How to Ditch Your Fairy

By Justine Larbalestier

If you lived in a world where everyone had a personal fairy, what kind would you want?

• A clothes-shopping fairy (The perfect outfit will always be on sale!)


• A loose-change fairy (Pretty self-explanatory.)


• A never-getting-caught fairy (You can get away with anything. . . .)

Unfortunately for Charlie, she's stuck with a parking fairy-if she's in the car, the driver will find the perfect parking spot. Tired of being treated like a personal parking pass, Charlie devises a plan to ditch her fairy for a more useful model. At first, teaming up with her archenemy (who has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy) seems like a good idea. But Charlie soon learns there are consequences for messing with fairies-and she will have to resort to extraordinary measures to set things right again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jul 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9781599905822

Justine Larbalestier

JUSTINE LARBALESTIER is the author of the award-winning Magic or Madness trilogy. She wishes she had a clothes shopping fairy instead of the procrastination fairy she battles with almost every day. She is married to author Scott Westerfeld and divides her time between Sydney and New York City.

Book preview

Praise for

HOW TO DITCH

YOUR Fairy

"How to Ditch Your Fairy is a stay-up-all-night read, full of clever twists, mature humor, and thoroughly believable characters. . . . Fast-paced and captivating, the storyline here never misses a beat."

—CurledUpKids.com

Set in a futuristic fantasy city, this book puts a fun spin on fairy tales: fairies exist, but you may wish they did not. . . . This vividly imagined story will charm readers. —Publishers Weekly

Charlie is totally likable, smart, and sarcastic, a perfectly self-involved, insecure teen. . . . This ‘doos’ (brilliant) fantasy will not be ditched. —SLJ

This comic coming-of-age novel will entertain teen readers.

—Kirkus Reviews

Larbalestier’s inhabitation of Charlie’s voice is crisp, funny, and wholly believable. . . . [The] well-drawn protagonist will easily carry teens captivated by the hysterical first page through to the finish.

—VOYA

Thoroughly entertaining, totally enchanting, wickedly funny.

—Libba Bray, author of A Great and Terrible Beauty

Welcome to your new obsession! Not only will you believe in fairies after reading this book, you will know what kind you have.

—Maureen Johnson, author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes

Books by Justine Larbalestier

How to Ditch Your Fairy

Liar

HOW TO DITCH

YOUR Fairy

JUSTINE LARBALESTIER

Copyright © 2008 by Justine Larbalestier

First published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books in 2008

Paperback edition published in 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced

in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher,

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Published by Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Larbalestier, Justine.

How to ditch your fairy / by Justine Larbalestier.—1st U.S. ed.

p. cm.

Summary: In a world in which everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie decides she does not want hers—a parking fairy—and embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite and replace it with a better one, like her friend Rochelle’s shopping fairy.

eISBN: 978-1-59990-582-2

[1. Fairies—Fiction. 2. Magic—Fiction. 3. Interpersonal relations—Fiction.]

I. Title.

PZ7.L32073Ho 2008 [Fic]—dc22 2008002408

---

Typeset by Westchester Book Composition

Printed in the U.S.A. by Quebecor World Fairfield

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

All papers used by Bloomsbury U.S.A. are natural, recyclable products

made from wood grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing processes

conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin.

For Stephen Gamble and Ron Serdiuk,

my two favorite fairies

Table of Contents

NOTE TO READERS

CHAPTER 1 : Killer Top

CHAPTER 2 : Rochelle

CHAPTER 3 : Parking Fairy

CHAPTER 4 : New Avalon the Brave

CHAPTER 5 : True Love. Grr!

