Publishers Weekly
Codell (Sahara Special) concocts some playful twists to familiar fairytales and conventional morality in this uneven story about a misfit witch. Hunky Dory, witch in training, is at the top of her class in charm school. Her mother has high hopes of her becoming "the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." But Hunky, who narrates, secretly aspires to be a fairy godmother; and her Auntie refers to "F.G.s" as "vapid little underachievers." The first time the heroine adjusts a curse (her Auntie's), changing Sleeping Beauty's death sentence into a 100-year snooze, Hunky detects a wonderful, strange sensation: "It was a warm feeling, but it wasn't a sick feeling. It was spreading, though, from my feet and legs and into my hands and up my neck." From then on she's hooked on doing good deeds even though it means getting expelled from school and being disowned by her mother. Young readers may well be tickled by Hunky's encounters with Rumplestiltskin (on whom she has a crush), Goldilocks (whom Hunky transforms into Glinda, the Good Witch of the North) and Cinderella (who is reluctant to marry a prince who is "all hands and sugar talk"). The author's message about good and evil being almost the same thing, however, comes across as somewhat convoluted and perhaps too heavy-handed for this lighthearted tale. Codell more successfully conveys the idea that people rarely wish for what they truly desire. Ages 7-11. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-With humor and ingenuity, Codell weaves an unusual, intriguing, and enjoyable story. Hunky Dory is the top student in her charm school, but her inner conflict about the purpose of witchcraft plagues her. She wonders if it must always be focused on evil. Hunky becomes interested in the work of fairy godmothers, a group looked down upon by ordinary witches, and, after much soul searching, she concludes that she wants to become one. Characters from well-known fairy tales weave in and out of the story. The protagonist's conflict with her mother escalates when she is thrown out of school for questioning the value of evil and of granting wishes. Her Aunt Malice is the voice of wisdom and helps guide her on her search for her own true mission. Double entendres add to the book's humor. Underlying the fantasy are subtleties about school cliques, the challenge of listening to one's own voice, and the need for girls to value intelligence and power rather than superficial attributes. There are references throughout the book to the wisdom found in Be the One with the Wand, the charm school's textbook; it offers valid advice to live by ("If you're between a rock and a hard place, stand still"). This is a fun read that will have particular appeal to fans of Eva Ibbotson's Not Just a Witch (Dutton, 2003).-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Hunky Dory is at the top of her class at charm school, destined to be the "wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." But Hunky Dory would rather work on wishcraft than witchcraft to become an F.G. (Fairy Godmother). "I can't help it. It's who I am," she says. In a deliciously lively and inventive tale of one witch's path to self-fulfillment, Codell displays charming wordplay, and offers allusions to Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, Baba Yaga, Heckedy Peg and a host of other characters in tales that readers will love recognizing. There's plenty of wisdom about life here, too, and the admonition to be the best you can be. "If you're going to leave us to be an F.G., don't just be any F.G. Be the best one. The one everyone will talk about for years." When she meets Cinderella, it's a dream (or wish) come true. Similar to Susan Cooper's The Magician's Boy (p. 118), but for a bit older audience, this volume will send readers off to other tales they know but perhaps have never read. (Fiction. 7-11)
