A MID-SEMESTER NIGHT'S DREAM

When a fairy godmother in training takes up residence in Morgan's dollhouse, she creates chaos in the motherless seventh-grader's life. Attitude-laden Gretta, in her first year at the Fairy Godmother Training Academy, is supposed to be observing human life and helping Morgan only by sharing her "fairy wisdom," but when Morgan tells her about her crush on Ben and her wish to go with him to the Mid-Semester Dance, the fledgling fairy flouts the rules and starts casting love spells. One makes Morgan sneeze around Ben; another turns her blue. Meacham (Quiet! You're Invisible ) injects plenty of silliness into her short novel, and readers will get a kick out of Gretta, who talks constantly to her best friend on her mini cell phone and gets so bored in Morgan's science class that she literally whips up a storm inside the room. A small subplot about a rebellious robot made by Morgan's best friend seems unnecessary, and the book's conclusion slightly undermines the lesson Morgan has learned about depending on herself instead of magic. All in all, though, readers will find enough fun here to cast the missteps aside. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)