CHAPTER 6 : Danders Anders

CHAPTER 7 : More Demerits

CHAPTER 8 : Best Dad Ever

CHAPTER 9 : An Intervention

CHAPTER 10 : Statistical Torpor

CHAPTER 11 : Public Service

CHAPTER 12 : Worst Sister Ever

CHAPTER 13 : Steffi

CHAPTER 14 : Doctor Tahn

CHAPTER 15 : Rochelle’s Lucky Day

CHAPTER 16 : Attack of Danders Anders

CHAPTER 17 : Tamsin Burnham- Stone

CHAPTER 18 : Two Fairies

CHAPTER 19 : A Surprise

CHAPTER 20 : A Revelation

CHAPTER 21 : Ruins

CHAPTER 22 : All Over

CHAPTER 23 : Hope

CHAPTER 24 : Metal Box

CHAPTER 25 : The Ultimate Fairy Book

CHAPTER 26 : Bleaching, Starving, and Flensing

CHAPTER 27 ; Swap

CHAPTER 28 : Waverly Burnham- Stone

CHAPTER 29 : A Different Fairy

CHAPTER 30 : Best Fairy Ever

CHAPTER 31 : Impossibilities

CHAPTER 32 : Possibilities

CHAPTER 33 : Less Than Doos

CHAPTER 34 : Love and Hatred

CHAPTER 35 : Crossing the Field

CHAPTER 36 : Luge Hall

CHAPTER 37 : Cold and Ice

CHAPTER 38 : Trying to Nearly Die

CHAPTER 39 : Fairy Free

CHAPTER 40 : Gambling

CHAPTER 41 : Friends Again

CHAPTER 42 : Monkey Knife Fight

CHAPTER 43 : Reckoning

CHAPTER 44 : Fairy Attracting

CHAPTER 45 : True Best Fairy Ever

DEMERITS AND SUSPENSIONS

LIST OF KNOWN FAIRIES

GLOSSARY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PROMISE

BEFORE

HISTORY OF ME

NOTE TO READERS

How to Ditch Your Fairy isn’t set in Australia or the United States of America but in an imaginary country, perhaps a little in the future, that might be an amalgam of the two. Like both those countries, it has an East Coast and a West Coast and there are islands too. But no one eats apple pie or Vegemite sandwiches and they play cricket as well as baseball.

CHAPTER 1

Killer Top

Days walking: 60

Demerits: 4

Conversations with Steffi: 5

My spoffs looked funny in the top, which is odd because my spoffs are tiny. I pulled the top up and tried to push them back where they belonged. Didn’t work. Somehow the top was pushing my right spoff under my armpit and my left toward my neck.

I wasn’t entirely used to having spoffs. I’m only four-teen and the lumps on my chest only started happening six months ago and, like I said, they’re tiny. Mom says having any at all at my age is lucky. Except that all my friends have them. Anyway, up till now they’d shown no indication of straying far from my chest.

Your fairy hates me, I said to my best friend, Rochelle.

No, she doesn’t, Rochelle said, admiring herself in the dressing room mirror. The little black dress she was trying on looked perfect; her spoffs were where they were supposed to be, not migrating to other parts of her body. The black brought out the gold in her eyes, which was strange seeing as how there’s not any gold in black. Maybe her fairy was leaking dust.

Your rentals won’t let you wear that, I told her. Her parents were strict about Rochelle’s clothes being suitably becoming. I pulled off the spoff-destroying top. I stared at it. It looked like a top: two sleeves, a sweetheart neckline, straight seams. The material wasn’t even stretchy. How had it attacked me like that?

It’s not that short.

I looked at Rochelle in the dress. It managed to cover most of her thighs, but Rochelle is vastly tall, and dresses on her always seem shorter than they really are. "Yeah, but it’s that low. You’ll be shopping-grounded again."

No, I won’t. Rochelle hoicked up the top of her dress, disappearing all spoffage. See? I’ll wear it like this in front of the rentals and Dad’ll think it doesn’t reflect badly on him and won’t say a word. Mom never notices what I’m wearing unless she thinks it’s disgraceful. She struck a pose in front of the mirror, shoulders back, chest out (Rochelle is not spoffs-lacking), and fingers splayed like a fancy dancer. Anyway, it’s only twenty dollars.

What? I exclaimed, though it wholly figured. You’d think I’d’ve stopped being surprised years ago. Those dresses are all two hundred dollars.

Rochelle reached around to dig out the tag hanging down her back and awkwardly held it out while turning so that I could see it. The tag was tattered and heavily crossed out. I peered closer. The top crossed-out amount said , then , then , all the way down to the very edge of the ticket, where it said in teeny- tiny (dare I say fairy?) writing: damaged, $20 only.

I sighed. Where’s the damage, then? The silk of the dress shone, exuding an aura of unwrinkled never- been-worn- before- ness. I couldn’t even see a stray piece of thread. The top I’d just removed had several. The tag said $75. It was not reduced.

Isn’t any. Rochelle was staring at herself in the mirror, not smiling, but looking deeply satisfied.

Your fairy never lets you down, does she?

Rochelle nodded. Yes, she does. She didn’t do anything for that top of yours. She picked it up, turned it over, picked off another thread. "I was so sure this would look fantabulous on you . . . I like her best when she works for you too. You know I read in Stars Weekly that Our Tui says that fairies work best for virtuous people? That when she’s been a bit naughty her fairy won’t—"

Oh! Did she finally say what kind of fairy she has? It’s a charm fairy, isn’t it?

Rochelle shook her head. Nope. She didn’t. Anyway, I’m wondering if I’ve done something bad, and that’s why she’s only working for me today.

