My Fairy Stepmother

This is no Cinderella story – finally there’s a fairytale where the stepmother is the hero! My Fairy Stepmother is a children's book that turns the Cinderella myth on it’s head, with a caring stepmother who helps her stepdaughter find courage she never knew she had. Amelia’s stepmom Maribel has a special secret. When Amelia has trouble sleeping, will her stepmother’s secret be able to help? Children of blended families will be drawn in by the colorful hand-crafted illustrations, and the tale of magic and empowerment that follows. They’ll identify with Amelia’s character as she travels between two households, and faces challenges that only stepchildren face. And parents will love the positive portrayal of a stepmother who helps her stepdaughter with these challenges.

The majority of Americans are now either stepparents, stepchildren, or touched directly by a stepfamily scenario, yet the myth of the evil stepmother prevails. There have been plenty of books written that attempt to "normalize" stepparents, but too often they come across as didactic or preachy. Many books implicitly draw a line between "normal" families and stepfamilies, and unfortunately, that's something which young readers pick up on.

It's time that the paradigms changed. It's time that stepparents entered children's literature not as teachers of what stepfamilies are like, but as just another character, or perhaps even a hero. My Fairy Stepmother turns the Cinderella myth on it's head, with a caring stepmother who helps her step-daughter find strength and confidence that she never knew she had.

Living in two households isn't always easy for step children, and the book acknowledges this gently. Sometimes a caring stepparent is exactly what's needed to help smooth things over - and a little fairy dust never hurt either!

With its beautiful illustrations lovingly hand-crafted by Suzi Tegelaar, My Fairy Stepmother is sure to please children of any family, especially stepdaughters.