GENIE WITH THE LIGHT BLUE HAIR

by Ellen Conford ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1989

The ever-reliable Conford turns in another funny yet thoughtful story, this time concerning the dangers of making wishes--especially when they come true. Jeannie Warren is hardly thrilled with her aunt and uncle's 15th birthday present--a lamp that looks like a teapot with a candle stuck in it. Nor is she delighted when she lights the candle and a genie (""Arthur""), who looks like Groucho Marx, appears. Arthur is cheerfully willing to grant wishes, but the results tend to be catastrophic, since Jeannie omits important points from her requests--like asking to have her homework done without specifying accuracy. After a series of comic, sometimes suspenseful adventures, it turns out that the lamp has been given to the wrong Jeannie: her aunt was the intended recipient. Though this begins as a familiar plot, Conford gives it a slick twist, and Arthur is a particularly amusing creation, granting wishes by saying ""Okey dokey."" Not one of Conford's best but good of its kind, with something to say about the tree value of wishes.

Pub Date: March 1, 1989

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Bantam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1989

Categories: CHILDREN'S