That’s silly. If fairies only worked for good people, then how do you explain Fi-or-en-ze Stupid-Name? Her fairy never takes days off and she’s vastly up herself.

You have a point, Rochelle said.

Also I have four demerits, which indicates badness, right? But I’m certain my fairy’s working as hard as ever.

"That’s different! You got your demerits trying to get rid of your fairy!"

I sucked my teeth at her objections. Anyway, Ro, you never do anything bad.

I didn’t let Joey come to practice.

Your brother’s a brat. He’s almost as bad as Nettles.

Nettles isn’t a brat. Neither is Joey.

I allowed as how they weren’t always that bad, which was true. Just a week earlier Nettles had baked me a lemon cake—my favorite. On the other hand she had borrowed one of my tennis rackets, broken all the strings, and stripped all the paint off it to use for one of her art projects. Instead of killing her, Mom and Dad had praised her creativity and then docked her pocket money to buy me a new racket.

Are you girls finished in there? the shop assistant asked, yanking the curtains open before we had a chance to respond. Just as well we were dressed already.

Oh, she said, staring at Rochelle, that looks lovely. Wow! It’s like the dress was made for you.

Rochelle grinned, enjoying the new shop assistant. Suzy, her name tag said, though that most likely wasn’t her real name. The owner of Best Dresses, Leatherbarrow, rarely got around to having new name tags made, so all the girls who worked there just swapped around the five old ones. As there were never more than three girls working at once, even on super-busy days, it worked out. But it meant that everyone was called Suzy, Ilian, Daisy, Rhani, or Lucinda.

The other girls knew Rochelle and her fairy and no longer bothered to compliment her. Too jealous, I reckoned. They were all standard boring pulchritudinous: big eyes, big mouth, little nose, and Rochelle wasn’t, but she always looked better than them.

Rochelle, as you might have gathered, has a clothes-shopping fairy. Most people find it hard to like her because she has such a doos fairy, but they soon forgive her because a) she’s a sugar, b) sometimes her fairy will work for her friends (though sadly not often), and c) her family is jawdroppingly atrocious. Rochelle deserves her fairy.

Rochelle stripped off the dress and put on her own clothes (tartan skirt, white T-shirt, tailored black jacket with matching tartan cuffs and collar, which you’d think would look vile, but on her was far from it). She paid for the dress and we made our way out of Best Dresses, past Fairy World—where a stack of plastic Fairy Catchers were on sale (round hoops with sticky filaments attached that are supposed to catch fairies; I happened to know that they’re useless)—and out of the shopping center.

I slipped my lucky cricket ball out of my pocket, rubbed my thumb over the seam, and started spinning it. Time for ice cream? I asked. I haven’t touched my fat allowance today.

Me neither. Plus Dad’s picking me up there.

Fruit-flavored fat it is then.

CHAPTER 2

Rochelle

Days walking: 60

Demerits: 4

Conversations with Steffi: 5

Doos clothing acquired: 0

I had chocolate and strawberry in a crunchy nut and brioche cone, and Rochelle had lemon and lime in the vanilla cone. Neither of which put us over our fat or sugar limit for the day, though it did mean dinner was going to have to be lean. Worth it!

When I went to pay, Rochelle stopped me. My shout. A little apology for my fairy not working for you.

That’s okay, Ro. She hardly ever does.

Yeah, but she doesn’t usually actively sabotage you . . .

No worries. I’m used to doxy fairies. I took a bite out of my ice cream and my brain went on the frizz.Oh! Oh! Oh! I clutched my right temple, trying not to drop the cone.

Shouldn’t take such big bites, Rochelle said, demurely licking her lemon and lime to demonstrate how ice cream should be eaten. Small licks and nibbles, Charlie, not big bites.

I nodded even though stating the obvious is the most annoying thing in the entire world. Maybe her fairy did double duty as a saying- the- fragging- obvious fairy? The freezerization in my brain started to ebb away. Steffi isn’t—

Steffi?

The new boy. Stefan. His family had moved in just around the corner from my place, so we’d been hanging out.

The wholly pulchritudinous one? Rochelle said.

I felt my cheeks get hot. He is vastly pulchy—cheekbones so high they almost touch the sky, and glorious long black curls; not to mention his skin, which is the color of a chocolate kiss, my favorite candy.

You still with me, Charlie? She took another demure bite of her ice cream.

Oh, sorry. Yes, that boy. He says where he comes from everyone calls him Steffi.

He does, huh? Isn’t that a girl’s name? Rochelle said, mock punching me.

Ow! Her mock punches are harder than most people’s actual punches.

Baby.

Am not.

Are.

Not.

Are. Infinity times a million. Rochelle punched me again, hard. You lose, I win!

