The Genie Scheme - Hardcover

Jones, Kimberly K.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416955542 ISBN 13: 9781416955542

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009

Synopsis

When Janna impulsively buys a winter hat for a bag lady, she expects nothing in return. But Janna's kindness pays off in a big way when the bag lady turns out to be a genie! Now Janna is the genie's master and she couldn't be happier, especially when she learns that the "three wishes" rule is strictly for fairy tales!

Before long, Janna's room is overflowing with clothes and gadgets -- but things aren't quite as simple as they seem. Making wishes comes with its own set of rules, and Janna discovers that "unlimited" has some...well, limits. Genies can't make something out of nothing, so everything that Janna wishes for is taken from somebody else. Oops. And then there's the problem of genie wattage -- there's only so much of it, and Janna is using it up faster than she'd like. What's a greedy girl to do?

With insight, warmth, and a refreshing dose of humor, Kimberly K. Jones puts a new twist on the old adage "Be careful what you wish for."

About this title

About the Author

Kimberly K. Jones is the author of Sand Dollar Summer, which earned two starred reviews, was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and was chosen by Booklist as one of the Top Ten First Novels for Youth. She lives in Monkton, Vermont. Visit her online at kimberlykjones.com.

Review

Twelve-year-old Janna is fed up with the constant struggle to get by on her mom's paltry income. Disenchanted with secondhand clothes and thrift stores, Janna is ready for change. That change, however, springs from an unlikely source. It comes not from her dream of winning the lottery but evolves out of Janna's impulsive act of generosity toward an elderly bag lady. The curmudgeonly geriatric turns out to be a thousands-of-years-old genie with an attitude, jaded by the excesses of human greed. Not your usual tween offering, Jones's tale delves into the perils of homelessness, the poverty of lives filled with monetary wealth but lacking substance and the necessity of effecting a positive change. What makes this tale palatable despite its weighty moral is readers' ability to relate to Janna. Spunky and slightly self-absorbed, Janna wishes first for a closet full of the newest fashions. Under the gruff tutelage of the genie, Janna eventually recognizes the interconnectedness among all people. What Janna chooses to do with her wishes will keep readers engaged until the tale's satisfying conclusion. (Fantasy. 8-12)

About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1416955542
• ISBN 13: 9781416955542
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192