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

From Barnes & Noble

On her very first meeting with her grandmother, Birdie discovers an enchanting secret: She belongs to a lineage of fairy godmothers! It is, of course, an honor to be one of the world's hidden protectors, but the honor is not without its tasks and risks. Birdie must, for instance, banish the frightening shadow from the family garden, and she must somehow restore the missing half of her family's talisman. The birth of a promising fairy series.

From the Publisher

Where do fairy godmothers come from?

When Birdie goes to visit her grandmother for the first time, she learns that her grandmother is a fairy godmother—which means Birdie's a fairy godmother too! Trained by fairies in a magical land called Aventurine, human fairy godmothers have been hidden protectors of the world for centuries. Birdie' s family talisman, a singing stone, has been broken, and now only Birdie can use the stone to travel to Aventurine to repair it.

When she gets there she meets Kerka, a warrior-like girl who has been sent to help her find the other half of the stone. Will Birdie and Kerka have the knowledge and strength to banish the shadow that has come over both the garden in Aventurine and Birdie's family? One thing's for sure—no one who travels to Aventurine will ever be the same again!

For girls who are fans of Harry Potter and have outgrown the Disney Fairies series and the American Girl books, the Fairy Godmother Academy is the perfect series—fantasy books filled with magic and adventure but grounded by contemporary girls and issues.

The series boasts an amazing Web site that allows girls to enter the world they visit in the books. There they can do activities both on- and offline, vote for things they'd like to see in the books, and connect with other Fairy Godmother Academy fans.

Join the Fairy Godmother Academy!
Visit the Web site for games, activities, and networking with friends!
www.fairygodmotheracademy.com

Children's Literature

"The Fairy Godmother Academy" series gets off to a fast-paced start as young readers will quickly grab onto Birdie's story, as well as her quirky personality and knowledge of plants that will serve to bind her to a family of secrets. Birdie has no idea what she is in for when she makes the trip to visit Granny Mo, the grandmother that she has never met. Up until now, her only knowledge of this grandmother has come from her workaholic mother who refers to her as "crazy." But when they finally meet, Birdie finds a kindred spirit in this slightly odd woman, and she wonders how her mother could possibly be related to either of them. Her world is further turned upside down when she discovers the "Book of Secrets" that the fairies have left for her and discovers the lineage of her family. Here, the adventure really begins! In this book, readers will join Birdie on her first trip to the magical world of Adventurine, where she will try to put back together the broken pieces of her family and learn what her own personal role is. Bozarth's new series is off to a great start, and young girls will truly enjoy reading about Birdie and the rest of the girls about to embark on their individual quests at the Fairy Godmother Academy. Birdie's story will be just one of the many adventures that will captivate the young audience, and they can look forward to reading even more about Birdie's friend Kerka in the next installment of the series, due out this winter. Reviewer: Jeanna Sciarrotta

School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—Shortly after her family moves from California to New York, 12-year-old Birdie decides that it is time to meet her maternal grandmother, from whom her mother has been estranged. Granny Mo turns out to be a warm and wonderful person who shares the child's love of plants. And as it turns out, they also share a deep family connection with the fairy world, called Aventurine. After Birdie inadvertently travels there, she meets Kerka, and together the girls attempt to rid an ancient and powerful tree of a life-destroying blight. Aventurine is filled with glamorous but uninteresting fairies, lovely scents, and flowers, and a magic wardrobe filled with the most fabulous clothes ever. Birdie's adventures here are uninspired and seem influenced by the online social network that is being marketed as the companion to this series opener. Rather, it is Birdie's growing relationship with her grandmother, her worries about her new life in New York, and her love of plants that ring most true and are the most enjoyable to read about, even if these sections are slower paced. Of possible interest to undemanding fairy fans.—Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

When Sarah Bright, better known as Birdie, embarks on a three-day trip to see her long-estranged grandmother, she begins a fantastical journey. Birdie, an avid botanist, discovers a kindred spirit in her grandmother, Mo, who resides in a plant-filled home surrounded by extensive gardens. When Birdie finds The Book of Dreams in her mother's old bedroom, it leads her to an alternate world, called Aventurine. There the Queen of the Fairies informs Birdie that she descends from a long line of Arbor Lineage women-fairy godmothers that wield a green magic. As a fairy godmother-in-training, Birdie's quest involves healing the wounds of the Glimmer tree by uniting the broken pieces of the Singing Stone and thereby resolving the rift between her mother and grandmother. To aid her, Birdie relies on The Book of Dreams and her newfound friend Kerka. Bozarth's tale is a beguiling mix of magic, adventure and eco-awareness, and her message of girl-power and positive change will resonate with tween readers. This promising series is part of a multiplatform endeavor involving web-based games and social networking. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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