Don’t tell anyone else about his nickname, okay?

Fairy’s honor, Rochelle said solemnly. She always keeps her promises. You been hanging out with him a lot, have you?

Um, I said. So far we’d had five conversations. Not that I was counting. He’s smart. Funny too.

And pulchy.

My face got hot again. I took a small bite of my ice cream. It’s not just that. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. It’s hard to explain. I thought I’d had crushes before. But this was different. As different as imagining summer on a cold winter’s day. When your cheeks sting from the cold, it’s hard to imagine being out in the waves under the sun, surfing. How I felt about Steffi was real; my other crushes had been vapor.

You really like him, huh? Rochelle said.

I nodded.

And he likes you?

I think so. I mean, he likes me as a friend. He laughs at my jokes, but it’s not like he has stacks of other friends. He only just got here. I shrugged. It’s hard to tell what kind of like it is.

Well, at least you get to hang out, right? Remember Sandra’s crush on Freedom Hazal?

I nodded. He hadn’t given Sandra the time of day. There was much suffering before she realized that while Freedom was pulchy, there wasn’t much more to him than clear skin, big eyes, and moppy hair.

It could be that she’s in a bad mood, Rochelle said.

Who? Sandra?

No, my fairy. My aura’s been kind of thick today. You know? Soupy, almost.

I pushed air through my teeth, mocking her. Auras? Please!

Fiorenze says fairies create an aura around you. If your fairy’s in a bad mood they make it all hazy around your head.

You don’t believe anything Stupid-Name says, do you?

Just because Fiorenze’s vile, Rochelle said, doesn’t mean she doesn’t know about fairies. Both her parents have PhDs in Fairy Studies.

From an old- country university. That doesn’t count! I bet they only have those degrees ’cause they paid for them. You know how rich her family is.

"But her mom teaches at UNA now. She wouldn’t have a job there if her degree was dodgy."

Oh. My mother studied biology at UNA. It’s the best university in the city, which, naturally, makes it the best in the world. Well, I heard they’re only rich because they inherited the money.

I heard that too. Apparently her grandmother invented some kind of computer thing. Rochelle shrugged. That’s not the point. Fiorenze’s parents know about fairies, and fairy auras are her mom’s pet theory. She has these special mirrors and you can see your fairy’s aura floating all around your head. Mine’s purple.

You went to Fiorenze Stupid-Name’s house! To our sworn enemy’s home? You talked to her parents? How could she?! We had a pact that neither of us would ever have anything to do with poxy boy-magnet Fiorenze Burnham-Stone, who’s even more annoying and pretentious than her name.

"Basketball, Charlie. She’s captain. Remember? It wasn’t just me. The whole team was there! I have to socialize with her. Plus she was sick all last week and I agreed to fill her in on all the stuff that isn’t in the notes."

Stupid basketball team. Mention of it did not make me happy. I’m astral at sports—we’re both at New Avalon Sports High, the best Sports high school in the city, probably in the world—but I’m not very tall. Okay, I’m not even slightly tall. I’m the opposite of tall. The shortest girl in my class and I always have been.

My mom says that makes me more environmentally sound than everyone else, because I take up less space and use less resources. But that is no comfort when you try out for the basketball team and everyone laughs at you. Hey, shorty, they called.You need a stepladder?

Back at Bradman Sports Middle School I’d been the star point guard, averaging six assists a game. Six! And my ten points a game wasn’t bad either. Tragically, none of that was on show at my high school basketball trial. I was one for twelve from the floor with only two assists. It was like there was Vaseline on the ball. And my strength, free throws? I didn’t make a single one.

I wasn’t even selected for D-stream basketball. All because of one poxy day.

As long as I could remember all I’ve ever wanted to do is play cricket and basketball. I couldn’t wait for the New Avalon Sports High tryouts. It never occurred to me I wouldn’t blitz in basketball. I’d actually worried that by the time I got to the final year of high school and had to pick one, I wouldn’t know what to do. But I might not get to make that choice. My next chance to try out for basketball wasn’t until the beginning of next year! So many months away . . . But I practiced whenever I could. Next time I was determined not to have a bad day.

Our basketball team is not stupid, Rochelle said. "Anyway, none of us like her. But she is our captain. I can’t avoid her!"

Fiorenze Burnham-Stone wasn’t liked by any of the girls at school because she’s stuck-up and won’t talk to the rest of us, but mostly because of her every- boy- will- like-you fairy. Even though she’s not that smart, or fun, or pulchy, or anything really—all the boys want to be with her.

I wasn’t at her house for fun, you know, Rochelle said. It was pep-talky and strategy and you know.

