How to ditch your fairy by Justine Larbalestier

Allen and Unwin 2009.
(Age 12+) Recommended. Wow! What would it be like if you had your own personal fairy? In New Avalon most people have an invisible fairy that does something special for them. There are good hair fairies, shopping fairies, boy attracting fairies and charisma fairies. Charlie has a parking fairy and anytime that she is in a car, the driver will always find a park. She finds it really annoying because she is constantly pestered, and sometimes bullied, to ride with people in order for them to get a park. She decides to ditch her fairy because of the bother. She gets together with Fiorenze who has a boy magnet fairy and they do their best to find a way to get rid of their pesky fairies for good.
This is a funny laugh-a-page story with a great heroine in Charlie who does her best to ditch her fairy, while building up a romance with Stefan the new boy and avoiding demerits at New Avalon Sports High. Along the way she learns about friendship, relationships, love, and widening her horizons while having some pretty amazing adventures.
I read this totally enjoyable book in one sitting. It was a great experience to be introduced to an intriguing premise about personal fairies - who hasn't been with people who can always find a park, or who always have good hair or who always attract the opposite sex? New words like 'doos' - meaning enjoyable, or awesome, leap out from the page and the writing is terrific. But the best part was the indomitable Charlie who loves sports, loves her sports school and keeps on trying.
Pat Pledger