try her wings at granting some human's wish. She finally gets her chance when she is chosen to grant a human girl's wish for a "bicycle, make it purple please." Ophelia runs into every problem a fairy could imagine (airplanes, various animals, man who takes the coin from the wishing fountain and uses it for other transactions, and the list goes on). She has to decide whether to do what seems right or follow the rules of the haven. Sometimes we get more than we wish for! As usual with John David Anderson, I would highly recommend this middle reader
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
Whimsical and inventive story about a rookie wish-granting fairy on her first mission. A little too much scene-setting slows down the pace. See my full review here.
geo_curler's review against another edition
5.0
John David Anderson goes off the beaten path with a story about a fairy named Ophelia yet stays close to home with a classic Anderson lesson. Written from the perspective of Ophelia, you begin when she receives her first wish granting assignment, you travel with her across the country to a little town in Ohio to grant a wish to a girl who wants a bike. Along the way, she learns that some wishes deserve to be granted more than others due to the selflessness and heart in them. Another touching story from John David Anderson.
kelleemoye's review
5.0
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=14902
John David Anderson never ceases to amaze me. I have read all but one of his books, and I am learning that I cannot even guess what he’s going to tackle next; although, I can assume he is going to do it well!
But I will be honest, I would not have guessed that his newest would be about a super sweet, determined, and a bit quirky fairy named Ophelia Fidgets. But yes, Ophelia is our phenomenal fairy protagonist who every reader will immediately love. She is a perfectionist but also does things her own way–she just has very high standards for her own way. She also has a silly sidekick in both Charlie, a fellow granting fairy, and Sam, a homeless dog, and I must say that Anderson does one of the best dog voices I’ve ever read, I could hear it while I read.
Other than the characters, I think there were two other things that this novel did exceptionally well: world building and making the reader think about priorities. Everywhere Ophelia went, Anderson described enough to make sure that we could visualize it, but he also ensured that he didn’t overwhelm the reader with too much information. He also did a truly fantastic job at setting up the fairy world and all the rules within it to where the reader understood Ophelia’s task, her job, etc. Also, through Ophelia’s journey to grant the wish she’s been assigned, Anderson gets the reader to look at wishing and what is truly important in the world.
Lastly, I loved that in the backmatter of the book, Anderson acknowledges the long history of fairies, including Tinkerbell!, and reminds readers to keep reading about them.
John David Anderson never ceases to amaze me. I have read all but one of his books, and I am learning that I cannot even guess what he’s going to tackle next; although, I can assume he is going to do it well!
But I will be honest, I would not have guessed that his newest would be about a super sweet, determined, and a bit quirky fairy named Ophelia Fidgets. But yes, Ophelia is our phenomenal fairy protagonist who every reader will immediately love. She is a perfectionist but also does things her own way–she just has very high standards for her own way. She also has a silly sidekick in both Charlie, a fellow granting fairy, and Sam, a homeless dog, and I must say that Anderson does one of the best dog voices I’ve ever read, I could hear it while I read.
Other than the characters, I think there were two other things that this novel did exceptionally well: world building and making the reader think about priorities. Everywhere Ophelia went, Anderson described enough to make sure that we could visualize it, but he also ensured that he didn’t overwhelm the reader with too much information. He also did a truly fantastic job at setting up the fairy world and all the rules within it to where the reader understood Ophelia’s task, her job, etc. Also, through Ophelia’s journey to grant the wish she’s been assigned, Anderson gets the reader to look at wishing and what is truly important in the world.
Lastly, I loved that in the backmatter of the book, Anderson acknowledges the long history of fairies, including Tinkerbell!, and reminds readers to keep reading about them.
victorialynch's review against another edition
3.0
Perfect adventure for fairy lovers, but he keeps it updated with modern dilemmas. A good reminder that we could all use more magic in the world.