Is her house as big as everyone says?

Bigger, Rochelle said. "I only talked to her mom ’cause there were

Reviews for How to Ditch Your Fairy

[deslivres5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fun, quick read from the author of the "Magic or Madness" trilogy. The author creates a world where some people believe they have personal fairies, with varying success. Having a fairy endows you with one particular type of luck -- a great parking space in the case of the main character, Charlie. Even though this may seem like an innocuous piece of luck, it has its downsides. Charlie works hard at various schemes to rid herself of her fairy, hence the title of this novel.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The world building in this is really interesting, a city where kids go to schools according to any talent they might show, a sports school, or an arts school, and where all the emphasis is on becoming a famous person, an 'Our'. Also, some people have invisible fairies, that give them help, being charming, or never dropping a ball. Charlie's parking fairy is nothing but trouble - and she is desperate to get rid of it.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Light and fun, but oh dear does invented slang drive me bonkers.

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tones of Louise Rennison. 14-year-old Charlie has no idea how she got stuck with a parking fairy-- she can't even drive!-- when her schoolmates have shopping fairies and clear skin fairies and "make every boy like you" fairies that actually do some good. Will Steffi, the new boy at school, ever realize that Charlie is the girl for him, even if her fairy is doing NOTHING to help her cause?

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

How To Ditch Your Fairy was kind of boring to me through not really being my thing. It's less about fantasy and more about teenage girls, and managed to be really predictable to me as well. And, you know, all the slang that I've come to accept as standard in a Larbalestier book...

I don't know. Teenage girls being teenage girls felt about right, but the amount of slang was a bit too much, and yeah, with teenage girls being teenage, it felt very, very juvenile.

Just... not absorbing, to me.

[mickyfine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In a world where almost everyone has a fairy (loose-change fairy, good hair fairy, never late fairy), Charlie is stuck with a parking fairy. Whichever car she rides in will always find a prime parking spot. Charlie detests her fairy and is desperate to get rid of it. But when she teams up with her least favourite person in the world, Fiorenze, who also wants to ditch her fairy, they end up with far more trouble than they bargained for.If you're not a fan of traditional fantasy fairies, don't bypass this book. While fairies play a major role in the novel, not once does one talk or appear so don't let this being a "fairy book" keep you away. The novel is far more about the delightful alternate reality Larbalestier has created and watching as Charlie discovers that people are more complex than she had imagined and that Fiorenze in particular may not be as odious as she appears. Charlie's nascent romance with the new boy, Stefan is also very adorable. A fun, fluffy read that won't tax you much.

[resugo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Charlie is a great character. I adored her. She is dedicated to her cause, funny, and has attitude. I loved watching (reading) her grow and change through the course of the book. Everything Charlie wanted at the beginning, by the end she has a new perspective of and appreciation for.Ms. Larbalestier builds a cool, made-up country, as well as a cool, made-up school. (At least I think it's a made up school. I'd never heard of a sports school like Charlie attends, but maybe they exist?) Both are believable, as are the fairies. I love how the fairies are accepted as a fact of life by most, but that there are still skeptics who believe it's a bunch of phooey.I did find the repetitive counting of events/demerits at the beginning of each chapter rather tedious, especially near the end. I loved listening to the book. Kate Atkinson was fabulous. I believed I was listening to a fourteen-year-old. I especially loved listening to her Australian accent. And the accent is necessary with all the Australian slang. (At least I'm assuming it's Aussie slang, I wouldn't really know. I suppose Ms. Larbalestier could have made it up?)

[ynaffit27 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I would definitely consider this a book for middle schoolers. The writing was easy to read. I liked the concept of the fairies and thought the book was humorous. I sometimes think the author re-used words too much.

[mephistia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A cute and imaginative little read. The slang had me cracking up, as did the premise. The only question I had at the end of the book is why the New Avaloners have the attitude they do. This is never explained to my satisfaction.

