Eden's Wish

July 15, 2015
A 12-year-old genie longs to live outside her lamp. Eden, the latest heir in a centuries-old succession of genies, lives in a small gold lamp with her two guardians and is allowed to leave only temporarily to grant three wishes to the human who finds the lamp. Genie rules specify that after a genie has granted 999 wishes, she is free to live on Earth, but Eden doesn't want to wait that long. In a defiant moment, Eden escapes the lamp and surfaces in California. Her escape sets in motion the Electric-a cabal of power-hungry former genies who wish to possess the lamp for their own purposes. Crowl's imaginative storyline rings with both perception and humor as Eden makes her way on Earth (telling new friends she is from Sweden) and puts a twist on major events in history (it turns out that most were the result of wishes granted by genies). Crowl's female-empowerment tone-all the genies are female, and the president of the United States is a former genie herself-is, however, subtly undermined by her frequent descriptions of the Hollywood-like stereotypical beauty of the genies. Eden eventually does the right thing, even if it isn't what she wants, but then, in an ending that comes off too pat, she gets what she wants, too. Imaginative but uneven. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Eden lives an idyllic existence as a genie, instructed in the ways of Earth by the masters of her lamp. Genies must grant 999 wishes before gaining freedom, which makes Eden feel trapped. When she escapes to California, she meets Tyler and Sasha on the beach. Claiming that her mother will be joining her from Sweden, she stays with her new friends and enrolls in their school, where she encounters cliques, mean girls, and romance. She also finds that the genie alumnae, whom she has studied and idolized, are actively targeting her in hopes of getting control of the power of her lamp. Torn between staying on Earth and returning to the safety of her lamp and its masters, Eden must decide how to fulfill her destiny while remaining true to herself. Middle grade readers will enjoy the children's autonomy and Eden's humorous difficulties in grasping how school works. The California setting, as well as the sweet relationship between Eden and Tyler, will appeal to fans of gentle romance. The division among and diversity of the alumnae is cleverly depicted, and their power struggles, as well as their insistent attempts to capture Eden, add adventure and intrigue to the story. With more school drama than Peter Speakman and Michael Galvin's Rebels of the Lamp (Disney-Hyperion, 2015) and P.B. Kerr's The Akhenaten Adventure (Scholastic, 2004) and a less traditional mythology than that of Amber Lough's Fire Wish (Random, 2014), Eden's Wish is an accessible introduction to the world of genie fiction. VERDICT Hand this to readers who like their magical fantasy combined with middle school drama.-Karen Yingling, Blendon Middle School

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