[pokylittlepuppy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meg's other Christmas present! Thanks Meg!The thing I liked best about the story was that I didn't know how it would end until it ended. It is a younger read than other teen fiction books, so a lot of developments are pretty straightforward, but I liked being genuinely excited by whatever would happen to their fairies.Fairies huh? One of the weaker points I think was the handling of fairies as a religious idea, which makes sense but didn't really make sense. There's not really two ways about it based on the things that happen in the story, and there's a few more fascinating ideas mentioned once that I'd prefer hearing more about. (The idea that fairies have only existed for a few generations could be a good world-builder.)I liked how I read the first paragraph like five times because I didn't know if something magical was happening, something futuristic, something Australian, or something funny. (It's something funny.) Also, the book just has something about it that's great. I love the title, I love the cover. I love the little chapter header gimmick. It's just right.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Set in a world that's not quite the U.S., and not quite Australia, Larbalestier has created a small city populated by self-centered folks who possess "fairies" which bless them with odd and interesting talents. A few people have no fairies. Some have relatively common sorts such as the "finding lost change" fairy or the "good hair" fairy. And some have helpful talents, for instance a "getting out of trouble" a.k.a. a "not getting caught" fairy. But fourteen-year-old Charlie's fairy is just awful - blessed with the ability to always find a parking place but lacking a license, Charlie's walking everywhere these days in an effort to starve her fairy. Her hope is that if she doesn't feed it's need to park, it'll eventually fade. But when circumstances conspire against her she's willing to try anything to get rid of the useless blessing. Only problem? Uncertain death may be her only way free.Charlie is self-centered, has boys on the brain and an annoying vocabulary, and the plot is more than a bit weak. Just not that interesting.

[sleepydumpling_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What a load of crap! From the ridiculous made up slang language (no teenager would talk like that, even in a fictional setting!) to the fact that none of the absurdities of "New Avalon" are explained at all through the book, I really wanted to just throw this one against the wall.

[theepicrat · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A light and fun read, though I found it a little difficult to get used to the invented lingo - doos, spoffs, pulchy, etc. Eventually I picked up on their meanings (only to discover the glossary after finishing the book). The story didn't really pick up until halfway through when the girls actually swapped the fairies.

[glitzandshadows · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Oh, i needed this. Especially after my last book. This was light hearted and fun and just what i needed.
So, i regret to say i never finished the Magic or Madness trilogy... i can't recall why though... = ... anyway so this is technically the first thing by Justine Larbalestier that i've read.
It was adorable.
The story was set in this... hmm i dunno would it be a parallel world? Where kids go to school based on what they excel in (ex. the Sports school Charlie and her friends go to as opposed to the Arts school) and almost everyone has a fairy that helps them (or not) in some way.
Charlie has the sad fate of being stuck with a parking fairy. Which, you know, could be cool... but she hates cars and is only 14 so she can't... well drive... so it's pretty much a fail. Especially when she's picked up and used as a parking pass for a school bully (ok.. technically not a bully.. but i dunno what else i should call him...)
So, Charlie gets it in her head to get rid of her fairy... how? well don't get in cars, don't use any form of transportation, just walk. Everywhere.
Well... walking everywhere gets her into a lot of trouble and she slowly (or not.. actually it's rather quick) gathers demerits. (Demerits at a sports school = bad news)
So, she switches fairies with a girl who has an all-boys-like-me fairy. Yes. Panic ensues.
=)
My favorite aspect of this book was the slang and the language. It took me a bit to get used to it, but after i did i loved it. Watch... now i'm gonna catch my self saying 'doos' and 'injured' .... i will too... i'm not kidding.
So, an adorable book. A perfect light read.

[jenneb_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

OK, so what we have here is your typical semi-futuristic teen fantasy/SF/romance set in Australia.

Basically, most people have a fairy (invisible, not Tinkerbell-style) that helps them out with a particular thing. So you might have a always-finds-fabulous-clothes-for-cheap fairy, or a never-drop-anything fairy, or a parking fairy, like the main character whose name I've already forgotten.

She wants to get rid of the parking fairy because she is 14 and kind of dumb.

She also goes to a kind of crazy sports school where she plays cricket and basketball and there is a cute boy that she likes. But unfortunately there is this other girl whose fairy is an every-boy-likes-you fairy.

You can probably guess how it all turns out, but it was pretty cute.

[jellyn_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There's some really cool things in this one. This is my second Larbalestier, having just read Liar.It takes place in a country and city that doesn't really exist -- that she says is sort of a cross between the US and Australia. And it's also slightly in the future. So it has somewhat of a science fiction feel to it.. and actually, if she'd provided more of a scientific explanation for the fairies, it could be science fiction. So I classify it in the same camp I put Diane Duane's Wizardry series. Technically fantasy, but it really reads like science fiction to me.Charlie goes to a sports school, so her entire curriculum is centered around sports, and she's on several different sports teams simultaneously. And of course with a school like that, you're health and diet is pretty regulated and all. And it's also very disciplined, so she keeps racking up demerits.At the same time, almost everyone has a fairy. And she has a parking fairy. Whatever car she's in, it always gets a really good parking spot. She thinks this is a lame fairy, so hence the title of the book. She's trying to get rid of it, so she can get a better one. Like one of her friends has a shopping fairy and helps her get really cool clothes for great prices.I was intrigued by the idea and I liked the world. The book did leave me a little confused by the end. I wasn't quite sure what was up with that Andrew kid. And it also left me wanting to know more about the fairies, so I hope she's planning a sequel.

[bunnyjadwiga · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In a world where most people have a invisible, unsensible 'fairy', which gives good luck in a particular thing, not all fairies are created equal; and some can be downright difficult. Our heroine, attending a high school for sports stars, finds her parking fairy especially difficult to live with, and so she's taking steps-- by never riding in cars or other transport, she hopes to starve away her fairy. The unintended consequences of her plan tangle her up with a fairy expert, a girl with a boy-crazy fairy, and some difficult choices.This is a fun, funny, teenage angst novel with magic-like elements, which is why our 11-year-old picked it up and enjoyed it. While there's some moral in here (our heroine finds out first hand why having a boy-crazy fairy isn't a good thing, and why the owner of such a fairy has social troubles, not to mention that her big, famous hometown might be just a *little* parochial), there's no heavy-handedness here. This is a fun read, and at least to me, reads true to teen thought processes. Adults may be concerned about some remarkably stupid choices of some of the characters, but again, that's true to life too-- even if it merits a family discussion among the readers.

[basbleu0 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a disappointing novel for me which could have been much better written. Although the premise was an amusing one, the characters were so lightly sketched as to have very little interest. I began to wish that there was a "Let's Get This Over As Quickly As Possible" fairy which would save me the bother of reading to the end.

[callmecayce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My sister told me I was going to love this book, and she was right. Larbalestier has created a wonderful world within the confines of her novel. In some ways, it reminded me of her husband's (Scott Westerfeld) Uglies series -- but in all the good ways. The story focuses on Charlie and her problems with her fairy. She runs into trouble: with friends, boys and, of course, trying to get rid of her fairy. But Larbalestier writes Charlie in such a way that you never really get annoyed with her problems. Instead, you want her to win -- to figure out how to ditch that fairy of hers and get the boy in the end. I almost hope she writes more in this universe, maybe not the same characters, but the same world. Even if she doesn't, this is a great and fun fantasy novel.

[veracite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was heaps of fun. I would enjoy more books in the New Avalon world. Not just more about Charlie and her friends, but her sister (who is great) and the world Larbalestier has built, too.

[knielsen83 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know why, but I absolutely loved this book. It was funny and had an interesting setting that kept me involved. Basically, in this world everyone has an invisible fairy (most everyone) and they do certain things for you such as - find a parking spot every where you go, or make all the boys your age fall in love with you. There's problems that arise with these two fairies in particular and two girls team up to figure out how to rid themselves of these nuisances of fairies.

[ekanderson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charlie Steele can't drive. In fact, she hates cars. But she has a parking fairy, and on account of this, she has spent most of her life in cars helping people get good parking spaces. Charlie's friend Rochelle has a clothes-shopping fairy, and her arch nemesis Fiorenze has an all-the-boys-like-you fairy which helps her steal Charlie's crush. Charlie would settle for a loose change fairy just to get rid of hers, so she embarks on a mission. When Plan A fails, Charlie is ready to try the unthinkable - she goes to Fiorenze's house to follow up on a rumor that Fio's parents have studies on fairy-ditching. Plan B, however, throws Charlie in over her head and it's not long before she has teamed up with Fio to solve this fairy problem once and for all. How to Ditch Your Fairy is a truly clever book - Larbalestier has built her world with the sort of care that allows the reader to settle in for a nice, long stay. Her characters are truly teenage, with all the bumbling and insecurity that comes along with being fourteen. They even have their own lexicon of slang, which Larbalestier manages to blend in rather well, though it is sometimes quite nice that she has a glossary in the back of the book. These characters are easy to fall in love with and to root for. I would not be surprised if this isn't the last we hear from Charlie et. al, nor would I be opposed to reading another of their stories.

[warriorlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lots of fun!

[cammykitty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In how to ditch your fairy, Charlie needs to get rid of her parking fairy because other people keep "borrowing" her fairy's help which means they need to borrow Charlie too. She's worked very hard to get rid of her fairy by never giving it a chance to do its thing, but other people aren't helping her. Her attempts are earning her demerits in her Sports High School.This story is very amusing, but I expected more from Justine Larbalestier since she's well known for her feminism. The story almost went further, but then didn't quite. Worth reading, but not worth a reread.

[jenj5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Listened to the Brilliance Audio recording on Playaway narrated by Kate Atkinson. This was really fun - a perfect light-hearted listen. I have to admit that I expected the fairy switch to happen sooner as somehow I had heard about that ahead of time, but it wasn't really a problem. Atkinson did a fantastic job with the narration - particularly with the lists that began each chapter as those could have been a bore to listen to, but she infused them with plenty of personality. The Australian accent was fun, too! Charlie was definitely a bit of a brat at times, but she was still a sympathetic character which was a nice balance. Her friends were a little one-dimensional though and it seems just a little too perfect that she'd get exactly the fairy she'd want most at the end. The whole concept of how sports would work in the fairy world was a little weird for me too - wouldn't people see that as cheating? Despite my niggles, this was still great and would be particularly good for those who want a little magic in their chick lit. Now that I think about it, this actually reminded me a little of the Georgia Nicholson books in tone. And there aren't a whole bunch of titles that I can think of off the top of my head that combine magic and sports.

[norabelle414 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Charlie's world, (almost) everyone has a fairy that provides them with some kind of minor magical power, like always finding loose change or always having good hair. Charlie has a fairy that allows whatever car she is in to always find the best parking spot. She hates it, because a big dumb water polo player at her all-sports high school keeps kidnapping her so he can get the best parking spots while he runs around town. So Charlie comes up with a plan to get rid of her fairy and get a better one, like the every-boy-will-like-you fairy. This proves to be difficult because almost no one knows anything about what the fairies actually are or how they work.YA books always sound so much better to me in theory than in practice. The writing wasn't great, the plot had holes, and the main character was very self-centered. But then I finished the whole book in less than 24 hours and I remembered what I DO like about YA books.Overall the book wasn't bad, and I particularly liked a few things that Larbalestier did: 1) The stuck-up rich girl that everyone hates is actually just super shy 2) There are pretty much zero traditional gender roles. This is difficult to do in a sports-centered community but it's well done here. 3) Sexuality: most boys like girls and most girls like boys but some boys like boys and some girls like girls and some girls aren't sure if they like boys or girls. The words "gay" and "lesbian" aren't even mentioned; people just like who they like. No one is grouped or labeled; everyone is friends with everyone else. It's awesome 4) Institutionalized corruption and complacency in sports: There are all kinds of weird rules at Charlie's school that must be followed at all times (even when not at school) for pretty much no reason, but everyone just accepts them. There is rampant gambling and bullying which are just overlooked because tattling is against the rules. The sports stars of the school are allowed to do whatever they want, and they don't get in trouble because the administration wants to keep them happy so they will keep playing well. (I have seen all of this in real life in college, and it is horribly corrupt but no one will do anything about it because sports = $$$$ and fame)In conclusion, the plot fell flat but the subtler parts of the story made up for it. I'm really interested in reading more by this author.

[dk_phoenix_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fourteen-year-old Charlie hates her fairy. All it does is help find great parking spaces, and she doesn't even drive. She wishes she had a cool fairy like her best friend, who has a shopping fairy, or like her arch-enemy Fiorenze, who has a fairy that makes every boy fall in love with her. So, Charlie sets out to get rid of her fairy, in hopes that she'll end up with a new, better one once the old fairy is gone.While not the best YA I've ever read, Larbalestier weaves an entertaining story about friendship, acceptance, and perseverance. The characters were realistic, and the plot device of "everyone has a fairy" wasn't so over the top as to feel out of place in the otherwise real-world context. My only real qualm with the book was the made-up dialogue, which I know isn't unusual in some YA books where the setting isn't *exactly* a contemporary city as we'd know it. The author did include a glossary in the back of the book, however, which I appreciated.Overall, while it wasn't a remarkable book, it was a fun read and probably the best thing I've read from Larbalestier so far.

[thelittlebookworm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just finished this book and thought it was cute! It's kind of like every other teen cutesy book, although better than a Meg Cabot cause the heroine knows what she wants and goes for it and doesn't get all stupid like Cabot's girls are want to do.Charlie is at an all sports school in New Avalon, a vague futury kind of city where people have fairies that help them do stuff. She has a parking fairy (that lets the car she's in find a good spot) and hates it. So she is walking everywhere to deprive it of its purpose but, later she gets a little more proactive about it. Also there is her crush on the new boy Steffi and Fionzene Stupid-Name (not her real last name) who has a every-boy-will-like-her fairy and makes all the girls jealous and hateful. There is lots of New Avalon slang to deal with and that is distracting at first but, once you catch on, it's really fun. All in all, a really doos (cool) book!

[hoosgracie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fairly cute book about a world where most people have a personal fairy. Charlie has a parking fairy, which she hates and is trying to get rid of. The moral is "the grass is always greener on the other side." Could have used some editing.

[bluesalamanders · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It is fairly light and playful and has a refreshingly new premise. The characters act believably - incredibly stupidly at times, but believably, especially for high school students - and I love the universe that it envisions.